General information for Dancing til Dusk —
16 evenings of FREE dance lessons and glorious outdoor dancing
in Seattle's downtown parks.

All dances and lessons are FREE thanks to the support of our sponsors — please support and acknowledge their contribution! In case of inclement weather call 206-264-5646 — the Rain Hotline — to determine if the event will be cancelled.

Please check the location of each dance as they are in one of four parks downtown. See the bottom of this page for park addresses and maps.

Every night from 6–7p.m. there will be a beginning lesson in the dance style for the evening. There is a dance floor; if possible wear clean shoes that slide and do not black-mark the floor. No experience or partner is required for the lesson or dance. Each lesson will start at the beginning with the basics and will build in complexity, so be on time to get the most out of it. We have hired some of the best instructors in the city — this is your opportunity to learn from them!

Parking — Available on the street or in lots close by. Meters are free after 6pm. Keep in mind that earlier arrival will translate to easier (and more relaxed) parking.

Valuables — Please also keep in mind that these dances are in public city parks. Leaving valuables where they can be picked up by passersby is risky. Plan to keep a car key and any money with you and leave your valuables at home.

Water and Beverages — There may be water on site for purchase, but you may also wish to bring a bottle of water with you. Please also take with you your recyclable bottle when you leave.

Thanks!

 

DANCES AND BANDS

JULY

Thursday, July 1st —
Cambalache | Salsa in Occidental Park

Opening the season is Cambalache. Cambalache has challenged and redefined the characteristic sound of the Northwest Salsa scene. Cambalache’s eclectic style is an embodiment of the richness and diversity of Latin America. Deeply rooted in the latest music movements developing in Cuba and Puerto Rico, Cambalache’s performances are a blend of great Salsa classics and contemporary tunes. At each performance, audiences are seduced by the energetic atmosphere of Rumba and Nueva Salsa. www.cambalachesalsa.com
6–7p.m. Salsa lesson by Hallie Kuperman of the Century Ballroom www.centuryballroom.com

Thursday, July 8th — Tangabrazo | Tango in Occidental Park

The Seattle-based Tangabrazo is dedicated to playing music that engages both dancers and listeners. With a repertoire ranging from the classic Tango groups to more modern and original compositions, they bring decades of combined professional experience to create a rich ensemble sound. www.tangabrazo.com
6–7p.m. Tango lesson by Greg Rolnick and Lera Thompson of the Century Ballroom www.centuryballroom.com

Thursday, July 15th — Louisiana Night | Zydeco with DJ Sean "Gatorboy" Donovan in Occidental Park

Louisiana Night with Zydeco and Cajun music will be DJ'd by Sean "Gatorboy" Donovan. Sean will spin the latest and the greatest. Zydeco music hails from SW Louisiana and Texas with influences of Cajun, Blues, Rock 'n' Roll and Afro-Caribbean rhythms —
hot music that compels you to move. www.gatorboyproductions.com
6–7p.m. Zydeco lesson with Sean Donovan and Lilli Ann Carey

Tuesday, July 20th — Kevin Buster's Lunch Money | Rhythm and Blues/Swing in Westlake Park

Kevin Buster's Lunch Money is one of the hottest Blues/Jazz bands around. Kevin's band brings out the best in the creative dancers heart with a jazziness that inspires. This band is as fun to listen to as to dance to with tunes that stretch from earthy Blues to Rhythm & Blues to Big Band Swing. www.kevinbuster.com
6–7p.m. — Blues lesson with Kevin Buster

Thursday, July 22nd —
Portage Bay Big Band | Big Band Swing in Freeway Park

PBBB is one of the most consistent and popular Big Band Swing bands in the Northwest, back for their third year. They deliver a sound fully encompassing the hot vitality of the Swing years and really know how to show the Swing crowd a great time. www.portagebaybigband.com
6–7p.m. Swing lesson with Lilli Ann Carey and David Wilbur www.danceforjoy.biz

Tuesday, July 27th —
Blues & Swing Night | Blues with DJ Ari Levitt in Westlake Park

