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Meet the Swingin’ Cat Sumida

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Portland chapter.

Name: Catherine Sumida

What is your year and major: Junior/ Finance

Hometown: I come from the small town of Mill Creek, Washington. Literally no one has heard of it, but it has a golf course so that’s something.

Favorite time of day: I like the late afternoon! It’s a very lax time of day, and the sky is super pretty.

Favorite animated movie: That’s a tough one, though I really love Spirited Away. Really, most anything from Studio Ghibli.

 

How did you get involved in swing dance club? Did you have an previous dance experience?

It was a funny thing actually, I got involved because I was carpooling with Nalani (the club president) after Thanksgiving Break. She told me about how she wanted to start a Swing Dance club and offered me the position of head DJ. That’s the position I currently hold. And no, no previous dance experience. I pretty much had two left feet when I got started.

When and where does the club meet? 

We meet in St. Mary’s every Friday from 4 to 6 pm.

What do you do in the club?

As the DJ, I’m in charge of organizing music for the club meetings and audio tech for the formal dances.

What upcoming events are planned for the Swing Dance Club? Are you doing any community outreach?

Well we do an event called Sunday Swing where we go out to social dances in town. Those happen a few times a month. We also have the semester dance that is tentatively scheduled for December 2nd. We’re still figuring out community outreach, but we would definitely love to do some outreach activities in the future.

Do you have a favorite memory or anything you’d like to add from your experience as a club member?

Any of the formal dances probably count as my favorite Swing Dance memories. They’re always the most fun part of Swing Dance Club. Plus, I get to pull out the fun songs for those dances! Lots of Benny Goodman and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy.

I'm an Environmental Ethics and Policy Major, an intersectional feminist, and fashion lover.