Ordway's Summer Dance Series

Ordway’s Summer Dance Series is a weekly social dance event offering free dancing and live music in Landmark Plaza (5th and Market Street in downtown Saint Paul) on Thursday nights all summer long.

The Ordway’s Summer Dance Series highlights a different music genre and dance technique every Thursday with basic lessons by professional dance companies and live music by local bands. Past events have included the rhythm of Latin social dancing with Salsa del Soul or spinning your partner around ballroom style. The lessons are fun for all ages and dance ability levels. And after the hour-long dance lesson, the dance floor is open for all to put those moves to practice during open dancing the rest of the evening with a live, local band.

Watch past Summer Dance videos, flip through our photos from various Summer Dance events, and then get ready for the weather to warm up so we can dance in the streets of downtown Saint Paul again!

2012 Ordway Summer Dance Series Lineup

Join us each Thursday starting at 5:30p.m. for Summer Dance. At 6pm, we kick off the dancing with basic lessons by professional dance companies. After the lesson, you are invited to put those moves to practice during open dancing the rest of the evening with a live, local band starting at 7:15p.m.

In case of rain, Summer Dance will be held inside at the Ordway on June 21, June 28, July 12, July 19, July 26 and August 2; at Landmark Center on June 14 and August 9.

June 14 – Reggae/Afro-beat
West African Dance Instruction: Fatawu Sayibu
Band: New Primitives

June 21 – 50’s & 60’s Rock n Roll
50’s & 60’s Rock n Roll Dance Instruction: Arthur Murray
Band: The Whitesidewalls®

June 28 – Cuban Son
Cuban Dance Instruction: Rene Thompson
Band: Malamanya

July 5
No Summer Dance Event due to July 4 holiday

July 12 – Funk
Funk Dance Instruction: Leah Nelson
Band: Dr Mambo’s Combo

July 19 – Ballroom
Ballroom Dance Instruction: Cinema Ballroom
Band: Jerry O’Hagan and his Orchestra

July 26 – Salsa
Salsa Dance Instruction: Manuel & Carmen Rubio
Band: Salsa del Soul

August 2 – Tango/Waltz
Tango/Waltz Dance Instruction: Cinema Ballroom
Band: Café Accordion Orchestra

August 9 – Swing
Swing Dance Instruction: Arthur Murray
Band: Riverside Swing Band

Be sure to ride Nice Ride bikes down to Summer Dance this summer! A bike station will be available near our Summer Dance event. Nice Ride Minnesota is the Twin Cities easy-to-use bike share program that provides a healthy, alternate transportation option. With 146 stations and more than 1,300 bikes, you can use Nice Ride to get to work, to play or to great destinations like the Ordway. To learn more, visit www.niceridemn.org.