Do you remember the movie, Field of Dreams?
A famous line from it was, “If you build it, he will come.” But for some reason, an incorrect version stuck in my head: “If you build it, THEY will come.” Maybe it’s because sometimes that’s how life works. You feel a need for something, then decide to build it and hope others want it too.
When I moved there for work, I was starting over. New job, new town, new routines. I also had a lot of optimism. The kind that makes you try anything because you feel like you don’t have anything to lose.
After a full day at the office with friendly colleagues, I would spend my nights alone writing and reflecting on this new life. Writing every day helped me slow down. I wasn’t trying to analyze everything. I just wanted to capture what was happening. The small observations, the ordinary moments, the day-to-day of building a life in a new place. Eventually, I made friends. Nights on my own evolved into outings when I found a community of swing dancers.
One night, while driving home to Santa Barbara after visiting my parents in San Francisco, I started thinking about New Year’s Eve plans. I had only recently moved to town and didn’t know what I would do. I’ve always liked the idea that how you spend New Year’s Eve sets the tone for the rest of the year. I don’t know where that belief came from, and I’m not saying it makes total sense, but it seems reasonable to me.
So somewhere along that long, dark drive, I asked myself: What would it be like to spend New Year’s doing something I really loved?
It seemed a little out of the blue, but it also felt right. I started asking a few dancers I knew, from both Northern and Southern California, “If I had a New Year’s Eve dance event in Santa Barbara, would you come?”
Asking that question brought me right back to being an awkward, pimple-faced teenager inviting the cooler classmates to a dance party in her garage. But the anxiety wore off fairly quickly once friends started saying yes. Luckily, friends were enthusiastic. They were super supportive and wanted to come. That was more than enough to get things moving along.
Within one weekend, my friends and I had built a website, put together a schedule, and created what became Santa Swing. (I give credit to my friend and author, Kim Sunée, for the name. She came up with it. And to this day, it’s perfect.)
The very first Santa Swing came together within weeks, almost seamlessly, as if it were made to happen. Lindy Hoppers from all over California came to dance, laugh, and make new friends. Most of all, enter the new year starting off with the best state of mind: fun, open, social, and stress-free.
Looking back, I realize that Santa Swing came to be because of a shared vision. A vision to create a place for dancers of all ages and skill levels, from diverse backgrounds, came to life because of the people who also believed in it.
Santa Swing continued to grow for a few more years. And in 2019, we hosted a comeback event. Then the pandemic shut down in-person activities where people could connect. But I still have fond memories of this special event.
