On May 10, 2014, the Bel Air High School Jazz Band rocked the cafeteria with the 3rd annual Swing Dance.
This year’s Swing Dance had about 250 people in attendance. The Jazz Band began preparing for the dance at the beginning of the school year. Gradually adding pieces throughout the year, the Jazz Band built up their set list into a three hour performance. Professional Swing Dance lessons were provided before the dance so that everyone could capture the style of the music with their dance moves.
Unlike any of the other dances hosted at BAHS, this is the only one which involves live music. The musicians and the crowd are able to feed off of each other’s energy, making the atmosphere more lively and vibrant. The Swing Dance is also open to community members as well as students. This acts as a gateway for people who do not normally attend school concerts to get a taste of what the music program can do.
“The fact that this year our Swing Dance included a lot more community members and adults was a really good sign. That tells me that the word is getting out to our community that we have this event. It’s really great to see the interaction between the community members and our student body,” said band director Mr. Domenico.
The dance is a unique opportunity for student interaction as well. It is able to bring in more students than a concert normally does, allowing members of the Jazz Band to experience more feedback from their peers.
“We bring in a lot more of the students and we get to play a lot of different music than we would normally play at a concert,” said Senior Alto Saxophonist Sam Bittle.
The Jazz Band has high hopes for the future of the Swing Dance.
Junior Alto Saxophonist Drew Nash said, “I hope for the dance to have more community members attend and for the dance to be recognized by the school as a whole and have some more faculty attend.”
The Jazz Band’s next performance will be on Fri., May 15 at their Spring Concert, their last of the year.