Time To Get In The Swing

Swing Peel Dance Festival in line to deliver the ‘wow’ factor.

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[Photo & Article by Community Newspapers]

WHEN Markus Leone saw swing dancing performed for the first time it was love at first sight.

“I saw a demonstration in 1998 and I thought, ‘That’s it! I am going to learn how to do that’.”

Since then his passion has taken him   around the world and led him to start Simply Swing Dance School, with regular classes in Rockingham and Mandurah.   “I’m pretty diehard,” he laughed. “It is such a super fun dance to do. When people watch it they go ‘wow’.” He said the Swing Dance Festival held this Sunday at Peel Estate Winery would be a good chance for people to have a go at the dance he loves.

“At this time of the year, with outdoor dancing, it will be gorgeous,” he said.   “When people come along, they will see a lot of energy in our dancing and the jazz music is wonderful.

“A lot of people will have seen swing dancing on Dancing with the Stars, but when they see it in real life it will be very different again. “Older people know it from the days before the war and most people at the RSL remember   it from when they were teenagers. We like to get dressed up, and really enjoy the era and the retro clothing. We love the dance, so why not the era too?”

The Peel Estate Swing Dance Festival is also for non-dancers, with plenty of shade for people who want to just sit back and enjoy a drop of wine, according to owner Will Nairn.

Music will play out with Adam Hall and   local group The Vibrolators with Peta Lee.

Gates open at 11.30am, on Sunday, March 20, at Peel Estate Wines, 290 Fletcher Road, Karnup and the festival ends at 4.30pm.
Tickets are $20 and are available at the gate. Children under 12 are admitted free of charge.

Visitors can bring a chair, rug and picnic. Food will be available from Mandurah’s Stage Door Restaurant.

Visit  www.peelwine.com.au or  www.simplyswing.com.au.