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2 big bands perform favorites that keep
ballroom dancers on their feet at Grove Park Inn
By JOHN NORTH
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Big Band and Swing Weekend swung and swayed as a nostalgic, elegant and dance-driven gala on Jan. 13-14 at the swanky Omni Grove Park Inn.
The event was attended by 325 people on the first night and 375 people on the last night.“Friday night, we welcome a new band each year to keep the event fresh,” Tracey Johnston-Crum said in a Jan. 24 email to the Daily Planet. (She is the director of public relations and community outreach for the Omni GPI.) This year’s first-night band was the Andrew Thielen Big Band.
She added, “Saturday evening is reserved for classic, tried-and-true bands, such as The Glenn Miller Orchestra, the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and this year’s headliner, the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra.“Each year we welcome back hundreds of dancers, with some returning for over 20 years.
“And each year we see new couples join us who have either just discovered a love of dance or rekindled their old skill-set and want to get out on the floor with a live band.
“All of our guests come here with one purpose, to dance to the beat of a live big band. There’s really nothing like it!,” Johnston-Crum noted.
In addition, ballroom dance instruction was offered during the day on Jan. 14, followed that afternoon by a tea dance featuring music by the Charleston, S.C.-based Thielen band.
Following the ballroom dance mantra that “the lady is the picture and the gentleman is the frame,” some men wore dark tuxedoes, or mostly dark coats and ties, while the women were — for the most part — arrayed in a potpourri of dazzling and colorful gowns.
The Thielen band’s two-set show, split by an intermission, started with “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” and ended with Donna Summer’s disco-era hit, “Last Dance.”
On the final night, the the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra performed — in three sets — such classics at “Fly Me to the Moon,” “In the Mood,” “It Had to Be You,” “Sentimental Journey,” and “Moonlight Serenade.” Especially memorable was the band’s rendition of “Sing-Sing,” showing off its drummer’s skills.
Dancing styles included foxtrot, waltz and east coast swing, with a few cha-cha numbers added for a Latin flair.
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