What is a "Swing?"

Blog writer Lauren Lim Jackson:

Hello 5th Avenue Aficionados!

It's Lauren Lim Jackson here, Memphis Ensemble member and Swing. Now some of you might be wondering, "What is a swing and what do they do exactly?" Well, I'm definitely not trained in aerials nor am I an expert at the Jitter Bug. A swing's job is to learn all possible ensemble parts (in my case, every female African American ensemble role or "track"). If one of the girls is out of a performance (or sometimes in the middle of a performance), it's my job to literally sing, dance and act their track. From covering lines to dancing with different partners, my goal is to make sure that YOU, the audience, can't tell that someone is missing. For Memphis, I have to know 4 different tracks, not including my own. As both an ensemble member and swing, I get the pleasure of still performing on stage and being part of the show every single night. While some people may think, "yeesh, that seems like a tough job," I see it as an exciting challenge. You never know when you're going to have to throw on a different costume and jump on stage.

For more about me, visit my website!