Jersey City homes used to be filled with the sounds of Italian-American performers like Louis Prima and Dean Martin, according to lifelong Jersey City resident Diane Dragone, executive director of The Kennedy Dancers in Jersey City. Now, she and her company are bringing back the sweet sounds of swing music with the annual “Spring Dance Performance Series,” which features an Italian-American themed piece among its four original compositions.
“I used a lot of music from Italian-American performers in the show,” Dragone said last week. “Music that I remembered hearing at home growing up.”
According to Dragone, the old-time musicians just had that special something. “[Prima] took standard songs and would swing them,” she said. “He just had that flare.”
Dragnoe said that although the music is dated, when combined with modern choreography, the piece connects with a contemporary crowd.
“The kids all train here, and are mostly from inner city groups.” – Diane Dragone
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Kids involved
Featuring the Kennedy Dancers Professional Repertory Company, a troupe of eight paid professional dancers, the performance also highlights Hudson County talents. These include the Inner City Youth Jr. Company made up of 12 teenage dancers between the ages of 11 and 19.
“The kids all train here, and are mostly from inner city groups,” Dragone said.
In fact, the company has given inner city kids an artistic outlet through dance since first opening 34 years ago in 1976, and has even instructed troubled youths from the Hudson County Juvenile Detention Center in Secaucus.
“They learn the repertoire as part of a scholarship and a commitment to dance,” Dragone said.
Although the annual performance is usually held at the Baryshnikov Arts Center in Manhattan, this year’s show will be at the St. Joseph’s School for the Blind, 761 Summit Ave. in Jersey City, and features four pieces.
“Some modern dance can be exhausting and you need a libretto just to watch,” she said. “But this performance is a slower pace so the audience can stay involved. It’s really a lot of fun.”
Cats and birds
One of the four original pieces being performed at the concert, “La Dolce Vita,” features music from Italian American performers like the aforementioned Louis Prima.
But not all of the pieces have ethnic themes.
“Meadowlands Serenade” is a piece commissioned by the Meadowlands Hackensack Commission about migratory birds in the region. It features music by famous Brazilian composer Antonio Carlos Jobim.
“It uses a lot of samba, and other Brazilian forms, because a lot of the birds migrate all the way from South America,” she said.
Another piece, “My Obsession With Cats,” documents Dragone’s love of animals and especially felines. “I’m always dancing with my cats,” she said.
Community classes
Holding upwards of 30 dance classes a week, the company is also a community dance school that holds professional dance lessons. The revenue from dance classes finance the company, which doesn’t have to rely on government subsidies, Dragone said.
“Giving dance classes is the way dance companies can stay afloat with out depending on grants,” she said.
Although, Dragone and company offer classes in almost every style of dance, a relatively new and trendy style called zumba is a favorite. Combining world rhythms like salsa, meringue, African, and cumbia, the high-energy style is as much a workout as it is a dance. According to the company’s website, the music “leads you to each rhythm and becomes a super weight loss program that isn’t measured by how well you dance but by how much you move your body.”
A New Jersey-certified zumba instructor since February, Dragone said the classes are well worth the commitment. “It really burns a lot of calories,” she said. “It came from South America maybe two or three years, and has really caught hold. People absolutely love it.”
Tickets for the event are $20 for adults, $15 for students with a valid I.D. The performances will be held May 7 and 8 at 7:30 p.m. For more information, visit: kennedydancers.org.
Sean Allocca can be reached at editorial@hudsonreporter.com