Young Dancers Enjoy Midsummer Night Swing

by baad lamb
At this Saturday Night's rendition of Midsummer Night Swing, with JD McPherson providing his distinctive retro-contempo swing, an enthusiastic group of youngsters show off their collective dance moves outside the paying walls. Although the steps they were all practicing look like a Broadway chorus line routine, it's clear they are trained in classical ballet. Perhaps they're summer term students at the School of American Ballet?
Since I'm not a regular ballet attendee, maybe a few of them will defect to the contemporary dance scene, and with luck, I'll be applauding one or two of them in a few years down at the Joyce.

I'm pretty sure that is the dance instructor Adam Lee, Lindy-Hopping with a partner in between views of the kids.

Midsummer Night Swing with LA 33 and DJ Turmix at Lincoln Center

The summer parade of free events has arrived. Just get yourself outside, and live music and dancing and party-crowds will be impossible to miss. Say it with me, everybody: "I Love New York City".

One of our favorite events is the Midsummer Night Swing program at Lincoln Center. If you want to be on the real dance floor and close enough to really see the band, it'll cost ya. But if  you just wanna jump and jive, salsa and meringue, tango and twist, there is plenty of extra space to show off, and the free party stretches from the Damrosch Park bandshell all the way back to the New York State Theater building.

The sound is good enough to hear the music wherever you are, but every year these events gets more popular, and Lincoln Center has continually made changes to accommodate the ever-growing crowds. If you expect to see the band up close, pay the money, because the huge sets and the dance floor obscure the stage. Otherwise, stay down in the steerage with the masses, and have a ball.

A few more photos after the jump...