Couples twirled, dipped and danced to jazz and swing classics at Grand Central on Monday.
Monday nights at the Central Avenue club feature some of the best dance music in the city. Each week, Bill Hanna’s Vintage Dance Band -- which includes some of his CPCC students -- plays for a crowd of people mostly over age 50.
The vibe is relaxed, and the music is slamming -- if you dig Big Band-era music. Men lead the women onto the floor and show off their waltz, swing, foxtrot and jitterbug skills. There’s a cash bar, and a light appetizer and sandwich menu. (The potstickers were good, and the chicken wings are crispy.) Grand Central has a smoking lounge, so you're less likely to smell like smoke when you leave. In coming weeks, dance lessons will be offered.
The band plays from 8-11 p.m (although people were leaving by 10 the night we went). Details: 704-373-1699. If you can’t make the Monday night gatherings, try Swing Tuesday at Lynn’s on South Tryon Street near Tyvola Road, hosted by the Charlotte Jitterbugs. Details: denise@charlottejitterbugs.com.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Real dancing at Grand Central
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1 comments:
Glad you came out to Grand Central for the Bill Hanna Vintage Band but your severely underexposed photographs and characterization of "a crowd of people mostly over age 50" are both well off the mark.
The primary publicity for this series comes from the Charlotte Swing Dance Society (http://www.charlotteswingdance.org) whose leadership and membership are both decidedly in the mid-20's to early-40's range.
Hanna's band features three full horn lines (at least 4 each of trumpet, trombone and sax) and when they're in full voice and the dance floor is full, the place is seriously jumping. I can only guess you represented this 20-piece band with a closeup of the harmonica player because his Yankees cap makes him look more "hip-hop".
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