Ari's collection of music is as broad as his knowlege of partner dance. One of the biggest talents in the Northwest, Ari has been partnering, teaching, and performing dance in the Greater Seattle area, nationally, and internationally for over 25 years. An award-winning dancer, teacher, and performer, his breadth of styles include Salsa, Tango, Latin, Lindy Hop, Swing, Balboa, Blues, and Ballroom. He is the creator of several innovative new dance styles: "Fusion Waltz," "Fusion Swing," and "Fusion Night Club 2-Step," which he has been busy introducing in workshops throughout the country. www.rolluptherug.com
6–7p.m. Blues lesson with Ari Levitt

Thursday, July 29th — Maia Santell and House Blend | Swing and Blues in Freeway Park

One of the busiest bands in the Northwest, this band rocks with Blues, Big Band Swing, Jump Blues and Rhythm and Blues with hits from the 1950s to the '90s. www.maiasantell.com
6–7p.m. West-coast Swing lesson with Jim Minty

AUGUST

Tuesday, August 3rd — Glenn Crytzer and the Syncopators | Big Band Swing in Westlake Park

The Syncopators are a Jazz band dedicated to the popular music of the 1920s, '30s and early '40s. Founded in 2007 by band leader Glenn Crytzer, the group has become a favorite among dancers and Jazz enthusiasts in the Seattle area. Influenced by greats like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Sidney Bechet, Benny Goodman, Fats Waller and many more, the Syncopators inspire dancers and excite listeners with driving rhythms, heart-wrenching blues and hot solos, all with high energy and a side of light humor. www.syncopators.net
6–7p.m. East Coast Swing lesson with Kevin Buster

Thursday, August 5th — John Holte's Radio Rhythm Orchestra | Big Band Swing in Freeway Park

The Radio Rhythm Orchestra is the last in a series of Seattle Swing bands created by the late John Holte. They have been playing since 1972 under various guises, and their Big Band sound, playing standards as well as swinging John Holte originals, has been credited with inspiring the West Coast Swing revival. www.originalcast.com/radiorhythm.htm
6–7p.m. East Coast Swing lesson with Guy Caridi and Nancy Fry

Tuesday, August 10th — Blues Night | Blues with DJ Zachariah in Westlake Park

Zachariah of Seattle's Waltz etcetera will host an evening of eclectic blues, True Blue Stew. First Zachariah & Tina will teach a beginning workshop on Hitting the Blues Breaks; we'll show you how to take full advantage of the predictable structure found in most blues music, so that when ya' bust a move you really nail it (no previous dance experience required; you already know how to dance to blues). Then DJ Zachariah will serve up an intoxicating stew of old & new Blues, sweet Dixieland, Soul & bluesy Swing, spiced up with just a little Latin. Heck, there'll even be Blues you can Waltz to if you've a mind to.
6–7p.m. Blues lesson with Zachariah & Tina www.waltzetc.com

Thursday, August 12th — Tangabrazo | Tango in Freeway Park

The Seattle-based Tangabrazo is dedicated to playing music that engages both dancers and listeners. With a repertoire ranging from the classic Tango groups to more modern and original compositions, they bring decades of combined professional experience to create a rich ensemble sound. www.tangabrazo.com
6–7p.m. Tango lesson by Michelle Badion and Wladimir Pino www.michellebadion.com

Tuesday, August 17th — Solomon Douglas Swingtet | Swing and Blues in Westlake Park

Solomon Douglas is a jazz pianist and bandleader, whose various bands have played at more than fifty swing dance events in North America, Asia, and Australia in the past ten years. His experience as a swing dancer and dance instructor gives him an understanding unique among musicians of the music that swing dancers like to dance to!

The Solomon Douglas Swingtet is an eight-piece dance band whose repertoire is rooted in that of the Basie and Ellington bands, with other big-band standards and classic jazz tunes thrown in as well: up-tempo classic swing, slower groovier jazz, and anything in between. solomondouglas.com
6–7p.m. Swing lesson with Solomon Douglas and Calico Goodrich

Thursday, August 19th — The Joker's Wild | A Ball Blanc with Waltzing, Swing and More in Freeway Park

Three extraordinary musicians, Dave Bartley, Deb Kirkland and Bruce Reid, roll out song after song of extraordinary Waltzes, playful Swing, energetic Polkas, a Tango or two and more! These musicians, known all over Seattle in other bands, come together beautifully as The Joker's Wild. Wear something white to our Ball Blanc — T-shirts to tuxes, shorts to ball gowns and delight in the magic of swirling dancers as the sun sinks into the evening. marydave.net
6–7p.m. Waltz lesson with Lilli Ann and Claire Carey danceforjoy.biz

