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It’s been 25 years since Paul King and Walter Jaffe founded White Bird. Now, the beloved dance company is getting ready to celebrate its anniversary in smashing style, premiering the swing-dancing extravaganza Sw!ng Out at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall on Wednesday, Sept. 28.
Sw!ng Out will be feature the work of choreographer Caleb Teicher and live music performed by the Eyal Vilner Big Band (which will play rearranged versions of classics like “Downhill,” “The Rabbit” and “The Jam”).
“Caleb Teicher and their collaborators want the audience to experience a high powered, thrilling swing dance program, which incites them to ponder trust, gender, history, intimacy and partnership,” White Bird stated in a press release.
Sw!ng Out promises to be one of White Bird’s most innovative productions. While much of the performance will be planned out, both the dancers and the musicians will be incorporating improvisation, which White Bird says will give “audiences a rare opportunity to appreciate the athletic and exciting dance in real time and share in the exhilaration of creation.”
The show will run for 130 minutes and feature one intermission. Additionally, for half an hour, audience participation will be encouraged, with people watching the performance being allowed to dance onstage and in the aisles (and yes, White Bird has offered assurances that dance experience will be necessary).
Tickets start at $32 and are available at whitebird.org.