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Swing Dancing in the Park

Posted by on Sunday, August 28, 2011 in College Life, General Information, Nashville, Student Life, Traditions.

The Parthenon in Centennial Park

Something is always happening in Nashville.  There are tons of free events to go to, both on and off campus.  This past Saturday, one of my friends invited (dragged) me to Centennial Park, which is right across the street from Vandy, to go swing dancing.  Centennial Park is especially famous for the Parthenon, which houses an art gallery below, but every Saturday night during the summer, they host free music and dancing lessons under a giant pavilion in the middle of the park.  It’s definitely something to check out.

Now, saying that I have two left feet would be generous.  Not falling over while walking is often a struggle for me, so you can imagine how excited I was to go dancing in front of other people.  However, after a brief concert by the large band, there is a free dancing lesson.    Saturday, we learned the Country Waltz, at which I am now basically an expert.  After the half hour lesson, the band kicks back in, and there’s a full evening of Big Band music, dancing and fun.  While I remain a less than stellar dancer, I definitely learned a lot.  My favorite part was when I was not making a fool of myself, but instead watching the other people who were really into the swing dancing and were actually really talented.  Swing dancing in Centennial Park is definitely something I recommend trying out sometime.  It’s free, it’s fun, and if the weather’s beautiful like it was Saturday, you really can’t beat it.

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