PORT ANGELES — Couples, singles and dancers of all levels are invited to enjoy an “Elegant Evening of Waltz,” replete with a live orchestra, this Saturday night.
The dancing will start at 7 p.m. with an hour of professional waltz instruction by well-known teachers Steve Johnson and Carol Hathaway at the Masonic Lodge, 622 S. Lincoln St.
Thus educated, dancers can move to the music of the Port Angeles High School Roughriders Orchestra, which is soon to take flight for Carnegie Hall in New York City.
Tickets to Saturday’s dance are $20 per person in advance or $25 at the door, with proceeds going toward the young musicians’ travel expenses.
Dancers are encouraged to dress up; this event is best suited for people of high school age and above.
Performing Easter
On March 28, 110 Roughriders will leave for New York. They are slated to perform March 31, Easter Sunday, at the storied hall in Manhattan.
Sightseeing and museum-going will be part of the adventure before the musicians and their chaperones return home April 2.
The cost of the Carnegie Hall trip is $2,500 per student, said Michele Haworth, treasurer of the Orchestra Parents United for Students, or OPUS. The teens and their families have been raising money for at least a year and a half.
The Port Angeles High School Orchestra, with director Ron Jones, has made this trip every four years since 1989.
The long journey of fundraising for the 2013 trip included the “Elegant Evening of Waltz’s” debut last May.
“Our first ‘Elegant Evening’ was such a success that we’ve decided to offer one more before our Carnegie Hall performance,” said Jones, noting that “this dance is just in time for Valentine’s Day.”
The Roughriders will not only play the waltzes and other music for ballroom dancing, they also will take the lead on serving light refreshments and checking coats, while the parents’ group will provide some logistical support.
Also during the dance, students and parents will sell $5 tickets for a $1,000 Costco gift card, Haworth said. The drawing will be held at 9 p.m. Saturday.
Advance tickets to the “Elegant Evening of Waltz” are on sale at Port Book and News, 104 E. First St., and at Pacific Mist Books, 121 W. Washington St., Sequim.
For more information or to make a donation toward the Carnegie Hall trip, phone 360-452-5914 or email cpadds@olypen.com.
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Features Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5062, or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.
