Hoping to bring neighbors together through music and swing moves, the Mercer Island Arts Council is hosting a community dance with the Casey MacGill Band at 8 p.m. on Jan. 28 at the VFW Hall.
Islander Ari Levitt will give an Eastern Swing Dance lesson at 7 p.m. for attendees new to swing dancing. At the band break, Levitt has arranged for a swing dance demo, which was suggested by Arts Council Chair An Tootill as a way to entertain non-dancers.
Arts Council member Karen Kaser, a retired family practice physician and Cajun/Zydeco musician, said she would like to build dance community in Mercer Island.
“Social dancing helps us meet our neighbors and peers in other professions,” she said. “When we first moved to Seattle and knew no one, dancing connected us to others.”
She has lived on the Island for 21 years, raising her three children here, and has performed for dances and other Seattle events, including Mostly Music in the Park and the Mercer Island Farmers Market. She said the winter dance will be a way to continue the momentum from summer community events, in a venue that’s not a church or a school.
Through the Arts Council, Kaser learned about 4Culture. One of its projects subsidized venue owners in Edmonds or Shoreline to pay musicians to play at their business, “adding the culture that live music brings,” she said.
“Through a subsidy by the Parks and Recreation Deptartment, the Arts Council enthusiastically supports creating more music and dance opportunities for Mercer Islanders,” Kaser said. “The Jan. 28 dance at the VFW is our trial balloon. If it goes well, and funds allow, we can continue the project.”
Kaser was involved in one of the city’s fall dances in 2006 as an interested citizen, suggesting that the Arts Council could sponsor such an event at the Community Center, which was brand new at the time. Her band, Swamp Soul, performed at the dance; “however, dancers there, whether social or ballet, notice the lack of a good dance floor,” she said.
When rental costs were affordable, in the 1990s, local musicians and different bands played for regular Cajun/zydeco dances at the VFW Hall, she said. The Arts Council is hoping the partnership can continue. Another council member, Matt Lome, is working on a project with the VFW members to provide concerts by local music groups, with no gate fee but donations accepted for veterans.
Kaser said that the dress code for the community dance is informal. Refreshments, including beer and wine, will be available for purchase during the evening.
The city will host a Parent’s Night Out that night, as the event is for people age 21 and up. Advance tickets for $10 are on sale at the Mercer Island Community and Event Center, and will be $20 at the door. Call 206-275-7609 for information.
