Time to swing, time to dance

MOSES LAKE — Get your dancing shoes out and prepare for a night of swing dancing to the finest jazz music.

The Moses Lake High School Jazz Ensemble is holding its first jazz swing dance event, called “Zoot Suit Riot,” and they are hoping young and old will come out and shake a leg. Music and dancing begins Friday at 7 p.m. in the Moses Lake High School commons.

Tickets are $10 for adults and $6 for students and seniors and can be purchased at Andrew’s Hallmark, the Moses Lake High School front office, from a member of the jazz ensemble, or at the door the night of the event.

Proceeds from ticket sales are being used to send band members to summer camps, help fund travel to music festivals, and allow music teacher Daniel Beich to bring clinicians into his classes.

Beich said he hopes to see a wide variety of people in attendance.

“The intent is for this thing to be multi-generational,” Beich said. “I would love to have the gray-haired crowd; high school students interested in learning how to do this; mother-sons, daddy-daughters.”

Dance instruction will be provided by Ty Ballinger for those who don’t know how to swing dance.

Beich said Ballinger invites people to dance at his Jazzercise studio once a week and the invitation planted the seed of the event idea.

“That was the impetus. I brought my daughter, who is 9 now, and she and I learned how to swing dance together,” Beich said.

Beich said Ballinger keeps it simple and that his claim to fame is being “pretty good at getting the man, who doesn’t like to dance, to get out on the floor.”

Beich credits the addition of swing dance floors to the annual Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival in Moscow, Idaho, for inspiring him to create the event.

“The kids go wild. Then they clear them off (the dance floor) and they line up to go wild again,” Beich said.

As for the music, the jazz ensemble will be accompanied by guest saxophone soloist Dr. Shirley Diamond.

“The idea was to present her to the rest of the community,” Beich said.

He said Diamond provided lessons for some of his students who went on to study with music scholarships in college.

Diamond and the ensemble will play instantly recognizable songs like “It Don’t Mean a Thing, if it Ain’t Got That Swing,” “Little Brown Jug,” “Sing Sing Sing,” and “Zoot Suit Riot.”

Beich is looking to expand the number of guest performers in attendance as the years progress. He envisions being able to feature professional musicians as soloists throughout the show.

“I think it would be a lot of fun to make it an annual event,” Beich said.

If you cannot attend the event but would like to donate funds to the jazz ensemble, donations can be dropped off at Moses Lake High School, 803 E. Sharon Ave., care of Daniel Beich.