GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Get ready to get your groove on!
The Grand Rapids Original Swing Society — or GROSS — will host outdoor swing dance events at Rosa Parks Circle every Tuesday night starting May 9.
The society was founded in 2004 by Steve Zaagman.
"I started it for the same reason why a lot of guys ended up dancing — there was a cute girl at the time, but I ended up liking the dancing more than the girl," Zaagman explained. "The organization kind of started [by] teaching at a college. We went from the college to a church to eventually Rosa Parks Circle."
Zaagman and the girl never dated, but they did continue to dance! Over time, many people joined in. So many, in fact, the group set a Guinness World Record with 753 people swing dancing at a single time in 2012.
You better believe Zaagman hangs that plaque up proudly.
"It's funny because when I do Zoom calls, Zoom meetings, it's in the background," he joked.
Grand Rapids lost the official title two years later to the state of Wyoming, but Zaagman said they have "unofficially" re-broken that record several times.
Zaagman said it was never a part of the plan to grow this group as big as it is now, but he's not complaining.
"It's not like I set out to make a big organization," he said. "It just kind of happened."
Maybe he has word-of-mouth marketing to thank for that. After all, the Grand Rapids Original Swing Society sometimes goes by GROSS. That unique acronym is completely intentional.
"It's a Calvin and Hobbes reference, if anyone has ever read that comic," Zaagman said. "It's a pneumonic device. You remember it now, don't you?"
The society gathers to dance all year round, but their outdoor events will begin Tuesday, May 9, and will continue every Tuesday night through Oct. 17.
You can find them in downtown Grand Rapids at Rosa Parks Circle from 7–9:30 p.m. It's free to attend, but they stay afloat through donations.
Zaagman said showing up with $6 would be greatly appreciated, but at the very least, just bring a winning attitude and you'll be good to go!