June 07, 2016
Midsummer Night Swing
Press Contact: David Clarke
212.875.5999
Marita Williams
212.671.4805
MIDSUMMER NIGHT SWING WEEK ONE
JUNE 21–25, 2016
Tickets on sale now
Catherine Russell Septet on June 21
Ismael Miranda on June 22
Thursday Night Fever featuring Joe McGinty and The Loser’s Lounge on June 23
New York City debut of Mint Julep Jazz Band on June 24
The Allen Toussaint Band with guest vocalists Irma Thomas, Cyril Neville, and Deacon John on June 25
Silent Disco following live sets on June 23, with dancing to DJs played through wireless headphones
NEW YORK, NY (June 7, 2016) — Midsummer Night Swing celebrates the dance bands and soloists who fill the dance floor. Happening in a specially designed, open-air ballroom in Damrosch Park (West 62nd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues) Tuesdays through Saturdays, June 21–July 9, Midsummer Night Swing kicks off with the Catherine Russell Septet. The Grammy Award–winning vocalist will pull from her vast repertoire of swing standards for the opening night concert.
Ismael Miranda, recognized as one of the best salsa music soneros of all time, takes the stage on June 22. Joe McGinty and The Loser’s Lounge return to Midsummer Night Swing with an ebullient concert that will take audiences back in time to the glory days of disco for Thursday Night Fever on June 23. Influenced by the likes of Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, and Ella Fitzgerald, the Mint Julep Jazz Band will have Damrosch Park jumping and jiving to the sounds of big band and swing on June 24. The Allen Toussaint Band with guest vocalists Irma Thomas, Cyril Neville, and Deacon John bring the sounds of New Orleans to New York with a joyful musical celebration of Allen Toussaint on June 25.
Midsummer Night Swing brings together people of all ages, at every skill level, and from diverse backgrounds for 15 evenings of social dance. Acclaimed bands will play as dancers Lindy hop, salsa, hustle, Charleston, tango, and more in a gorgeous, open-air ballroom in Damrosch Park (West 62nd Street, between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues).
Tickets: Multi-evening Midsummer Night Swing Passes are priced at $84 for six dances and $170 for the full season. Four-dance passes are available for $60. Tickets for individual evening events are $17. For $100, a group of four will receive the Dance Ambassador Package, which grants admission to the dance floor, free bag check for four, and one complimentary glass of wine or beer per guest.
Each evening of Midsummer Night Swing is a ticketed event. The night begins with a dance lesson at 6:30 pm for all skill levels with some of New York’s foremost instructors. Lessons are included in the price of admission. Live music and dancing begins at 7:30 pm and lasts until 10:00 pm. Dancing continues until 11:30 pm on June 23 and July 2 for the Silent Discos.
The Swing box office is located in the lobby of David Geffen Hall at Broadway and 65th Street. Tickets for individual events and passes can be purchased in advance at the David Geffen Hall Box Office or beginning at 5:30 pm on the night of the event at a box office in Damrosch Park. All major credit cards will be accepted. Tickets and passes can also be purchased through CenterCharge, 212.721.6500, or at MidsummerNightSwing.org.
Rain Policy: Midsummer Night Swing makes every effort to present each event of the season, as long as unpredictable weather allows. Performance cancellations due to inclement weather will not be announced until 8:30 pm on show night. In the case of cancellation, ticketholders are entitled to exchange for another performance or a refund. Passholders are not entitled to a refund. If a performance has begun and is cancelled after 8:30 pm, exchanges or refunds are not offered.
