Young siblings bringing back swing
Mon 02 April 2007
Robyn Daniels, Journalism
Dancing brother and sister duo, Ashleigh and Matt Cochrane are encouraging the revival of swing, jive and rock’n’roll on the Coast.
Ashleigh, 19, and Matt, 22, have both been dancing for about seven years and would like to see other people, especially youths, take up the sport as well.
“It is good for your fitness, it’s a great way to meet new people and have a good time,” Miss Cochrane said.
“Matt and I run classes and our youngest (dancer) is nine, with our oldest probably about 70.”
Mary-Ellen Worth of Mooloolaba said that she mainly attended their classes because of the music.
“I love the ‘50s and ‘60s music,” Mrs Worth said.
Mrs Worth said that she also found Matt and Ashleigh’s instructing techniques very h
elpful and easy to follow.
Miss Cochrane says she knows many people her age who are swing dancing socially but she would like to see more.
“I would definitely like to see it become more popular and I think swing is slowly making a come back,” Miss Cochrane said.
“I don’t expect it to ever be as popular again as it was in the 1920s though.”
Mr Cochrane said he thought younger people, particularly males, were deterred by peer pressure or misconceptions surrounding the sport.
“Dancing often gets put into the ‘uncool’ category,” Mr Cochrane said.
“Luckily for me, my friends never cared whether I danced or not. I was a late starter…so I was at an age when I would not have cared what others thought anyway.”
While the pair promotes the sport as being fun and a great social outlet, there is also a very competitive professional scene for those looking for something more serious.
The Cochrane siblings recently travelled to the United States to compete in the US Open Championships.
“We were there last November for two weeks,” Miss Cochrane said.
“Matt and I were the only Australian couple. The others were mostly American and Canadian. We placed sixth and are travelling there this November to have another go.”
Their most prestigious titles are National Champions and International Crown Champions in 2005.
Miss Cochrane said she thought it was a big benefit having her brother as a dance partner.
“Matt and I get on really well and we work on the same page when it comes to dancing,” Miss Cochrane said.
“Growing up together makes it easier to get over tiffs when we have them.”
Mr Cochrane said that for someone starting off, it requires hard work to get to his dance level. A beginner first needs to have some natural talent, be dedicated and guided by a good instructor.
Mr Cochrane is a qualified dance teacher in three different styles, his favourite being Lindy Hop.
“It is danced to up-tempo jazz music,” Mr Cochrane said.
“It is a dance based around enjoying and interpreting the music through movement and energy.”
The pair currently runs both social and competitive classes three times a week and hope to one day work as full-time instructors.
Image(s) designed by Robyn Daniels