What possesses the power to bring a tap to your toes, to put a bounce in your step, to bring a snap to your fingers?

Swing music. And the performers of Servant Stage.

"Swing originated in the 1920s and was popular in the 1930s and '40s," said Johnathan Bauer, who founded Servant Stage in 2013. "It came from the American community, specifically Harlem. It's higher-energy, joyful music. It swings on and off the beat. It has a fun energy to the rhythm, and the dancing highlights that as well."

"Even though it's from a specific time period, the energy of the music makes it still popular today," added Bauer. "I love that it's still going strong."

Over the next three months, the local traveling theater troupe Servant Stage will bring its rendition of the Broadway musical "Swing!" to a venue near you. From early June to early August, Servant Stage will conduct nearly 40 performances of "Swing!" at local schools, churches, parks and retirement homes.

The 90-minute shows are free to attend, and good will offerings will be accepted. Interested individuals are asked to reserve tickets at http://www.servantstage.org/shows/2025/swing.

"I think it's a show that will put a smile on your face," said Bauer, a resident of Strasburg. "All the singing and dancing is contagious. The wonderful swing band is going to be fantastic. We have five incredible vocalists. Their storytelling brings the show to life. We have these incredible dancers who employ the joyfulness and playfulness of the style of swing. It's also a community event. We're hoping the audience will join in as well. I hope people can sense what fun the show 'Swing!' is going to be."

Servant Stage will perform "Swing!" publicly at Lancaster Alliance Church on select dates from Friday, June 6, to Sunday, June 15; at Brickerville United Lutheran Church on Wednesday, June 25; at Strasburg Community Park on Sunday, June 29; at Summit Grove Campground on Sunday, July 13; at Tulpehocken Trinity Church on Thursday, July 24; at New Holland Park on Sunday, July 27; at Bergstrasse Lutheran Church on Wednesday, July 30; at Lititz Springs Park on Sunday, Aug. 3; at Tel Hai Retirement Community on Thursday, Aug. 7; and at Warwick Middle School from Friday, Aug. 8, to Sunday, Aug. 10. For more details, including performance times, visit the aforementioned website.

"There are so many reasons why theater is important, just the way the arts can build community," said Bauer. "At the heart of it is storytelling, because when you do that, you see things through different perspectives. It takes a community to put these productions together, and if the community didn't come to watch it, there would be no reason to put them on. It builds community. We need community and to be coming together as community."

The 40 local individuals involved with the staging of "Swing!" include rotating performers, musicians and production team members. They hail from a variety of Lancaster County communities, like Lititz, Ephrata and Quarryville.

"We have seasoned performers - phenomenal singers and dancers," said Bauer. "We have students who love singing and dancing. Then we've got amateurs who do it for the love of it. We have performers who are incredibly talented. They love theater, and we're able to work around schedules."

Over three long weekends between Thursday, Sept. 11, and Sunday, Sept. 28, Servant Stage will perform "A Tale of Two Cities," based on the novel by Charles Dickens, at Warwick High School. Rehearsals for that show will begin in July.

Servant Stage is also planning 60 performances of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" between Thursday, Nov. 6, and Monday, Dec. 22, at various venues across Lancaster County.

"When Servant Stage was founded, the idea was to use theater and the arts as servants," said Bauer. "There was all this great talent and all this appreciation for theater in the community. We wanted to make it so it was available for everyone. We wanted to strip away any kind of barriers for people to enjoy theater."

"(Servant Stage) really hasn't slowed at all," Bauer continued. "The biggest surprise to me is how quickly it's grown. Ten or 12 years goes by pretty quickly. Our growth has been exciting. There haven't been any plateaus."