Rhythms of Dancing

With a rhythmic concert program “The Shoreline’s Own” Shoreline Chorale will present “Rhythms of Dancing” at 4pm Sunday, April 27 at the Westbrook High School.

Choral selections emphasize the rhythmic qualities of numerous dance styles, including German waltz, Hungarian, Latin (tango, Cachucha), African (Nigerian, Shona), and American (folk, Shaker) styles. Some rhythms move in smooth cadence, some step intricately, while others drive boisterously.

The Chorale’s lively Shoreliners Quintet will perform "Soft Shoe Song” (The Dance My Darlin' Used to Do), composed by Sid Bass with lyrics by Roy Jordan, in a rendition arranged for this concert by chorale and quintet member Charles Houlihan. With its very smooth and leisurely cadence, the soft shoe style was made famous by Fred Astaire, George M. Cohan and Pat Rooney, and has withstood the test of time. This number is sure to bring memories of that era of American music and dance.
And what would dance music be without dancing? Performance teams from the Westbrook Dance Academy will demonstrate their award winning routines, as groups and pairs will perform the lyrical “Pianoman,” the ballet “Adagio,” and the contemporary “Haunting.”

Ballroom dance champions Barbara Malinsky and husband Richard, will perform a tango during the choral selection called “Tango to Evora.” The Malinskys are Madison residents and Barbara also sings in the Chorale. As nationally ranked US amateurs they won first place in all single dances in the 1997 United States National Championships in Delaware, and ranked as third place champions in the Championship Division in the 2000 National Championships in Providence, Rhode Island. The Malinskys have been dancing together for 25 years, and have won numerous first place awards in regional competitions on the East Coast.

Instrumentally, clarinetist Russ Becker and accompanist Joyce Baxter and will perform a tango duet by Astore Piazzola. Piazzolla created the ‘new tango’ style, called the Argentine Tango, and was recognized by American music critic Stephen Holden as “the world’s foremost composer of tango music".

After deciding to perform a concert of rhythmic dance music, the Chorale needed to distinguish that this is a choral concert, rather than a dancing event. So the title “Rhythms of Dancing” was selected to emphasize the musical aspect of the theme. A silhouetted couple dancing tango was also selected to represent the popular Latin style to be performed in several of the selections on the program.

The chorale’s Music Director Rachael Allen also serves as director of choral music at Westbrook High School, and accompanist Joyce Baxter also serves as Music Director at the Clinton Congregational Church.

The concert will be performed at 4pm Sunday, April 27 at the Westbrook High School, 156 McVeagh Road in Westbrook. Tickets are $15 with children under 12 free. A reception will follow the concert. For more information, call 203-245-2887 or visit www.shorelinechorale.org.