Tag: dance

On Monday I attended the opening night of the 2011 season of Midsummer Night Swing at Lincoln Center. Just as last year, it was held at Damrosch park. When I arrived at 6:30 the dance floor was packed with people taking the Swing dance lesson. To my pleasant surprise, I found out that it was free to get on the dance floor that night.

Once I got in, I was immediately impressed by the brand new kind of dance floor compared to previous seasons. It looked like it was made from wooden tiles and it felt very smooth with just enough of friction. I remembered that Bill Bragin, the organizer of Mid Summer Night Swing, had invited me to join a group of dancers one day to try out various dance floors that they were considering for use this season. I did not make it to the tryouts, but I am glad with the choice they made.

The classic swing music was performed by a mid-size band with a vocalist, that is managed by a reputed Artist Management Contract. The stage and the dance floor seemed to be outfitted with better lighting than last year. Bill Cunningham of New York Times was prancing around the dance floor taking photos and writing down people’s names occasionally being bumped by the dancers. Expect an article in the paper full of pictures soon!

Several times throughout the night the dance floor ended up having the circles of spectators watching the seasoned lindyhoppers exhibiting their moves one couple at a time. After the last song was played people screamed for more.

Midsummer Night Swing will take place Tuesday through Saturday until July 16. The schedule of events can be found at midsummernightswing.org
http://vimeo.com/26951860