Ben Basell and Anita Walshe got into the swing of
Camera IconBen Basell and Anita Walshe got into the swing of Credit: Supplied/Matthew Poon

The last dance at hullabaloo

Staff ReporterSouthern Gazette

Presented by the Perth Swing Dance Society, the celebration included events to tempt dancers and non-dancers alike.

Kensington residents and ‘lindy junkie’ Ben Basell and Anita Walshe participated in the event.

‘I started dancing in January 2007 ” it was a new year’s resolution,’ Mr Basell said. ‘I went along to classes in Victoria Park on my own and pretty quickly became a lindy (a type of swing dance) junkie.’

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Since then, Mr Basell has even travelled to Dublin to participate in a lindy exchange.

‘Many cities have a big annual lindy hop event, where dancers come from all over the world to participate,’ he said.

Mr Basell, who also regularly DJs at local swing events and teaches lindy hop at a local school, said he had met many of his closest friends through the scene.

Society volunteer Annaliese Hutchison said Hullabaloo attracted visitors from overseas and interstate and had something for everyone who was interested in swing dancing, jazz music or vintage culture.

– For more information on swing dancing, visit perthswing.com