WODEN CITY, Iowa — Posted on May 11, 2024
In the heart of corn country, an unexpected transformation is taking place. Woden City, a town of 4,200 people surrounded by farmland and quiet streets, has become one of the most vibrant swing dance destinations between Chicago and Denver. What began as a handful of strangers learning basic steps in a borrowed community center room has grown into a movement reshaping the town's economy, schools, and identity.
The Origins of the Swing Movement
It started with a flyer. In November 2019, Margaret Cho, a 34-year-old high school history teacher, and Deon Williams, a jazz bassist who had moved home to care for his mother, posted a notice at the Woden Public Library: free Lindy Hop lessons on Tuesday nights.
"I missed the feeling of a live rhythm section, and I missed having people to play for," Williams said. "Margaret missed having people to dance with. We figured maybe six or seven people felt the same way."
Six people showed up to the first class. By February 2020, Cho and Williams were regularly drawing crowds of 40. Then the COVID-19 pandemic shut down in-person gatherings.
Rather than disband, the group pivoted. Cho hosted weekly virtual lessons from her basement, teaching footwork to participants dialing in from their living rooms. Williams livestreamed solo jazz demonstrations. When Iowa restrictions lifted in summer 2021, the dancers returned with pent-up enthusiasm — and brought friends.
"That first Tuesday back, we had 85 people," Cho said. "We had to move into the gymnasium. Now we average 120 dancers a night, and we've added a Thursday beginner class because the waitlist got so long."
The Impact on Woden City
The economic ripple effects are visible along Woden's four-block downtown. Since 2021, three swing-themed businesses have opened. Jumpin' Java, a café with a sprung-wood dance floor, hosts Saturday afternoon social dances. Rhythm & Retro vintage clothiers sells high-waisted trousers and spectator shoes. The Hep Cat Barber Shop, opened in 2023, offers period-appropriate haircuts — and validates parking for dance night customers.
"Tuesday used to be our slowest night," said Linda Vasquez, owner of Jumpin' Java. "Now we serve until 10 p.m., and about 40 percent of our monthly revenue comes from dance nights."
The movement has also found its way into local institutions. Woden High School incorporated swing dance into its physical education curriculum in 2022, making it an optional unit that about 60 percent of students select each semester. At the Prairie Meadows Senior Center, an 84-year-old retired farmer named Harold Nissen now leads a monthly swing night that draws residents from three counties.
"I told my granddaughter I'd never dance again after my wife passed," Nissen said. "Then she dragged me here. Now I'm the one doing the dragging."
On the first Friday of each month, the Woden Street Festival closes two blocks of Main Street to traffic for live swing bands. The events regularly attract 400 to 500 attendees, according to city estimates.
The Future of Swing in Iowa
Woden City's influence is extending beyond its city limits. The Woden Swing Festival, launched in 2022, now draws approximately 800 participants annually from across Iowa and neighboring states. Regional dance competitions have become quarterly events.
The movement has also attracted national notice. In March 2024, the American Swing Dance Association invited Cho and Williams to present at its annual conference in Chicago on building sustainable rural dance communities.
"They wanted to know how we did it without a major university or a big tourism budget," Cho said. "Our answer was simple: we started before we were ready, and we kept showing up."
For all its growth, participants say the Woden scene retains the welcoming spirit of those first Tuesday nights. Beginners still dance alongside competitive performers. Teenagers trade steps with retirees.
"This isn't nostalgia for the 1930s," Williams said. "It's proof that people still want to be in the same room, moving to the same beat. That hasn't gone out of style."
