Lincoln Center Announces Midsummer Night Swing 2011, Begins Today

Tickets are on sale now for Lincoln Center's 23rd season of Midsummer Night Swing taking place every Tuesday through Saturday, June 28-July 16, with an added opening event on Monday, June 27th. Swing's 16 dazzling nights of dancing will take place at the band shell in Damrosch Park, on West 62nd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues. A new dance floor, tested by professional dance instructors and Midsummer Night Swing regulars, has been installed this season, providing a greatly improved surface for all types of dancing.

The 2011 season of Midsummer Night Swing represents the 18th year of generous support for social dancing at Lincoln Center by Daisy and Paul Soros.

This is the first year of sponsorship by Macy's. "As New York's iconic department store, Macy's is thrilled to sponsor one of New York's most quintessential events of the summer season," says Patti Lee, Senior Vice President/General Manager, Macy's Herald Square. Midsummer Night Swing brings the city to its feet at Lincoln Center as it showcases the spirit of dance with Broadway as its backdrop. Summer in the City will be even more magical for New Yorkers and tourists alike as we celebrate Midsummer Night Swing at our Macy's Herald Square store with window displays and special in-store events. We look forward to this season's line-up and our continued partnership with Lincoln Center."

Midsummer Night Swing offers an array of dance music styles including salsa, swing, disco, tango, gypsy jazz and Irish folk dance. A tribute to the dance history-making TV show Soul Train on the occasion of its 40th Anniversary will happen on June 28th, when saxophonist Pee Wee Ellis and trombonist Fred Wesley - famous for their work with JAmes Brown - perform along with special guests Martha High and Fred Ross. Original Soul Train dancer Tyrone Proctor will be the dance instructor, and the legendary Biz Markie will deejay a set guaranteed to get the crowd bumpin'. The evening will also showcase video clips from the show that changed forever the way America dances.

Midsummer Night Swing 2011 is sponsored by Macy's.

Midsummer Night Swing is made possible in part by grants from Daisy and Paul Soros
and Charina Endowment Fund.

Each evening of Midsummer Night Swing is a ticketed event, with a special, free, ticketed event opening the season on Monday, June 27th. The night begins with a dance lesson at 6:30 pm for all levels with some of New York's foremost instructors. Lessons are included in the price of admission. Live music and dancing is at 7:30 pm until 10 pm. All events take place on an elevated dance floor in Damrosch Park.

New this year: In an effort to be "in concert" with the nightly programming of Midsummer Night Swing, Restaurant Associates has developed a new Street Food BBQ program for Damrosch Park created by their very own celebrity chef, Ed Brown (Ed's Chowder House, "Iron Chef"). In addition, they will offer nightly food and cocktail specials inspired by the country or region of the performers. For example, a New Orleans specialty such as jambalaya might be offered the night the Palmetto Bug Stompers perform, or grilled carne asada when Aurora y Zon el Barrio take the stage. Prices will be under $10.

Tickets and passes are on sale now. Multi-evening Swing Passes are priced at $90 for six nights, and $160 for the full season. Tickets for individual evening events are $17.

The Swing box office is located in the lobby of Avery Fisher Hall, Broadway and 65th Street. Tickets for individual events and passes can be purchased in advance at the Avery Fisher 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 by logging on to www.MidsummerNightSwing.org. Twitter users can sign up to follow Midsummer Night Swing @LCSwing for ongoing news and updates.

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, ticket holders are entitled to exchange for another performance or a refund. Pass holders are not entitled to a refund. If a performance has begun and is cancelled after 8:30 pm, exchanges or refunds are not offered.

The schedule for Midsummer Night Swing:

Monday, June 27
Jonathan Stout Orchestra featuring Hilary Alexander Big Band Swing
Founded by two veteran swing dancers, the Jonathan Stout Orchestra is music for dancers, first and foremost. Both Jonathan Stout and co-founder Hilary Alexander recognize the excitement of music that begs to be danced to - the music of the 1930s and 40s - and they and their fellow musicians deliver it. The band follows the templates of Benny Goodman and Count Basie with their tight and aggressive sound. Their soloists bring the fire to every number. Lesson: Heather Flock
DJ: Ryan Swift
Dancer Appreciation Night: June 27th is the night to celebrate summer and try out the new and improved dance floor - Midsummer Night Swing opens with this FREE special event. Entrance is by lottery; dancers should visit MidsummerNightSwing.org to submit their email address for a chance to win tickets. Holders of Swing Passes are encouraged to enter. Winners will be notified by email on June 13th and will receive admission for two.

