An evening of fun and frolic awaits local residents Friday. Feb. 8 during an inaugural “Night of Swing” event to be held at St. Agnes Parish Hall in Point Loma from 6 to 10 p.m.
Proceeds from the event will augment the general funds of booster clubs at several Point Loma cluster schools and will be used to fund the needs of each school.
“This is the first time we’ve been able to hold this type of event,” said Dana Middle School director of instrumental music Ruben Flores. “We hold a cluster band concert at the college every year, but that’s for just playing in front of an audience. This will be playing while people are dancing and eating.”
The event will include jazz bands from Dana Middle School, Correia Middle School and Point Loma High School. The “Night of Swing” will also include professional dance instruction and a spaghetti dinner.
“I am excited about the swing night,” said Dana 6th-grader Irish Gedestad. “The parents will get to dance. Even though the parents will be there, I’m not nervous, because it will be good to try something new.”
Gedestad plays the ultra-saxophone, a smaller version of the saxophone.
For many of the band members at Correia and Dana middle schools, the “Night of Swing” will be their first experience playing in front of adults.
“I think it will be fun, and hopefully my parents will dance well,” Gedestad said.
The Dana Middle School band has also played for students at the spring and winter concerts in the school auditorium.
Kyle Gunning, another 6th-grader, said he, too, is excited to play in front of the parents. “I’m definitely excited about it,” Gunning said. “The difference between this and the other concerts is that there will be more people and they will be dancing to our music. Our preparation isn’t much different except we’ll be practicing to play our songs longer than usual.”
Gunning plays the tenor saxophone and has spent the past two years in the Dana Middle School Jazz Band.
Gedestad and Gunning are also part of the Extra Jazz Band, which practices at 8 a.m. before school. There will be about 200 total band members from Correia, Dana and Point Loma High School.
The church is located at the corner of Evergreen Street and Avenida de Portugal. Tickets for the event are $40. For more information, call (619) 225-3897, ext. 1250.