The Fly Me to the Moon Swing Dance, named after the popular jazz tune “Fly Me to the Moon,” was performed by Jazz 1, featuring freshman Naomi Allred as their singer. A night of music and fun, the annual Fly Me to the Moon Swing Dance was held this Saturday, Jan. 18.
The swing dance is one of the jazz band’s biggest fundraiser opportunities of the year and has been an annual tradition for many years. Hosted by the jazz band and held in the commons, the dance began at 7 p.m. It started with Jazz 1 and was followed by the Valley View Middle School band and Jazz 2. “The swing dance is a really good experience to hang out with friends, listen to live music, and learn something new,” Emeline Radtke said.
For those who didn’t think of themselves as much of dancers, the swing dance was still a great opportunity to listen to live jazz bands perform in a fun surrounding. “I enjoy the swing dance because it’s a fun way to show the student body and my friends what jazz band is about and what we can accomplish. We get to play a lot of fun songs and give the dance floor a cool atmosphere. Though I’m not much of a dancer, I enjoy being able to chat with friends in the back as we listen to other jazz bands play. It’s a fun event that is really worth the time spent preparing for it every year,” Max Shevitz said.
If you didn’t know how to swing dance, there were free lessons starting at 6 p.m. in the commons before the dance officially began. “When I’m not playing, I get to swing dance, which is also really fun. And I get to teach other people how to swing dance who might be kind of nervous,” Gavin Gilchrist said.
The dance lasted around three hours, starting at 7 p.m. and ending at 10 p.m. Concessions were offered with various sweet treats along with an Italian soda stand which was open throughout the dance. If you couldn’t make it to the dance this year, make sure to swing by next time and experience a night of music and fun.