It Don't Mean A Thing If You Ain't Got That--

Lincoln Center brings dancing to you
Friday, July 6, 2007
[Photo left courtesy of The Lincoln Center]
By EVELYN SHIH
STAFF WRITER

There's a show at Lincoln Center that you don't pay to watch -- you pay to be in it. For $15, you can get on the dance floor that has taken up residence in the central plaza of the complex and entertain the over-dressed operagoers watching from the windowed balconies of the Metropolitan Opera.

Forget dancing with the stars. Men and women mambo, cha-cha, swing and even tango under the stars at Midsummer Night Swing, a program that continues until July 21. Even kids can get in on the action with a daytime salsa event July 14.

And during intermissions at the center's surrounding performance halls, the plaza's balconies fill with spectators.

"When you go back into the ballet, it must be a shock," says Nancy Crowder, the producer of Midsummer Night Swing, with a laugh. Avery Fisher Hall, she adds, has the best view of the dance floor.

This year the live music lineup sizzles hot with swing on Tuesdays, salsa on Saturdays and a whole selection of styles on the nights in between. More niche dance styles include Brazilian samba, frevo and marcha, as well as an Irish night that Crowder likens to a square dance.

Learning new dances can be part of the fun. Events start every night at 6:30 with a lesson, but the learning curve climbs exponentially when the band starts playing.

"It's nice to dance with somebody at your skill level, but it's also nice to dance with someone at a different skill level," said Crowder.

And don't assume you have to come with a partner and stick with him or her through the evening.

"If someone breaks in, you're kind of supposed to let them," adds Crowder. "It's that dancing etiquette where you're not supposed to refuse anybody. People are really open to dancing when you're out there."

Over the years, Midsummer has created a sort of dance culture of its own. "We have regulars that come back year after year that have been coming since the beginning," said Crowder.

On the programming end, she added, feedback from ardent social dancers has been a source of constant improvement over the past 19 years. "We try to get bands that know the dance scene and play for people to dance," she said. "People will get mad if they can't dance to the music."

After all, this isn't the ballet.

E-mail: shih@northjersey.com

Copyright © 2007 North Jersey Media Group Inc.