Giving Swing A Fling
They have a knack for this music - jazz and big band-style sound from the ‘20s, ‘30s and ‘40s - an affinity for the same tunes to which their grandparents probably danced around World War II.
Come Saturday, the Post Falls High School Jazz Band will showcase a year’s worth of preparation in a concert for anyone willing to lend their ears, tap their toes and boogie.
“It’s meant to be kind of a sentimental journey back to the ‘30s and ‘40s,” explained Chelsea Clary, a senior who will swing dance at the event.
Hence the name: The evening is “A Sentimental Journey” and is expected to draw 400 to 450 people to the high school gym Saturday evening at 7:30.
The gym’s walls and bleachers will be covered in black vinyl, white netting and small white lights. A red carpet will be rolled out for guests. The girls will wear vintage dresses and the boys will sport tuxedos.
The whole atmosphere should imitate that of an earlier-era nightclub, said A. W. Veale, a junior band member and one of the swing dancers.
“It’s really cool because it takes us back and shows us what it was like back then,” said Andrea Deaver, a senior.
The students have devoted hundreds of hours to the concert, estimated Dawna Shepard, president of the band boosters and mother of one of the band members.
“It’s nice to work with kids who really want to do it and have the talent and the drive,” she said. “You can really see what this generation can do.”
That’s part of why students like Clary have worked so hard preparing for Saturday.
“It’s important for us to do this,” she said. “It shows the older people the better part of our generation. It shows them that we’re not all vandalizing and stuff.”
Twenty student dancers have been taking lessons from Universal Dance Studios to polish their acts, and six of them gave a presentation of their dance skills to the Post Falls Senior Center earlier this month.
Getting involved is nothing new for these students, most of whom are on the honor roll, Shepard said.
“They’re hard workers,” she said. “Most of the students dancing are in Jazz Band and either soccer or track. Their day started at 6:30 - school, then practice, then dance lessons. They finally arrive at their homes at 7:30, after 13 hours!”
, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo
MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Put on your dancing shoes Tickets for Saturday’s “A Sentimental Journey” are $6 - $4 for senior citizens. The performance and dance will include student vocalists Crystal Vancho and Cassie Porter, singer Kim James, the Post Falls High School Jazz Band and the HewlettPackard “On the Side Band.” Refreshments will be served. Proceeds benefit the high school band.