The Ordway Kicks Off 2015 Summer Dance in Rice Park This Week

The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts is pleased to announce 2015 Summer Dance. Now in its sixth year, Summer Dance offers free, family-friendly dance events and live music in Rice Park in downtown Saint Paul.

This year, the Ordway and the Twin Cities Jazz Festival will co-present Summer Dance as a three-evening event this week, June 25-27. Each evening will highlight a different dance and music genre, offering free dance lessons from professional instructors from around the community, followed by live music and open dance in the park.

"Summer Dance fits in perfectly with the Ordway's mission of making the arts accessible to everyone, by serving the community through music and dance," said Ordway President and CEO Patricia A. Mitchell. "The event has been one of the most popular family-friendly celebrations of the summer for years. And now, co-presenting the event with the Twin Cities Jazz Festival will allow audiences to connect across communities."

Each evening will kick off with a social gathering at 5:30 p.m. where food and beverages will be available for purchase from the Saint Paul Hotel and other vendors. At 6:00 p.m., local dance professionals will lead group dance lessons focusing on a different style each night. At 7:15 p.m., attendees can show off what they learned at an open dance with live music from local bands. All events are free and open to the public.

2015 Summer Dance is a co-presentation of the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts and the Twin Cities Jazz Festival, made possible through a generous gift from Susan and Tom Handley with additional support from The Saint Paul Hotel. For more information, including alternate location rain plans, visit www.ordway.org/summerdance.

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Ordway 2015 Summer Dance Series Lineup:

Thursday, June 25 - Salsa

Band: Salsa Del Soul

Dance Instruction: Manny and Carmen Rubio

Friday, June 26 - Swing

Band: Beasley's Big Band

Dance Instruction: Arthur Murray Saint Paul

Saturday, June 27 - Ballroom

Band: Minnesota Jazz Orchestra

Dance Instruction: Arthur Murray Saint Paul

2015 Summer Dance is a co-presentation of the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts and the Twin Cities Jazz Festival, made possible through a generous gift from Susan and Tom Handley with additional support from The Saint Paul Hotel. It takes place in Rice Park (downtown Saint Paul, across from the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts). Schedule: 5:30 p.m. - Event begins; 6:00 p.m. - Free dance lessons; 7:15 p.m. - Live music and open dance.

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The Ordway is widely recognized as one of the nation's leading nonprofit performing arts centers and Saint Paul's most elegant and inviting performance space. The Ordway's Music Theater and recently completed Concert Hall attract diverse audiences with an array of productions showcasing the finest in American musical theater, world music, dance and vocal performance. Education and community engagement are integral to the Ordway's mission, with major initiatives including the annual Flint Hills International Children's Festival and Ordway Education programs that serve more than 50,000 students annually. The Ordway also sponsors the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists, a charter high school with a professionally guided academic and artistic environment that trains aspiring pre-professional performing artists. Together with the Minnesota Opera, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and The Schubert Club, the Ordway is a member of the Arts Partnership and serves as the principal venue for their performances. For more information, visit www.ordway.org.