January 21, 2019 – Sweethearts can enjoy a romantic evening and friends can have a night of fun at the annual Valentine’s Day Swing Dance Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019, in the lobby of the Santa Fe College Fine Arts Hall.
The event will open with a swing dance lesson taught by an experienced couple from 6:15-7:15 p.m. Beginning at 7:30 p.m., live music will be provided by the Santa Fe College Big Band directed by Dr. Steve Bingham, Ph.D., with singers from Lynn Sandefur’s voice classes. Finger foods and nonalcoholic beverages are included in the admission price.
Doors open at 6 p.m. Admission is $10 per person or $20 per couple. Tickets are available at the door or online at sfcollege.edu/visitors-friends/tickets.
Swing dance is a partner form created by African-American that evolved multiracially with the swing style of jazz music that was popular from the 1920s to the 1950s. The orchestras of Glenn Miller, Count Basie and Les Brown are some of the most popular bands of that era. Past Valentine’s Day dances have included such standards as “My Funny Valentine,” “String of Pearls,” “In the Mood,” “Night and Day,” “Sway” and “Witchcraft.”
“Make plans now to join us for a swingin’ good time,” Bingham exclaimed. “There’s plenty of room in the Fine Arts Hall lobby to dance and mingle, and this is the cheapest and most fun Valentine’s Day date in our area!”
Under Bingham’s direction, the Santa Fe College Big Band has been honored with an invitation to perform at the International Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland, and has performed at Carnegie Hall, Epcot, Florida’s Lakeside Jazz Festival and CityWalk Universal Studios.
The event is organized by the Santa Fe College Music Department, a unit of the Department of Fine Arts and Entertainment Technology, and sponsored by the SF Music Department.
For more information about the event or the Santa Fe College bands, call Bingham at 352-281-4035.
For ticket information, call the Fine Arts Hall Box Office at 352-395-4181.