It was a delight to see so many friends and dancers out for the first Dancing til Dusk event last Tuesday, where the inimitable Dina Blade and her excellent band treated us to some seriously jazzy grooves. The Savoy Swing Club, led by Guy Caridi, performed a few rousing routines and the weather was splendid.
Celebrating its 18th season, Dancing til Dusk is a gem in the crown of Seattle’s dance scene. The outdoor music and dance series, held each summer in Seattle city parks, was founded and is guided by Lilli Ann Carey of Dance for Joy! and, as ever, is open and free to all. I was surprised to realize I’ve been partnering now with Lilli Ann, to host a handful of events each year, since 2018. It’s one thing to organize a single event, and quite another to witness Lilli Ann do a marvelous job coordinating Seattle Parks & Recreation, neighborhood groups and other city agencies, not to mention bands, instructors, performers and more. To put it mildly, it’s a staggering amount of work.
We dancers are lucky all these people work to make these events happen. From key Parks & Rec contacts, to the exceptional musical artists willing to play for us, to the crew who arrive early in the day to set up the stage and lay the floor, and come back late, after the shows, to tear it all down again. And it all pays off when hundreds of dancers, bystanders, and passers-by gather to enjoy these magical occasions. For a glimpse of the glory, check out this short Seattle Channel video.
See you on the dance floor. —Sean Donovan
Constance Brinkley photo (above)