Silent Discos: Following their success the past three seasons, there will be Silent Discos, powered by Quiet Events, on June 23 and July 2. At the Silent Discos, dancers are provided with wireless headphones to listen to extended DJ sets after the live music ends at 10:00 pm. While casual observers see a seemingly bizarre public ritual as dancers revel to the “silent” beats, the dancers are actually part of an exhilarating public/private dance party. On June 23, Bill Coleman, DJ Rimarkable, and Qool DJ Marv will spin different sets in each headphone channel, creating simultaneous and ever-shifting dance parties. Gaylord Fields, Connie T. Empress, and Monica Sharp will be spinning on July 2. Silent Discos will continue on the dance floor until 11:30 pm. Wireless headsets are free with that night’s live show ticket, or $5 at the door for the Silent Disco only, subject to capacity.
The Schedule for Midsummer Night Swing Week One:
Tuesday, June 21 at 7:30 pm
Catherine Russell Septet Swing, Blues
With her honey-rich vocals, charismatic energy, and royal swing lineage—she’s the daughter of Luis Russell, longtime director of Louis Armstrong’s orchestra, and pioneering bassist Carline Ray—Catherine Russell reigns over the dance floor at this opening night strutter’s ball. When Russell strikes up her seven-piece band, the finger-snapping is an involuntary reflex that soon gives way to a full-fledged party.
Lesson: Evita Arce and Michael Jagger teach Lindy Hop at 6:30 pm
DJ: Dawn Hampton
Wednesday, June 22 at 7:30 pm
Ismael Miranda Salsa
Dancers will feel the full force of classic salsa with one of the genre’s most celebrated icons. Puerto Rico–born and East Village–raised, Ismael Miranda formed his first band at age 11 and joined the legendary Fania All Stars when he was just a teenager. Under the starry New York sky, “El Niño Bonito de la Salsa” will ignite the festivities like only he can with melodious vocals, irrepressible magnetism, and unwavering passion for the music.
Lesson: Carlos König teaches Salsa at 6:30 pm
DJ: DJ Broadway
Thursday, June 23 at 7:30 pm
Thursday Night Fever featuring Joe McGinty and The Loser’s Lounge Disco
Audiences are invited to indulge their shiniest, sexiest disco fantasies with perennial favorites The Loser’s Lounge in a weeknight tribute to the iconic movie that catapulted John Travolta and The Bee Gees to superstardom. Keyboardist and cover song king Joe McGinty leads his band, deemed a part of “essential New York” by Time Out, in everything from “Night Fever” to “Disco Inferno.”
Lesson: Maria Torres teaches Hustle at 6:30 pm
DJ: Bill Coleman, Additional Silent Disco DJs: DJ Rimarkable and Qool DJ Marv
Silent Disco powered by Quiet Events at 10:00 pm
Friday, June 24 at 7:30 pm
Mint Julep Jazz Band 1930s Swing **New York City debut**
This North Carolina–based “little” big band’s goal is to simply keep everyone on the dance floor. Specializing in the great swing tunes of the ’30s, the eight-piece band has been tearing through the Lindy hop competition circuit, leaving masses of new fans in its wake. Sweet and refreshing with an intoxicating kick, the band makes its highly anticipated New York debut at Midsummer Night Swing.
Lesson: Lainey Silver teaches Balboa at 6:30 pm
DJ: DJ Va Va Voon
Saturday, June 25 at 7:30 pm
The Allen Toussaint Band New Orleans Rhythm & Blues
with guest vocalists Irma Thomas, Cyril Neville, and Deacon John
Midsummer Night Swing will pay special tribute to late music icon Allen Toussaint, “one of the master craftsmen of 20th-century American pop” (New York Times). The songwriter and producer behind hits like “Mother-in-Law” and “Working in the Coal Mine,” Toussaint and his signature blend of soul, funk, and rhythm & blues defined the New Orleans sound of the ’60s and ’70s. Irma Thomas, “The Soul Queen of New Orleans” and one of Toussaint’s most revered collaborators; vocalist and part of the legendary Neville Brothers dynasty, Cyril Neville; and New Orleans’s most in-demand bandleader, Deacon John, join Toussaint’s band to celebrate the extraordinary life—and irresistible hooks—of their lifelong friend by keeping the tunes hot and the dance floor packed.
