A bit of history to be recreated by Big Band Tea Dance
By PHYLLIS HODGES
Moonglow Dance Club is bringing the Good Times Ballroom Fantasy Band and its big band music to SCC Feb. 5 for a Tea Dance at Community Hall.
Dancers and big band music lovers — want a great Sunday afternoon experience? The Moonglow Dance Club is offering just that on Feb. 5 from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. when they bring the Good Times Ballroom Fantasy Band to Sun City Center’s Community Hall.
Dance the afternoon away or sit back and enjoy music that offers a new experience or a chance to reminisce about days gone by.
The band features six top-notch professionals who perform for audiences all over Florida. Leader Fred Case said that dancers deserve the “total package” in a sophisticated mix of all dance styles that only a live band can create. “Exacting attention is paid to playing the rhythms dancers have become accustomed to,” Case said. Want to sample a bit of the band’s music? Visit their website at fredcasemusic.com.
Moonglow President Gail Bouverat said that the club officers became enthusiastic when the idea was suggested of adding a 13th Tea Dance in 2017 as a special event. They could see the value of a daytime dance, especially to SCC dancers who have difficulty getting to evening events and to dancers who travel across the Bay to St. Petersburg and Gulfport to attend daytime dances with live band music.
Tea dances in the Tampa Bay area have a history going back before World War II when hundreds packed into the St. Petersburg Coliseum. It was an opportunity for the young servicemen to form a lasting memory as they went off to war. The coliseum holds afternoon dances twice a month except in the summer. At the Gulfport Casino, ballroom dances are held weekly.
The news about an afternoon tea dance will be welcomed by dancers of all ages and especially those who remember the big band days in Sun City Center.
In 1989, the Community Association started sponsoring Sunday afternoon tea dances. They featured live music by SCC’s Big Band, a group comprised mostly of local residents with Kline Lochner as director. After a dozen years or so, the CA stopped the afternoon dances and started sponsoring Saturday evening dances. Those continued until 2003. Dances were sponsored by the Big Band Club under the leadership of Dave Evans and Al Longo. The club was dissolved in 2012, and the dances ceased.
As part of Moonglow’s annual schedule, this dance is free to its 105 members. Visitors will pay $5 per person at the door. Attire is dressy casual and you may BYOB and snacks.
For more information, call 813-633-1297 or 813-633-2755, or e-mail gail3357@gmail.com.
