Ordway’s Summer Dance Series Returns to Downtown Saint Paul

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts is excited to announce the second season of its free Summer Dance series, offering weekly social dance events at Landmark Plaza in downtown Saint Paul. Beginning June 16, Ordway Summer Dance highlights a different social dance style every Thursday with demonstrations and basic lessons by professional dance instructors from our community and the opportunity to put those lessons into practice during open dancing the rest of the evening. Local bands will provide live music each week, adding energy to Saint Paul summer evenings.

"Summer Dance is central to the Ordway's mission and purpose in this community: to make the arts an accessible, interactive experience for everyone," explains Patricia A. Mitchell, Ordway's president and CEO. "It was joyful to witness hundreds of community members engaging in the arts and relishing a night out in Saint Paul last year, and I look forward to another summer brimming with dance."

Ordway Summer Dance will begin with social gathering at 5:30 p.m. where food, ice cream and beverages are available for purchase from The Saint Paul Hotel, Meritage, Pazzaluna, 128 Mobile Café (on June 30; July 14, 21, 28; and August 4) and the Leprechaun's Dreamcycle. Free dance demonstrations by well-known local dance professionals from organizations including Arthur Murray Dance Studio and Cinema Ballroom will begin at 6:00 p.m. and the live music by a different local band every week will follow at 7:15 p.m.

In case of inclement weather, Ordway Summer Dance will move inside. For updated rain location announcements throughout the summer, stay tuned to ordway.org, as information will be posted each Thursday.

The Ordway is partnering with Landmark Center, Pazzaluna, The Saint Paul Hotel, the City of Saint Paul and Wells Fargo for the Ordway Summer Dance series.

Ordway Summer Dance Schedule

June 16 - Swing
Swing Dance Instruction: Arthur Murray Dance Studios
Band: The Senders

June 23 - Reggae/Afro-beat
West African Dance Instruction: Kenna Sarge
Band: New Primitives

June 30 - Salsa
Latin Social Dance Instruction: Manuel & Carmen Rubio
Band: Salsa del Soul

July 7 - Country
Cajun Dance Instruction: Flory Katz and Rick Ernst
Band: Kevin Anthony and the Twin City Playboys

July 14 - Ballroom
Ballroom Dance Instruction: Cinema Ballroom
Band: Jerry O'Hagen and his Orchestra

July 21 - Polka
Polka Dance Instruction: Stan and Darlene Wandersee
Band: Craig Ebel & DyVersaCo

July 28 - Irish
Irish Dance Instruction: Rince na Chroi
Band: The Belfast Cowboys

August 4 - Classic R&B/Soul
Step Dance Instruction: Kevin Johnson
Band: Power

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
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 McKnight stages 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 serves as authorizer for the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists, a professionally guided academic and artistic environment that trains aspiring pre-professional performing artists. Together with The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Opera and The Schubert Club, the Ordway is a member of the Arts Partnership and serves as the principal venue for their performances.

Performance Information
Ordway Summer Dance (Free)
Landmark Plaza
June 16 - August 4, 2011 (Thursdays each week)
Dance Instruction begins at 6:00 p.m.
Live Music begins at 7:15 p.m.

Ordway Center for the Performing Arts
345 Washington Street
Saint Paul, MN 55102
Ticket Office: 651.224.4222
ordway.org/summerdance
ordway.org

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