PV Orchestra

Main Menu

  • Home
  • Orchestra concert
  • Classical orchestra
  • Popular orchestra
  • Orchestra opera

PV Orchestra

Header Banner

PV Orchestra

  • Home
  • Orchestra concert
  • Classical orchestra
  • Popular orchestra
  • Orchestra opera
Popular orchestra
Home›Popular orchestra›The ballroom teams up with a local orchestra for an evening of jazz — The Kenyon Collegian

The ballroom teams up with a local orchestra for an evening of jazz — The Kenyon Collegian

By George M. Ortiz
November 10, 2022
0
0

On the exceptionally warm evening of November 5, jazz fans young and old flocked to Mount Vernon’s Woodward Opera House for a concert titled “Jumpin’ at the Woodward” by the Knox Community Jazz Orchestra and a lesson in dance from the Kenyon College Ballroom Dance Club. The event was a resounding success, prompting many spectators to join in the dancing while enjoying the talents of the orchestra.

The Knox Community Jazz Orchestra, which was established in 2016, is proud to bring classic and contemporary big band jazz to the community. At this performance, the band played a mix of longer jazz compositions and dance songs, allowing Kenyon’s Ballroom Dance Club to teach swing and rumba to interested attendees. The club, which was founded in 1998 to provide an outlet for Kenyon students who “love to dance” (according to one college student October article of that year), teaches tango, waltz, foxtrot and many other dances to interested students.

There was a lot of interest in the dance lesson. Club President Zoe Miller ’23 started with the basics of the swing, and club members remained available to provide additional guidance for those who needed it. The crowd was full of fast learners, and soon the dance floor was filled with couples dancing to the orchestra’s jovial renditions of standards such as Glenn Miller’s “String of Pearls” and “Take the ‘A’ Train.” by Duke Ellington. Later in the evening, the Ballroom Dance Club returned to the floor to teach rhumba, a slower dance that has its roots in Afro-Cuban rhythms and culture. The change of style proved as popular as the original swing lesson, and many couples returned to the floor to master the dance’s simple box step. About the lessons, Miller wrote in an email to college student, “Getting into an audience to learn a dance is quite daunting, so I was really excited to see so many people – both from Kenyon and Mount Vernon – were so keen to jump in and learn something new. ! Their enthusiasm and willingness to learn made the event so lively and fun! I really hope this is something we can do again in the future.

The dance was punctuated by numerous sets of group-only features showing off the musical prowess of the Knox Community Jazz Orchestra. The orchestra played many instrumental tunes such as “Jumpin’ at the Woodside” by Count Basie (hence the name of the event) and “Love Beams” by Mark Taylor. The concert included some vocal jazz classics featuring the orchestra’s vocalist, Amanda Mayville. George Gershwin’s “A Foggy Day” and Nat King Cole’s “Almost Like Being In Love” were particularly popular performances with audiences.

The concert brought together the communities of Kenyon and greater Knox County, as many of the band members were current or former music teachers spanning elementary, secondary and college education. Among these members were John B. McCoy-Banc One Distinguished Teaching Professor of Music Dane Heuchemer, director of the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, and Ted Buehrer, music teacher and director of the Kenyon Jazz Ensemble. In addition to members of the Kenyon community on stage and in the Ballroom Dance Club, the audience was made up in part of students who had traveled from Gambier to Mount Vernon to hear the music.

Overall, the evening was an example of one of the many ways Kenyon students can participate in the surrounding community. Attendees left with a smile on their faces, having learned something new while enjoying the music and reconnecting with friends and neighbors. Although stereotypes of “small town living” pervade discussions of our rural corner of Ohio, the concert embodied the most positive attributes of small town living.

Categories

  • Classical orchestra
  • Orchestra concert
  • Orchestra opera
  • Popular orchestra

Recent Posts

  • The Irish Chamber Orchestra presents a festive concert at Birr
  • Could It’s a Wonderful Life prove ENO’s saviour? National Opera Arts Council cuts funding to London Coliseum
  • West Australian Opera announces 2023 season
  • Alive Music Orchestra will perform an annual Christmas concert at Valley Church – The Vacaville Reporter
  • NTD’s Special Thanksgiving Program – Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra Concert

Archives

  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • July 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • November 2016
  • September 2016
  • February 2016
  • April 2015
  • January 2013
  • November 2012
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions