Start your Memorial Day weekend off on the right foot…or the left, as the case may be. Hudson Valley Community Dancers (HVCD) will be hosting the Boilermaker Jazz Band from Pittsburgh, at their fourth Friday dance on May 25 at the Poughkeepsie Tennis Club. The Boilermakers are a group that coordinator Bena Silber says HVCD has been trying to lure to the region for ten years. At last, they’ll be on hand to create a mood described as “ecstatically fun.”
Paul Cosentino leads the band on clarinet and vocals. He’s also the founder who brought the concept together at Carnegie Mellon University back in 1988. The band features female singer Jennie Luvv. The Boilermakers have performed at major festivals, concert halls, ballrooms, colleges and clubs throughout the world, including Lincoln Center in New York City, the Edinburgh International Festival in Scotland and the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC. The band has recorded six critically acclaimed CDs, while receiving rave reviews for its excellent live performances on stages and on radio shows across the country and overseas, including a National Public Radio jazz series.
This fourth Friday dance kicks off with a Beginners’ East Coast Swing Lesson from 8 to 8:30 p.m. The Boilermakers will play from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m., with a special dance performance at 9:30 p.m. Admission is $15 general, $10 for full-time students. Additionally, two Waltz Workshops will be offered earlier in the evening, starting at 6:30 p.m. Admission is $15 for one workshop, $20 for both.
Silber fairly gushes with excitement over HVCD’s good fortune to book this group. “This is an extremely popular band that’s a level above what we usually get. We are an all-volunteer not-for-profit organization, which enables us to bring a band like this to area and charge only $15.” So get off the couch and move both feet this Friday. All ages are welcome; no partner is needed. For more info go to www.hudsonvalleydance.org or call (845) 454-2571. The Poughkeepsie Tennis Club is located at 135 South Hamilton Street in Poughkeepsie.
Join the family! 
