The focus of Metro Parks Music is to provide accessible as well as affordable programming to diverse communities. The organization is currently serving several community centers and parks by providing programming in areas that can reach people throughout the Nashville community.
Their free summer series Big Band Dance at Centennial Park, coming up on their 40th anniversary next year, invites the community to dance and listen to swing and jazz ensembles. Their new event Move 2 Music piggybacks off of that aim. Happening this Saturday, November 7, from 2-4 p.m. at Coleman Park Community Center, the dance event for adults will feature dance lessons from Dynamic Ballroom and performing arts dance coach Mark Weber.
”We’re trying to do the same setup where it’s like a live band and a music lesson,” Specialized Skills Instructor Damaris Santos said. “Right now it’s starting up, so we just DJ the music and have the dance teacher come out and teach. But I want it to get to the point where it’s like a little trio quartet or live band, and then you get to learn a little bit of dance and enjoy the vibe of that.”
”Move to Music started as a date night event where it’s a smaller version of a big band,” Specialized Skills Supervisor Dr. Kaylina Crawley said. “People can come and they receive dance lessons, and dance includes salsa, waltz, tango, foxtrot, two-step, rumba, East Coast swing. They can receive the 30-minute dance lesson, and then they get to dance to the music for the rest of the day, and they get little refreshments. Big band you have anywhere from 1,500 to 3,000 people attending, and you kind of get lost in the crowd amongst everything. A lot of people love that, but some people love to have the more individual and intimate atmosphere. That’s why Damaris came up with this.”
”One of the main things I wanted to do was distance for people,” Santos said. “What we had with Big Band Dances, we always have it at one location for the majority of years, and we always got outreach and comments from other communities that want to do a Big Band Dance in their area. We didn’t want take away from the people that come every summer, but we wanted to give back to some people that were asking for it in different areas, and that’s why we’re trying to hit different community centers. But that’s what makes it comfortable, too. It’s down the street from you. Come and walk to or drive down to your community center.”
Santos contines: “We wanted to join in and be a part of those community center and bring that different energy of the music department offering a professional dance teacher to come and teach you, and hopefully at an affordable price. These are your community centers . You come here every week for the fitness center to drop off your kids. It’s an added event if you’re free. Mark is the main guy that we get for our dance teacher for Move to Music, and he’s the main one that teaches at all the Big Band Dances. He’s done events from Big Band where it’s 3,000 a night, where he does personal and groups. He’s good at working the crowd and working with people. He’ll be your dance teacher if you have no one else to dance with.”
Other events Metro Parks Music has coming up a Youth Choir Fall Concert on Friday November 20 at the Z. Alexander Looby Theater and Jam Band Concert on Friday December 4 at the same venue.
Additional events this week start tonight (Nov 4) with two nights with Dwight Yoakam at the Ryman. On Thursday (Nov 5) Deer Tick is at The Basement East and Tyler Ballgame performs at The Blue Room. Also on Thursday Kimaya Diggs is at the 5 Spot and back at the Blue Room on Friday (Nov 6) for lighthearted and Kate Stephenson. On Saturday (Nov 7) Dead Gowns is at DRKMTTR and Julia Jacklin performs at Brooklyn Bowl. At the same venue Sunday (Nov 8) GWAR takes the stage and on Tuesday (Nov 10) you could see Yebba at the Ryman. For more events head over to WNXP.org/events
