‘Underground’ swing dance opens Elliott stage for
dancing
Purdue Night Train Dance Club will
offer free swing lessons and dance coaching from 7 to 8 p.m. on the stage,
with live music provided by American Music Review and the Purdue Lab and Concert
Jazz Bands from 8 to 10:30 p.m.
Dancers from the club will stay and dance along with
the crowd to provide inspiration to those wishing to duplicate their moves.
The Underground Swing Dance was introduced
in 2001 as a casual alternative to the more formal “Evening of Romance” Valentine’s
event the Purdue Jazz Band sponsors. “We’re constantly looking for new ways
to have fun with music. That led us to the idea of having an ‘underground’
dance in a usually off-limits location,” says Purdue Bands spokesperson Kathy
Matter.
Admission to the swing dance, which
begins at 8 p.m., is free. The event is open to those who simply enjoy music
from the big band era and want to listen, as well as to those who want to
dance.
Much of the evening’s music was made
popular in the 1940s when ballrooms were crowded with dancers. “Music then
really was for dancing, particularly with swing bands and big bands,” says
American Music Review director William Kisinger, whose band and singers pay
homage to the era.
Glenn Miller’s famous “Pennsylvania 6-5000,” a standard from the big
band era, is just one of the tunes on the Feb. 1 dance card which includes
Billy Strayhorn’s “Take the A Train,” Duke Ellington’s “Cottontail” and Paul
Lopez’ “Cha Cha in G.” The modern swing era gets its musical due with tunes
like Brian Setzer’s “Rock This Town.”
Emphasizing the “underground” nature
of the dance, those attending will not enter Elliott through its normal
entrances. The loading dock entrance will be used. It will be marked with
signs and is located on the north side of Elliott just off the Armory parking
lot.