Free jazz band Swing Dance at St. Thomas Aquinas Center
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Dancing feet will fill Newman Hall of the St. Thomas Aquinas Center on Feb. 3, when Purdue Bands stages its annual Jazz Swing Dance.
Three bands - the American Music Repertory Ensemble, Lab Jazz Band and Concert Jazz Band - will provide continuous dancing music from 7-10 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
Purdue's Night Train Swing Dance Club also will offer free lessons and demonstrations from 6:30-7:30 p.m. on Feb. 3. Dancers from the club will stay and dance with the crowd to provide inspiration to those wishing to duplicate their moves.
The St. Thomas Aquinas Center is directly across State Street from the Purdue Stewart Center. Those attending should use the Marsteller Street entrance doors.
The music will be a mix of contemporary swing like Brian Setzer's "Jumpin' East of Java," and big band favorites by such composers as Glenn Miller, George Gershwin, Cab Calloway and Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey. Much of the evening's music was made popular in the 1940s when ballrooms were crowded with dancers.
Purdue Bands introduced the Jazz Swing Dance in 2001 as an informal dance evening primarily for Purdue students, and they've responded in force. So has the community.
"We've had great crowds no matter what the weather. When you're feeling cooped up, when icy winds and weather limit your mobility, dancing is a great stress-reliever," says Purdue Bands public relations director Kathy Matter.
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. Because of the nature of the event, however, seating is very limited and cannot be guaranteed.
Purdue Bands & Orchestra, which sponsors the event, will offer a more formal jazz/dance event in its "Evening of Romance," set for 8-10:30 p.m. Feb. 11, in the University Plaza Grand Ballroom (Four Points by Sheraton) in West Lafayette. The cabaret-style event includes a dessert buffet and dancing music by the Purdue Jazz Band. For ticket information, call 765-494-3933.
Contact: Kathy Matter, 765-496-6785, kcmatter@purdue.edu