Thursday, August 26th — Tumbao | Salsa in SAM's Olympic Sculpture Park

"Full of life from beginning to end, singer Carlos Cascante sings Salsa filled with elements of Timba, Jazz, and traditional Salsa and includes the masterful solos of Grammy nominees Paoli Mejias, Ray Vega, Thomas Marriot, and Julio Jauregui." (CD Baby review) www.tumbao.us
6-7p.m. Salsa lesson with Jodi Fleischman

SEPTEMBER

Thursday, September 2nd — KGB | A Ball Blanc with Waltzing and More in SAM's Olympic Sculpture Park

No security clearances are required to enjoy Seattle's KGB. With fiddle, mandolin, guitar and piano, KGB creates subversive music lulling the unwary with traditional New England Contra dance tunes, then jumping off into Balkan modalities, Tango riffs and bluesy jigs. KGB's extraordinary waltzes captivate dancers song after song, each melody more delightful or exquisite than the last. Wear something white to our Ball Blanc — T-shirts to tuxes, shorts to ball gowns and delight in the magic of swirling dancers as the sun sinks into the evening. kgbmole.com
6–7p.m. Waltz lesson with Lilli Ann Carey and Jamie Shamseldin danceforjoy.biz

Thursday, September 9th —Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra | Big Band Swing in SAM's Olympic Sculpture Park

The Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra (SRJO) is the Northwest's premier big band jazz ensemble. Founded in 1995, the 17-piece big band is made up of the most prominent jazz soloists and band leaders in the greater Seattle area. This performance for dancers is a remarkable opportunity as you will usually find this band performing in Benaroya or Kirkland Performance Hall to sold out audiences.

The SRJO is co-directed by drummer Clarence Acox, nationally recognized director of bands at Seattle's Garfield High School, and saxophonist/arranger Michael Brockman, long-time faculty member at the University of Washington School of Music.

The SRJO's extensive and growing repertoire is drawn from the 100-year history of Jazz, from turn-of-the-20th century Ragtime to turn-of-the-21st century Avant-Garde. This includes works by America's most famous Jazz composers, among them Fletcher Henderson, Charles Mingus, Gil Evans, Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Gerry Mulligan, Thad Jones, and of course, Count Basie and Duke Ellington.

The SRJO is made up of the Seattle area's leading Jazz instrumentalists, comprising an ethnically diverse group of young and veteran performers. Trumpeter Jay Thomas has repeatedly been named best instrumentalist at Earshot's annual Golden Ear awards and has recorded with Cedar Walton and Herb Ellis. Saxophonist Bill Ramsay is a touring veteran of the Count Basie Orchestra and the Benny Goodman bands. Saxophonist Hadley Caliman is a Jazz faculty member at the Cornish College of the Arts, and a veteran of the bands of Freddie Hubbard and Earl Hines. Phil Sparks, named Earshot Musician of the Year in 1996, is the busiest bass player in Seattle. Saxophonist Mark Taylor is among the most in-demand young players in Seattle. Pianist Randy Halberstadt, another local headliner, serves on the faculty of Cornish College of the Arts.

For our finale of the Dancing Til Dusk season, join the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra for extraordinary Big Band Swing. A part of the Earshot Jazz Art of Jazz program. SRJO.org
6-7p.m. East Coast Swing lesson with Daniel Newsome and Gaby Cook

LOCATIONS

Thursday night dance/music dates
in Freeway Park

July 22nd, 29th, August 5th, 12th and 19th
Enter the Park at 6th and Seneca
600 Seneca Street
Seattle 98101

Thursday night dance/music dates
in Olympic Sculpture Park

August 26th, September 2nd and 9th
2901 Western Avenue
Seattle, WA 98121

Thursday night dance/music dates
in Occidental Park in Pioneer Square

July 1st, 8th and 15th
250 Occidental Ave S.
Seattle, WA 98104

Tuesday night dance/music dates
in Westlake Park

July 20th, 27th, August 3rd, 10th, and 17th
401 Pine St.
Seattle, WA 98104

Return to our Dance for Joy! website for other great classes and events!