Tea Dance at Glen Echo
Sunday, October 8, 2006
Dancing lesson: 3:00 – 3:30 PM
Dancing: 3:30 – 6:00 PM
Fashion presentation: TBD
Glen Echo Park Spanish Ballroom
7300 MacArthur Boulevard, Glen Echo, Maryland
Members and Nonmembers: $8.00
Transport yourself to another era for this afternoon of dancing and fashion. On Sunday, October 8, the Art Deco Society joins award-winning swing dance instructors Marc Shepanek and Ellen Engle for a tea dance featuring the LaSalle Dance Orchestra. Enjoy music of the Roarin' Twenties and Sophisticated Thirties ...a little swing, some foxtrot, waltz, and tango. The wonderful Lynn "Luscious" McCune will be singing with the orchestra this Sunday.
In conjunction with the dance, improve your vintage fashion flair with a special presentation by ADSW fashion show chair Chrissy Hall Reis and friends.
History of the Tea Dance
The tea dance originated in the 1880s in America and England as an added attraction of the afternoon tea held at hotel tea gardens. It was, reportedly, an opportunity for ladies and gentlemen to mix more freely. The afternoon dance grew in popularity during the 1920s and '30s.
What to Wear?
Vintage, vintage-look or modern attire. In the 1920s and ‘30s, ladies would wear a lovely afternoon frock. Gentlemen would wear a long sleeved dress shirt with bow tie or ascot, classic slacks, a single or double-breasted sports jacket (or suit), and lace up oxfords.
The Art Deco Society of California offers guidance on what to wear to the ADSC’s annual afternoon "Gatsby" picnic in September. Their suggestions describe appropriate tea time attire.Tea Dance Photos
- Ladies exiting a tea dance, 1939
- 1925 tea dance
- 1940s-styled tea dance in 2004 at Wuppertal-Elberfeld, Germany
- ADSC Gatsby picnic, 2003
About the Spanish Ballroom
The structure, built on the site of the earlier dance pavilion, was of Spanish mission-type architecture and contained 7,500 square feet of dance area. The entire building (concrete, stucco, and steel construction) was 90 by 145 feet and was designed to accommodate 1,800 dancers. This beautifully restored 1933 Mediterranean style Art Deco building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is one of the best dance halls on the east coast. Source: National Park Service
For More Information
For more information, call ADSW at 202-298-1100 or contact ADSW by email.
Comments
Created July 23, 2006; Modified Sunday, January 28, 2007.