Lesson: John and Shoshana Krieger-Joven teach Blues Dancing at 6:30 pm
DJ: Jonathan Toubin
Programs and artists subject to change.
Midsummer Night Swing 2016 is presented by NewYork-Presbyterian
ABOUT LINCOLN CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (LCPA) serves three primary roles: presenter of artistic programming, national leader in arts and education and community engagement, and manager of the Lincoln Center campus. A presenter of more than 3,000 free and ticketed events, performances, tours, and educational activities annually, LCPA offers 16 series, festivals, and programs including American Songbook, Avery Fisher Career Grants and Artist program, David Rubenstein Atrium programming, Great Performers, Legends at Lincoln Center: The Performing Arts Hall of Fame, Lincoln Center at the Movies, Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Awards, Lincoln Center Festival, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Lincoln Center Vera List Art Project, Midsummer Night Swing, Mostly Mozart Festival, White Light Festival, the Emmy Award–winning Live From Lincoln Center, which airs nationally on PBS, and Lincoln Center Education, which is celebrating 40 years enriching the lives of students, educators, and lifelong learners. As manager of the Lincoln Center campus, LCPA provides support and services for the Lincoln Center complex and the 11 resident organizations: The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, The Film Society of Lincoln Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Juilliard School, Lincoln Center Theater, The Metropolitan Opera, New York City Ballet, New York Philharmonic, The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, the School of American Ballet, and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. For more information, visit LincolnCenter.org.
* * *
Midsummer Night Swing 2016 is presented by NewYork-Presbyterian
Midsummer Night Swing is made possible in part by Janice Savin Williams and Christopher J. Williams/The Williams Capital Group, LP
Additional support for Midsummer Night Swing is provided by Great Performers Circle, Chairman’s Council, and Friends of Lincoln Center
Operation of Lincoln Center’s public plazas is supported in part with public funds provided by the City of New York
American Airlines is the Official Airline of Lincoln Center
Nespresso is the Official Coffee of Lincoln Center
NewYork-Presbyterian is the Official Hospital of Lincoln Center
MetLife is the National Sponsor of Lincoln Center
“Summer at Lincoln Center” is supported by Diet Pepsi
Artist Catering provided by Zabar’s and Zabars.com
* * *
Additional information, as well as photos and videos of the artists can be found at Lincoln Center’s Press Room: http://AboutLincolnCenter.org/Press-Room
Login or register to access
* * *
FOLLOW LINCOLN CENTER ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Facebook: facebook.com/LCSwing
Twitter: @LincolnCenter #LCSwing
Instagram: @LincolnCenter #LCSwing
Tumblr: LincolnCenter.tumblr.com
# # #
Size: 3181x1500 |
Catherine Russell Septet
Caption: Catherine RussellPhoto Credit: © 2013 Nancy Carbonaro Size: 3600x3600 |
Photo Credit: © Todd Kancar Size: 1800x1200 |
Photo Credit: Ashley Warren Size: 2700x1800 |
Size: 1200x1800 |
Photo Credit: Kevin Yatarola Size: 3600x2054 |
Photo Credit: Kevin Yatarola Size: 2235x2400 |
Photo Credit: Kevin Yatarola Size: 3209x2651 |
Photo Credit: Kevin Yatarola Size: 2629x1800 |
Photo Credit: Kevin Yatarola Size: 3000x1979 |
Photo Credit: Kevin Yatarola Size: 3300x1527 |
Photo Credit: Kevin Yatarola Size: 3450x1668 |
Photo Credit: Kevin Yatarola Size: 2706x2100 |
Photo Credit: Kevin Yatarola Size: 3444x1800 |
Photo Credit: Kevin Yatarola Size: 3300x1464 |
Photo Credit: Kevin Yatarola Size: 3600x1391 |
Photo Credit: Kevin Yatarola Size: 2902x1555 |