I have always been a bit scared by the idea of swinging. Whether it's performance anxiety or the prospect of partner swapping, it gives me the jitterbugs and not in a good Wham kinda way.

However, as the proud owner of a ticket for the biggest event in the swing calender this weekend, perhaps all I need is practice.

And so it is that I find myself in a pub basement in Shepherds Bush on a rainy Sunday evening for my first lesson in Lindy Hop.

"Lindy Hop is all about being happy," says our teacher Martin Ellis, top swing DJ and organiser of The Savoy Ball at Battersea Arts Centre this Saturday.

"It's the opposite of blues music, which brings you down. Lindy Hop lifts you up and makes you feel good. It's all in the bounce."

Hmm. Perhaps dragging along my blues-mad housemate Rich wasn't such a good idea, I think, as we join the circle of a dozen pairs that have formed around Ellis and his dance partner, Liza Piroux. An eclectic bunch, they range from a beaming pregnant lady to an ageing Italian lothario.

Martin explains that, unlike ballroom, Lindy Hop demands a looser frame and that the easiest way to get the stance is to imagine you are playing tennis. He certainly looks very Fred Perry' in his flat-fronted trousers, woollen tank top and a natty pair of white brogues.

Unfortunately, I was never much of a Martina and, when Liza adds a pivot to the basic step, I'm rem-inded of my weak performance on the netball court, too. But after a while, everyone is relaxed and we're ready to do it to music.

"Now, we know this may be your first time but we tend to find the best way to learn is by moving you all round," says Martin ominously and, before I know it, I'm dancing to Bobby Darrin with a 40-something German guy.

"This is our smallest night," Martin tells me. "We get more than 100 people turning up at The Bedford in Balham on Tuesdays. It's not just a dance, it's a social activity and you can meet people you would not normally meet."

Martin started dancing 20 years ago as a shy computer science graduate keen to meet people. Now 39, he identifies music and fashion as the two main factors that have swung swing into the mainstream.

And both will be in evidence at Saturday's ball (dress code Vintage New York), when Adrian Cox & His Savoy All-Stars will play to 350 jive bunnies attempting to recreate the atmosphere of Harlem's legendary Savoy Ballroom of the 1930s.

Judging by my performance, I may have to stay a wallflower. But dammit, I will go to the ball.

The Savoy Ball, Grand Hall, Battersea Arts Centre, Lavender Hill, Saturday, March 10, 7.30pm-1am, £39. Call 020 8560 6627 or visit swingland.com.