Dancing in the Dark.....
Sometimes, I need a good dose of elegance. I mean old fashioned, silk dress and high heels elegance. Men in suits and laced shoes kind of swankiness.
Navigating the city these days, I feel bombarded by a lack of taste in attire. Young men in jeans so low that they have to shuffle down the street, while passers by are subjected to their silly plaid boxer shorts. And then there are women wearing way too short shorts leaving nothing whatsoever to the imagination. As the song in the musical Chicago goes, "What ever happened to class?"
The good news is I've found a place to satisfy these longings.
Class lives at the Edison Ballroom two times a month, when the newly renovated event space offers an evening of big band music, Latin rhythms, a decent four course menu, cocktails and gratuities included for $125 per person. There is a late night menu (after 10 PM) which includes cocktails and hors d'oeuvres for $45 per person. What a great way to relive the incredible elegance of days gone by.
Joe Battaglia and his 15 piece big band plays all the beautiful ballads and swing music of the fabulous 30's 40's and 50's (and sometimes even throws in a big band version of the Hustle!)
Couples enter dressed to the nines and proceed to dance around the ballroom with abandon. The night we were there, an older woman and her younger male escort thoroughly entertained us as they danced the night away. Obviously professional dancers, she a former Rockette (now in her 70's with the legs still to prove it!) and her dancing partner in his 40's, who wore spats and a zoot suit and smiled as he jitterbugged with his lady friend to perfection.
The Edison Ballroom is a marvel of art deco design, created with lush blue and silver accents. It's main use is as a private space for weddings, corporate functions and charitable affairs. But twice a month, you get a chance to enjoy all of the splendor of the place with music that is beyond compare. What an incredible treat!
The Edison Ballroom is located on West 47th Street. www.edisonballroom.com
Coming up: On Monday, August 23rd, I will be performing in a special one night only appearance in the off-Broadway hit, Naked in a Fishbowl at the Soho Playhouse. It's a unique experience because this play is improvisational. Each unique performance (no two are over the same) is taped and edited into webisodes posted on the Naked in a Fishbowl site every week. For details go to www.nakedinafishbowl.com
PS...I am neither naked, nor in a fishbowl...
Till next week, my friends!
Valerie Smaldone
Media Personality, Actress, Producer, Writer
Valerie Smaldone, a 5 time Billboard Magazine Award winner, is perhaps best known for her unprecedented success holding the #1 position in the New York radio market as the midday host of New York’s 106.7 FM. She ended her on air run with the station at the end of 2007. In addition, she was the co-creator, writer, producer and host of 'Spotlight On,' a nationally syndicated program that featured in-depth interviews with top recording artists such as Paul McCartney, Elton John, Sting and Celine Dion, to name a few.
Presently, Valerie can be heard on NBC Network News promos and specialty shows and as the announcer for The Boomer Esiason Show on MSG. She writes a weekly nightlife column for TheThreeTomatoes.com, writes a theater column for Examiner.com, and has an interview program on the Italian American Network. She is an interviewer and feature reporter on Broadway for TonyAwards.com and hosts and produces celebrity portrait unveilings for Broadway stars at famed theater district eatery, Tony’s.
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