Chandrae Roettig and Stephen Sayer have breathed new life into the old swing dance style at the Rock That Swing dance festival.
Their groovy performance reminds young people of the origins of dance and brings forth fond memories to those who used to groove the night away to these very dance styles back in their teenage years.
Chandrae and Stephen are not the only couple to dazzle at the festival; in fact, the festival attracts thousands of people from all over the world to try their hand – or rather their feet – at some of the classic dance styles!
Let’s go back in time
The two dancers look the part of the classic dance style; Stephen dressed in a white blazer and grey trousers while Chandrae models a beautiful red and black dress with cute black pumps. One would swear that they stepped straight out of a dance club from the 1940s!
With the first beat of the music, the couple sets off to demonstrate their vigorous routine. They begin to sway, tap, and swoon to the slow harmonic intro, but as soon as the lyrics kick in, the couple kicks off.
With a spin and a twist, they begin their fluid two-step routine to “Let’s Stick Together” by Wilbert Harrison. Their excellent footwork and sensual dance moves have notable markers of the type of dancing performed by Baby and Johnny from dirty dancing.
Dance moves that will catch your attention
The two dancers are so comfortable with one another and have allowed the music to envelop them to the point that they appear to have forgotten that the crowd exists and are simply expressing their passion through their eccentric movements.
The crowd goes particularly wild two minutes into the performance when the two of them execute some of the more provocative movements of the routine. The couple gyrates together and the crowd loves every bit of it! Stephen crouches down and leans Chandrae into a dip, but Chandrae does not rise.
Instead, she rests her back on Stephen’s knee as the couple shimmy their hips in rhythm with the music – a movement that would surely have been frowned upon during the rise of the swing dance style in the 1930s!
They end their impressive captivating routine after multiple twists, pirouettes, and turns combined into their basic sensual two-step routine.
In exiting, Stephen and Chandrae join hands, and Stephen pushes Chandrae to the edge of the dancefloor as her shoes slide across the dancefloor – giving the crowd the impression that she does not want the performance to end. We are sure the crowd felt the same way!
The people behind the routine
When Stephen and Chandrae are not performing together on stage, they are pursuing their passion for vintage dance styles in different ways.
Stephen, from Ohio, is also a dance instructor dedicated to preserving great American dance styles from the 1920s to the 1950s.
He began dancing at the young age of sixteen in 1998 and is now teaching in North Hollywood and is even responsible for starting the California Jubilee performance teams!
Chandrae, on the other hand, originally dedicated her career to gymnastics but soon discovered her love for swing dance in 2007. She began her dance training at Dance Vision in Portland and has since worked with many top choreographers for film, television, and music.
Stephen and Chandrae won their first contest at the National Jitterbug Championships in the Lindy Hop Division in 2012 and have been competing together ever since.
Now that the two have made their mark on the swing dance world, they have decided to share their passion with others. They focus on instructing younger people to keep the love for swing dancing and other classic dance styles alive!
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