By LESLIE COLLINS
Northeast News
July 8, 2013

The art of swing is coming back to Kansas City.

For the first time, the Lindy Hop Dancers of KC and Kansas City’s VINE STREET RUMBLE Jazz Orchestra are partnering together to recreate the iconic flare of Kansas City’s jazz and swing scene of the 1930s and 1940s.

For one night, attendees can step back in time through “Kansas City Stomp” and get a taste of Kansas City’s hoppin’ jazz scene.

The event will be held from 7:30 p.m. to midnight Saturday, July 13, at the Kansas City Masonic Temple, 903 Harrison St., Kansas City, Mo.

“This event is a love letter to Kansas City Jazz of the ’30s and ’40s,” said Neil Figuracion, Lindy Hop dancer and one of the event’s organizers. “The band really cooks and we felt the need to share them with the world at large.”

For 16 years, Figuracion has been perfecting his Lindy Hop skills and called the dance one of the first uniquely American-born dances. Some of the other event organizers have been dancing Lindy Hop for just over a year to eight years, he said.

“It’s going to be a fun night of music and dancing,” he said.

Guests can take advantage of the Lindy Hop lesson, complements of local experts, which will begin shortly after 7:30 p.m. In addition to swing dancing across the floor, attendees can also watch the Lindy Hop dance contest, “KC Stampede!” which will be judged by Lindy Hop dancers from neighboring communities. Even if you don’t like to dance, you can sit back and enjoy the sounds of Kansas City’s VINE STREET RUMBLE Jazz Orchestra.

According to its website, Kansas City’s VINE STREET RUMBLE Jazz Orchestra was created to honor the legacy of the ‘golden era’ and Kansas City’s jazz history.

“The band exclusively performs the same outrageously exciting music that made Kansas City THE place to be in the ’30s and ’40s, dedicated to taking the audience back to the wildly famous ‘jam sessions’ and concert performances that literally changed the jazz world and influenced musicians from coast to coast and beyond,” the band’s website states.

Attendees are encouraged to wear nice attire and swing era vintage is definitely welcome.

“We’d like our audience to come away with a new-found appreciation of Kansas City Jazz,” Figuracion said. “If someone walks away with an understanding of this city and its role in the big band era, it will be mission accomplished!”

For ticket pricing and more information, visit www.kansascitystomp.com. Tickets may be purchased at the door or online.