An Evening of Dancing to the Bijou Orchestra
Summer Swing Offers Dancing and Dinner at Bay City Country Club
July 1, 2007
By: Julie McCallum, Entertainment Editor
Recapture the romance of summer dances at the grand old resort hotels when The Bijou Orchestra presents Summer Swing. Dance the night away at Bay City Country Club on July 21, 2007.
The Bijou will play a rich mixture of classic and modern ballroom music for dancers on inside and outside dance floors from 8 to 11PM. Summer Swing is sponsored by Meier and Associates.
Leo Najar,Artistic Director, said, "People loved dancing to The Bijou when we gave them the opportunity to do so at Valley Stories on Valentine's Day,"
Summer Swing offers them the chance to do that for an entire evening. And
weather permitting, they will have the chance to do that outdoors under the
skies or inside in the cool comfort of Bay City Country Club." Najar added.
"Bay City Country Club is an ideal setting for the dance. The clubhouse will accommodate 300 guests for this event, providing adjacent indoor and outdoor dance floors on its lovely veranda overlooking the golf course. Patrons of Summer Swing will be able to purchase beverages at a cash bar, and hors d'oeuvres will be provided.
For those who want to make a complete evening of it, Bay City Country Club will offer a Tango Buffet of specialties inspired by the cuisines of the nations that gave us our popular ballroom dances. The buffet will begin at 6PM. Dinner reservations must be made by July 16.
Non-dancers will enjoy listening to the orchestra cover a wide range of music from Strauss waltzes to 20's tangos, 40's swing and disco, but if they want to become dancers they will have several opportunities to learn a few steps in events prior to the show.
Carla Nemeth, ballroom dance teacher from Saginaw will offer ballroom dancing classes that are open to the public for
two Sunday evenings prior to the dance.
Classes will be offered at 7PM at Temple Israel, 2300 Center Avenue Bay City on July 1 and 8. On July 15th, classes will be taught by Terri Sweet, noted ballroom teacher from Flint.
Classes are $10 per person and last approximately 90 minutes. You do not have to have a partner to participate. In addition, Ms. Sweet will present an hour of class and demonstration from 6:30-7:30 at Summer Swing for all ticket holders.
Tickets for Summer Swing are $30 per person. Tango Buffet tickets are $25. Cash bar will be available throughout the evening.
Tickets may be purchased online at www.BijouOrchestra.org, by phone at (989) 892-4200 or in person at the Bay Musical Arts Box Office: 917 Washington Avenue, Bay City, Michigan, 48708.
Box-office hours are 1-5PM Tuesday through Thursday. Tickets are also available at Bay City Country Club. Dance tickets will be available at the door.
The Bijou Orchestra takes its name from the Bijou Theater, one of the earliest Bay City theaters, which later became known as the Bay and eventually the State. The ensemble is composed of thirteen outstanding musicians drawn from Michigan and beyond to perform in this challenging medium in which every player is a soloist.
The orchestra is supported in part by grants from the Michigan Council for the Arts and Cultural Affairs, the Kantzler Foundation, the Russell H. & Maxine E. Smith Foundation, and the Bay Area Community Foundation. Major corporate contributors include the SC Johnson Corporation, Dow Corning, Bay Regional Medical Center, OmniSource and Thelen Auto Group.
