The REACH at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
2700 F St NW
Washington, DC 20037
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New Columbia Swing will be at the Kennedy Center Dance Sanctuaries in honor of Duke Ellington’s 125th birthday!
Date: Saturday, August 27th
Cost: Free! (must register to reserve your spot)
Schedule and Registration:
2:00-5:30 pm Classes in Studio F at the REACH (register for each class HERE beginning April 10th)
6:00-7:00 pm Social Dance in Studio K at the REACH to music of Duke Ellington performed by the Jazz Houston Orchestra (register HERE beginning April 10th)
*Note: If you arrive more than 15 minutes after the start of the concert, your reservation will be released
Class Schedule and Descriptions:
2:00-3:00 pm: Intro to Lindy Hop
Learn the fundamental rhythms, movements, and partnering integral to Lindy Hop, the African American swing dance style invented in the ballrooms of 1920s/30s Harlem. No previous dance experience required.
3:15-4:15 pm: The birth of Lindy Hop: The Breakaway
Experience the history of the transition from the Charleston to the Lindy Hop by dancing it yourself! Learn the Breakaway, a partnered dance move and dynamic innovation made famous in the film “After Seben” by Shorty George Snowden and Mattie Purnell. This is an all-levels class that will be faster paced. Experience with partner dance technique will be helpful, but not required.
4:30-5:30 pm: Class with Mercedes Ellington
Meet the famed dancer, choreographer, and granddaughter of Duke Ellington, Mercedes Ellington. She may tell stories, she may take questions, she may show us some dance moves. However she decides to use the hour, it’s not to be missed! Check out Mercedes Ellington’s bio from the Library of Congress: http://memory.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.music.tdabio.87/