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07/13/2018
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The West Kortright Centre's Gala Dance Under the Stars

The West Kortright Centre's Gala Dance Under the Stars EAST MEREDITH For each of the last 29 years, the West Kortright Centre in East Meredith has presented one of the world's great dance bands outdoors on a summer's night. This year's Gala Dance Under the Stars will take place on Saturday, July 21, featuring Ginkgoa, a French/American "dectroHSwing" band. Girikgoa's vintage swinginfused electronic music blends influences, languages, eras, and styles to create irresistibly danceable songs. Singer Nicolle Rochelle comes from New York; composer, guitarist, and producer Antoine Chatenet hails from Paris. After four years of touring Europe with late theater director Jerome Savary, Nicolle stumbled upon Antoine's productions on the internet. The moment she heard his songs, she recognized herself within the sound and fell in love with his musical style. That very same evening, they met by pure chance in a Parisian jazz club, and Ginkgoa was born. The pair instantly decided to embark on a journey of making French songs with an American vibe, and American songs with a French touch?in which time periods would cross and inspirations would collide. They are frequently described as a modern version of the electroswing heavyweights Caravan Palace & Parov Stelar. The band's energetic live shows have the ability to make any audience dance to their jazzy riffs from the 50's mixed with electronic beats. For this event, Nicolle and Antoine are joined by drummer Gregory D'Addario, bassist Anne-Colombe Martin, and clarinetist/ keyboardist Corentin Giniaux. Ginkgoa was officially discovered in 2012 at the well-known French festival Les Francofolies, where they won the prize for Favorite Group. 2015 was the group's real breakttirough, with a soldout tour of China, appearances at the renowned Montreux Jazz Festival, the Montreal International Festival, and at Bastille Day in New York City. Ginkgoa was chosen to appear at the NYC 2016 globalFEST and has since been building an impressive international career with a tour of over 300 dates around the U.S., Canada, China, France, Eastern Europe, U.K, and Italy, picking up numerous awards along the way. A tamale picnic dinner fundraiser will be served from 7-8PM. Picnic dinners are $16 and must be preordered. (Vegetarian options are available.) Music starts at 8PM. Dinner and dance will take place rain or shine (under a large tent). Bring your own lawn seating. The 2018 Gala Dance Under the Stars is sponsored by FrieslandCampina Domo. Tickets are $25 ($28 day of); WKC Member $22 ($25); $11 Under 19. Tickets are available online until 8pm on Friday, July 20, and on-site at the ticket booth, starting at 6:30PM on Saturday. The West Kortright Centre is located midway between Oneonta, Delhi, and Stamford. Follow signs from state Route 23 in Davenport Center or state Route 10 east of Delhi For advance tickets and exact travel directions, visit www.westkc. org or call (607) 278-5454.