The GW Jitterbugs Swing Club hosted the first Intercollegiate Swing Dance Competition Saturday in the Marvin Center Ballroom.

The actual competition only went on for a fraction of the day, which was filled with workshops, a dinner and hours of live music by The Tom Cunningham Orchestra.

More than 25 different swingers from around the United States competed in four different divisions: Jack and Jill, Amateur, Intermediate Classic and Intermediate Showcase. Jack and Jill consisted of 10 male and 10 female competitors who had to dance with each other through random selection.

Judging is based on good footwork, and `playing to the crowd,’ said Alfredo Lapuz from the University of Florida, one of the Jack and Jill male winners.

In the Amateur and Intermediate Classic divisions participants danced the classic Lindy Hop to songs to which they were previously made aware. No aerial moves are allowed in this dance style.

The final category, Intermediate Showcase, featured the lifts, drops and aerials that are commonly associated with swing dancing.

One competitor was Nassin Katin from France, ranked as the number-one Boogie Woogie dancer in his country. Katin, who was visiting a friend, entered the competition by pure coincidence.

It’s about what a couple brings to the show, Katin said. There are some couples who dance only for themselves. I think that when you dance, you have to dance for yourself, but also for the public, he said.

Winners from GW were Alex Chiu and Alicia Trider, who won the Amateur division.

Following their performance, the Tom Cunningham Orchestra took stage and played into the early morning.

It’s a safe way to get a really good adrenaline rush, said Kitty Phillips, of Asheville, N.C., who competed in the intermediate classic division. It’s a good thing, why let it stay in the past? she asked.

-Corey Cooper