Tuesday, June 28
Soul Train: Pee Wee Ellis and Fred Wesley* R&B, Funk, Soul
Extended DJ set by Biz Markie
Forty years ago Soul Train came into America's living rooms showcasing soul and R&B artists, with young people dancing along to the tracks. While the acts were great it was the dancing that captured the imagination and became part of American popular culture. The "line" - when individual dancers took their turns showing their best moves - was imitated at parties and clubs and to this day it is how America gets down. To celebrate Soul Train on its 40th Anniversary, Swing hosts a night of funk and soul starring two horn masters who had had a hand in creating much of the best funk ever recorded. Ellis and Wesley worked with JAmes Brown, George Clinton, Bootsy Collins and others. They'll be joined by former Brown collaborators Martha High and Fred Ross, and the dance teacher will be original Soul Train dancer Tyrone Proctor. Spinning that night will be the one and only Biz Markie, the man who beat-boxed his way into the heart of hip-hop.
Lesson: Tyrone Proctor
DJ: Biz Markie
* Pee Wee Ellis and Fred Wesley play one set starting at 7:30pm, followed by an extended deejay set by Biz Markie.

Wednesday, June 29
Swingtime Big Band Swing, Ballroom
Long Island's authentic swing/ballroom orchestra - the 20-piece Swingtime Big Band - vividly brings to life the music of the swing era, featuring authentic recreations of classics from the libraries of Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, Woody Herman and other legends who made the 30s and 40s the golden age of swing. In December 2007, the Big Band Hall of Fame officially recognized Swingtime as "Ambassadors of Big Band Music" with a special award for the ensemble's efforts in "perpetuating, promoting & performing with integrity the sounds of the Big Band Era."
Lesson: Eva Carrozza
DJ: Michelle & Bob of MB Music Services

Thursday, June 30
Hector Del Curto's Eternal Tango Orchestra Tango
Hector Del Curto, Argentine master of the bandoneón, put together ten of the world's leading tango musicians to form the Eternal Tango Orchestra in 2003. His intent was to revive the great tradition of the orquesta tipica, or traditional tango orchestra, that played throughout Buenos Aires in the early to mid-20th century when the hypnotic music of the tango permeated every corner of Argentina. The Eternal Tango Orchestra now brings those sensuous rhythms to audiences around the world.
Lesson: Carolina Zakalski and Diego DiFalco
DJ: DJ KoTanaka

Friday, July 1
Diogo Nogueira Samba, Choro **New York Debut**
A supernova of Brazilian samba, singer/songwriter Diogo Nogueira hasn't been on the scene long but he has made an indelible impression. He won the Latin Grammy for Best Samba/Pagode in 2010, and he hosts a weekly show on TV Brasil, Samba na Gamboa, that showcases samba legends. That's a subject on which Nogueira is somewhat expert, as he is the son of celebrated composer João Nogueira. Nogueira raised his son singing and listening to samba at the informal rodas, or gatherings of samba composers and musicians. Diogo Nogueira has emerged as the most talented and sought after samba performer of his generation, and at last New York audiences will get a chance to see what the excitement is all about.
Lesson: Marizete and Kilby from Sambazina.com
DJ: Greg Kaz
Sponsored by Samba 99 Antioxidant Fruit Bars.

Saturday, July 2
Aurora y Zon del Barrio, special guests Yomo Toro, Larry Harlow Salsa, Plena, Boogalo
Dancing shoes will get a workout when Aurora & Zon del Barrio take the stage. Everything from funk-based classic salsa, merengue, plena, bomba and boogalu are on their playlist. Aurora Flores, the gifted founder of the group, along with music director David Fernandez, explores Latin music from its roots in the African Diaspora to the urban streets of New York where Latinos live and play. They will be joined by "The King of Cuatro" Yomo Toro, whose 50+ year career playing the multi-stringed cuatro has taken him from his native Puerto Rico to all corners of the world. The group will also be joined by the legendary pianist/bandleader, Larry Harlow, "el Judeo Maravilloso."
Lesson: Jimmy Anton
DJ: DJ Turmix

Tuesday, July 5
Gilberto Santa Rosa Salsa*
A living salsa legend, Gilberto Santa Rosa's fervent vocals have made him an international star. He specializes in both lively, tropical salsa and ballads, bringing a smooth tone and a gift for 'soneo' (lyrical improvisation) to his performances. A native of Carolina, Puerto Rico, Santa Rosa will be singing salsa, guaraches, mambos, and boleros on this steamy summer night in New York.
Lesson: Carlos Konig
DJ: DJ Andreas
*Gilberto Santa Rosa will be playing one extended set at 8:00 pm.

