Swish Mixer

(C. J. Mixer)

{1970s}


Introduction

The C. J. Mixer is an easy walking mixer composed in the 1970s by Cal and Judy Campbell.

Here is the origin story, as told by Cal Campbell:

In the 1970s, Grenn Records was considering dropping some music from their catalogue. Judy and I thought one tune they had called "Everybody Loves a Lover" was very good music and we asked Grenn to keep it in stock. They told us to invent a mixer for the music and they would agree to produce it as a mixer dance. What we did was to make a variation of an old mixer named GKW Mixer. Grenn was happy with that and then asked us what to name it. We shrugged and said "How about C. J. Mixer?"
Cal notes that in Europe, it was also called "Swish."

In 2019, Melissa Enge proposed an adaptation to make it flow more smoothly for the Follows (and the Leads). Given that the C. J. Mixer is still danced as originally described, and we can't find any current reference to a mixer called "Swish," we call the new version of this mixer "Swish."


The Position

Shadow position (a.k.a. sweetheart position, a.k.a varsouvianna position), i.e., side by side facing LOD, right-to-right and left-to-left hands joined at shoulder level.


The Dance

Part I - Forward and Back Along LOD (8 counts): Walk four steps forward along LOD with the Follow at the Lead's right (1, 2, 3, 4), then turn halfway to the right in one's own lane to walk four steps back along LOD with the Follow at the Lead's left (5, 6, 7, 8).

Part II - Repeat Against LOD (8 counts): Walk four steps forward against LOD with the Follow at the Lead's left (1, 2, 3, 4), then turn halfway to the left in one's own lane to walk four steps back against LOD with the Follow at the Lead's right (5, 6, 7, 8).

Part III - Star Left (8 counts): Dropping right hands, the Follow stars left four steps around partner to face opposite, i.e., against LOD (1, 2, 3, 4), then both partners star halfway around each other, until facing a new person of the opposite role (5, 6, 7, 8).

Part IV - Star Right to New Partner (8 counts): Offer right hand to this person* and star right halfway around them (1, 2, 3, 4) to find a second new person of the opposite role, with whom you take left-in-left and rotate into shadow position facing LOD (5, 6, 7, 8).

* This was originally a Star Right with your partner, and then take left-in-left with a new partner, but starring right with another person was found to flow more smoothly.

Repeat from the beginning.


The Music

The tune which inspired the dance, "Everybody Loves a Lover," can be heard below:


Sources


© 2019 Nick Enge

For more dance descriptions, see our three books on dancing:
The Book of Mixers: 100 Easy-Teach Dances for Getting Acquainted (2022) by Richard Powers and Nick & Melissa Enge,
Cross-Step Waltz: A Dancer's Guide (2019) by Richard Powers and Nick & Melissa Enge, and
Waltzing: A Manual for Dancing and Living (2013) by Richard Powers and Nick Enge.

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