By Keith Lesmeister 

One night, my wife sat me down and started massaging my neck after dinner. She worked me into sort of a daze, and just as my eyes started rolling back she mentioned something about signing us up for swing dance lessons. I snapped out of my daze and sat quietly. I thought about turning on the computer to look for plane tickets on priceline.com, thinking it’d be easier starting life in a new country than learning swing. But then I remembered this idea of being a “yes” person, and how great it is to try new things and have shared experiences as a married couple and all that good stuff.  So I turned to Molly and said, “okay.”

Ten minutes into our first class, my wife and I were stepping in rhythm to an old time rock tune. One – two – rock-step, one – two – rock-step, and the next thing I know a man dressed in jeans, black shoes, and an engineer’s hat turned backwards – our instructor – says, “Nice job.”  I smiled, feeling confident.  After twenty minutes and a little one-on-one instruction from the “King of Swing,” otherwise known as Alan Hockersmith, we were twirling and spinning and laughing.

Alan Hockersmith first tried swing dancing in 1988 during summer break at Kansas University in Lawrence. It was a sleepy summer, Alan recalls, and he thought, “What the heck?” Twenty-one years and more than several dances later, Alan resides in Mabel, Minnesota with his wife and son and happily teaches swing dance and soon a two-step class at Decorah’s ArtHaus.

 “I love helping people make it their own,” Alan says. “If a person wants to move their hips more, move your hips. If not, that’s just fine.”

It was Alan’s parents who turned him on to dance. “They were great dancers,” he says. And distinct.  “They were 6’5” and 5’3” respectively so you couldn’t miss ‘em. And my dad had this thing he did with his left hand – shaking it while he danced – to keep beat.”

History has repeated itself with Alan. After moving to Minneapolis in 1991 and having a difficult time finding dance partners, Alan started teaching. And that’s how he met his wife (she’s 5’0”, Alan is 6’3”).  “It’s been great for my wife and me,” Alan says. “We try and make it to a couple dances each month if we can. It’s a great chance to talk and socialize with others and to just have fun.”  Along with meeting his wife, Alan emerged as one of driving forces behind a swing dance renaissance in the Twin Cities from 1995-1999. 

Named a local swing dance pioneer by the Twin Cities *City Pages, Alan taught classes for Miss Kitty’s Dance. Their group met every Wednesday at Lee’s Liquor Lounge in Minneapolis where Alan’s teaching style of emphasizing fun in any form of dance helped him gain national notice in publication like *Elle and *Minnesota Monthly. Alan brings that fun and vibrancy and passion for dance to his classes at ArtHaus.

In our class of seven couples, Alan took time to walk through and demonstrate both parts of the dance – leader and follower.  The intimate setting of Arthaus – art work from local artists hanging on the walls and an inviting plywood floor – also allowed Alan to provide one-on-one instruction to those couples needing it, walking through each step and spin and twirl before moving on to the next. Usually we’d learn five or six moves in an hour class. Homework, however, was strongly encouraged. But don’t worry, no need to sharpen pencils or buy a three-ring notebook. Our homework required a CD player and a little free time, and remembering dance moves from the last class. Alan was adamant about practice outside of class because if you do, he says, “It’s easier to learn and remember the technical stuff – timing, moves, and steps – but also to develop confidence. And of course it’s fun too.”

Keith Lesmeister is glad that he said “yes” to swing class. He’s now thinking about ripping up carpet in his living room to create a permanent dance floor.  

For anyone interested in learning swing or two-step, Alan is teaching classes this fall at Arthaus. More information at arthausdecorah.org