Wednesday, July 6
Hot Club of Cowtown Western Swing, Gypsy Jazz, Classic Swing
The Austin, Texas-based Hot Club of Cowtown is probably the hardest-working and easily the most-traveled Western swing trio in the world. Their international cult following is based on their unique sound inspired by their two namesakes: "Hot Club" from the hot jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt and violinist Stephane Grappelli's Hot Club of France, and "Cowtown" from the Western swing influence of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys. Their hot electric guitar, frenetic fiddle and jaw-dropping slap bass mix with three-part harmony vocals for Western swing they way it is meant to be.
Lesson: John Knapp & Meredith Stead
DJ: Meredith Ochs

Thursday, July 7
Loser's Lounge Does the 80s: No Parking on the Dance Floor Dance Pop, New Wave
The Loser's Lounge is a collective of some of New York's best musicians and singers who perform the great songs of the 60s, 70s and 80s. According to The New York Times, they "honor pop stars from these eras and validate the zeal of music fans." Started by session keyboardist Joe McGinty in 1993, Loser's Lounge has performed nearly 300 shows honoring 50 different artists. When Loser's Lounge performed a night of disco-era classics last year at Swing the dancers hustled themselves into the ground. History is about to repeat itself!
Lesson: Buddha Stretch
DJ: Mark Goodman

Friday, July 8
Tribute to Ralph Mercado, featuring MioSotis, Tito Puente Jr., Ray Sepulveda, and Tony Vega Salsa
Bobby Allende, Music Director
A concert and record producer / promoter, artist manager, night-club owner, and all-around impresario, the late Ralph Mercado had more to do with the meteoric global spread of Latin music in the 1970s, 80s and 90s than just about anyone. Hosted by radio icon Paco Navarro and Damaris Luz Mercado and under the leadership of the great percussionist Bobby Allende, an all-star lineup of artists associated with Mercado's legendary RMM label, including beloved soneros Ray Sepulveda, MioSotis, and Tony Vega, and timbale-player Tito Puente, Jr., bring an unmissable tribute to one of the people who defined contemporary salsa.
Lesson: Eddie Torres
DJ: Henry Knowles

Saturday, July 9
Ray Collins' Hot Club Jump Blues, Swing, Rock 'n' Roll **New York Debut**
The wild red, white, and jump-blues of the 1940s and 50s is alive and kicking in Germany, no less, with Ray Collins' Hot Club. Playing both period classics as well as new compositions, the Hot Club is a nine-piece group whose hard-swinging CDs have dancers burning up the dance floors of Europe.
Lesson: Paolo Lanna
DJ: DJ Phast Phreddie the Boogaloo Omnibus

Tuesday, July 12
Palmetto Bug Stompers Old-time Swing, Traditional Jazz **New York Debut**
A former street band turned Big Easy institution, the Palmetto Bug Stompers play traditional and New Orleans jazz in a rough-hewn, joyful style. All of the band's members play with some of the other great jazz bands in New Orleans as well as with the Big Stompers, and rub-board player and vocalist Washboard Chaz is at the center of the annual cult favorite "ChazFest." Standard numbers include such chestnuts as "Big Butter and Egg Man," Farewell Blues," and "Walking with the King," all guaranteed to make dancers feel good and get them on their feet for a night of Crescent City fun.
Lesson: Chance Bushman and Amy Johnson of New Orleans, Louisiana
DJ: DJ Eve

Wednesday, July 13
Charlie Harris, Maeve Donnelly, Geraldine Cotter and Eamonn Cotter Traditional Iris, Céili
Long before discos and clubs were swinging hips and moving feet, the Irish social world revolved around céili, a lively gathering featuring fiddles, flutes and accordions producing Irish folk music for dancing in country houses. As part of a citywide celebration, some of Ireland's finest traditional musicians, Charlie Harris (button accordion), Eamonn Cotter (flute) and sister Geraldine Cotter (piano) all veterans of the Shaskeen Ceili band and thee-time all-Ireland fiddler Maeve Donnelly, are coming together with guests to recreate this tradition in an irresistible night of Irish dancing.
Lesson: Megan Downes
DJ: Kevin Westley
Made possible in part with the support of Culture Ireland as part of Imagine Ireland, a year of Irish Arts in America in 2011.

