Annapolis Capital

Nine weeks ago, Mr. Gilbert electrified Tuesday nights as well.

The award-winning dance team of Tina DeMell, 38, and George Matysek, 32, were recruited to bring their brand of swing dancing to Corky's.

They give two, one-hour lessons starting at 7 p.m. Local bands provide live jazz and Dixieland music beginning at 9 p.m. The music and dancing from 9 to 11 p.m. is free for registered dance students, and $5 for non-students.

Ms. DeMell road-trips more than two hours from Green Castle, Pa. Mr. Matysek drives in from Owings Mills, 45 minutes away. A number of their dance pals shuttle in from around the region to watch and dance.

"We do it because we're half-crazy and it's fun," laughed Mr. Matysek, a reporter for the Baltimore-based Catholic Review newspaper.

His dance partner works with at-risk students in the Waynesboro, Pa., school district and is earning her teaching certificate. The two founded a group of dance enthusiasts called the Psycho Jammers. They make the rounds of other swing dance events in Frederick, Walkersville and Glen Echo.

The two were trained by John McCalla, a D.C.-area dancer and teacher known particularly among the cognoscenti for his amazing aerial moves - all those lifts, throws and catches that can wow a crowd. With a previous partner, Mr. Matysek won six national championships dancing the polka.

The partners cut the rug their own way.

"The swing we do is the Lindy Hop, an eight-count step versus a six-count step. It's reminiscent of the Harlem style in the '20s, a tribute to the Savoy Ballroom moves of dance legend Frankie Manning," explained Mr. Matysek.

Washington, D.C., he said, is a strong center for the Lindy, with interest in Baltimore moving up. The Annapolis area is still getting used to the idea of the fast-paced dance style.

"People drive all the way from Pennsylvania and Frederick and northern Baltimore to come to these classes," said Stacey Sickels Heckel, a Severna Park resident who is director of Institutional Advancement at St. Timothy's School in Stevenson.

She and her husband David took their first eight-week beginner class in early February. It starts at 7 p.m. They are now taking the 8 p.m. intermediate class but they arrive early to warm up with the beginners.

"It is one of the few things that we can do as a couple that also gives us a chance to learn something and even get a workout," Mrs. Heckel said.

Ms. DeMell started a recent class by showing the exaggerated, bent knee strut that is a key step in the Lindy. Men were encouraged to adopt a stance best described as a Groucho Marx sidle. The technique kept their knees bent and ready to bounce into myriad dizzying steps and spins.

Twenty minutes into the first hour of instruction, stilted steps evolved into more confident dance moves. The men were less tentative about placing a hand on a woman's shoulder, arm or waist to guide or spin her around.

Fran Koons of Crofton stopped in mid-step and laughed, "Am I getting it?"

Mr. Matysek assured her she had made great strides.

Later Ms. Koons noted, "This is my first time, I'm interested in learning how to dance with a partner. I didn't know what to expect. I thought it would be more '50s dancing, but it's more '20s. I've only seen this kind of dancing in the movies. I'm having lots of fun."

The dancers moved gracefully in time to the music of the Spa Creek Swing Band. The syncopated slapping of their feet on the floor made a sweet sound all its own.

"When I'm dancing, there's no better place to be than on a dance floor. All my cares drop away," Mr. Matysek said. "I'm a quiet guy. Shy. But I'm not reserved on the dance floor."

Wendi Williams is a freelance writer in the Broadneck area. This article appeared in the April 7, 2005 issue of the Annapolis Capital.