Thursday, July 14
Caravan Palace Electroswing, Gypsy Jazz, House
Straight from Paris comes Caravan Palace, a six-piece band that plays French electroswing and which counts among its influences the music of Django Reinhardt, Lionel Hampton and Daft Punk. The band has a 1940s look and a modern sound, with clarinet and strings covering electronic beats that are terrific for dancing. In honor of Bastille Day dancers are encouraged to come to Swing in French Revolution-era costumes and compete for prizes.
Lesson: Angela Harriel
DJ: DJ Dhundee
Presented in association with Gemini & Scorpio's Swing House.

Friday, July 15
Lisandro Meza and Juan José Meza Cumbia, Vallenato
A native of Medellín, Columbia, Lisandro Meza is a master of vallenato sabanero, an accordion-driven style of music that originated in Mexico. He forged a sound that was a cross between Dominican merengue, Louisiana zydeco and Tex-Mex norteño, all the while growing the popularity of the Columbian dance music called cumbia. Now his son, Juan José, is a recognized cumbia artist as well. He sings and plays percussion in his 12-piece band, keeping alive the vallenato tradition for a new generation.
Lesson: Ricardo Torres
DJ: Geko Jones (Que Bajo?!)

Saturday, July 16 from 3:00 to 4:30pm
Kids' Dance
Free
Ballroom, Tango, Swing
Kids get in on the act with a special afternoon session (ideal for the entire family) with teacher Rodney Lopez from Dancing Classrooms - seen in Mad Hot Ballroom, the 2005 documentary about teaching ballroom dance in NYC public schools. He'll get youngsters off on the right foot, teaching them the basics of ballroom, tango and swing.

Saturday, July 16
Harlem Renaissance Orchestra with special guest Billy Harper, "A Tribute to Illinois Jacquet" Big Band Swing
Jump to the big band sound of the Harlem Renaissance Orchestra, a group that was formed more than twenty years ago to revive the great sounds from the big band era. The band recognizes the masters of the big band sound: Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Lionel Hampton and many others, and plays their music like it was yesterday. The band's special guest on July 16th will be Billy Harper, the award-winning saxophonist who has played and toured with Max Roach, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers as well as his own Billy Harper Quintet, recording more than four dozen albums in the process.
Lesson: Margaret Batiuchok
DJ: Ryan Mascaro

On the 16th there will also be the 3rd Annual Ambassador's Prize Dance Contest, honoring the late Frankie Manning, lindy hopper extraordinaire.

Midsummer Night Swing 2011 is sponsored by Macy's.

Midsummer Night Swing is made possible in part by grants from Daisy and Paul Soros and Charina Endowment Fund.

Additional support for Midsummer Night Swing 2011 is provided by Baisley Powell Elebash Fund, Amtrak, Zabar's and Zabar's.com, Samba 99 Antioxidant Fruit Bars, 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.

Movado is an Official Sponsor of Lincoln Center, Inc.

United Airlines is the Official Airline of Lincoln Center, Inc.

First Republic Bank is the Official Sponsor of the Fashion Lincoln Center Online Experience.

MetLife is the National Sponsor of Lincoln Center, Inc.

"Summer at Lincoln Center" is sponsored by Diet Pepsi and The Wall Street Journal.

Midsummer Night Swing is a presentation of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. (LPCA), which serves three primary roles: presenter of superb artistic programming, national leader in arts and education and community relations, and manager of the Lincoln Center campus. As a presenter of over 400 events annually, LCPA's programs include American Songbook, Great Performers, Lincoln Center Festival, the Mostly Mozart Festival, Lincoln Center Out of Doors and Live From Lincoln Center. In addition, LCPA is leading a series of major capital projects on behalf of the resident organizations across the campus.

Lincoln Center is committed to providing and improving accessibility for people with disabilities. Braille and large-type programs are available for selected Lincoln Center concerts. Wheelchair seating and assisted hearing devices are available at all concert halls and theaters. For further information or to receive a Lincoln Center accessibility guide, call 212-875-5375.

Programs and artists subject to change.