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Dancers from Lincoln and across
central Illinois gathered at the Lincoln Park District (LPD) on
Saturday, April 26, for a fun evening of dancing at Adult Prom. Jon
Young of Young Dance, Inc. organized and deejayed the dance in the
recently renovated ballroom of the LPD Recreation Center. Adult Prom
was a fundraiser for the LPD Foundation. The mission of the LPD
Foundation is to “enable future development and support of projects
and events that help preserve, restore and manage our natural and
recreational opportunities.” Part of the LPD Foundation donations
also support the Youth Scholarship Fund which “assists children who
demonstrate financial need to be able to participate in Lincoln Park
District programs.”
Beginner lessons in Waltz, Foxtrot, and Nightclub were available
during the afternoon and the dance began at 7:00 p.m. Young taught
the lessons and curated a prom playlist featuring songs suitable for
dancing East Coast Swing, Nightclub, Hustle, and West Coast Swing,
as well as plenty of club songs and slow dances and some popular
line dances just like a regular high school prom.
Ladies took advantage of the opportunity to to wear their formal
gowns and flowy dresses, and many gentlemen distinguished themselves
in tuxedos, suits, and ties. The ballroom was elegantly decorated in
black and gold with festive lighting. Two backdrops for creating
photos to make the memories last added a special touch. A generous
refreshment table kept energy high with fruit and vegetable trays,
cheese and crackers, a variety of cookies, and other tempting snack
foods.
Couples and singles attended Adult Prom from Lincoln, Springfield,
Bloomington-Normal, Peoria, and as far away as Galesburg. Young has
taught lessons and hosted charity dances in the ballroom at the Rec
previously, most recently in late December, which raised money for
the Land of Lincoln Honor Flights, and on April 12 in which he
hosted professional dancer and dance instructor, Laynee Day, for an
afternoon of swing dance lessons followed by a social dance.
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Young will be
providing additional opportunities for Lincoln to try out social
dancing. Beginning May 1, Young will offer beginner Waltz
lessons on Thursday nights for the month of May at the LPD. On
May 31, he will host lessons with a professional dance team
during the afternoon and sponsor a social dance in the evening,
also in the ballroom at the LPD. Future charity dances in
Lincoln include a Broadway-themed dance on September 28 as a
fundraiser for Lincoln Community Theatre. For more information
about dances and lessons in central Illinois, visit
www.youngdanceinc.com.
For more information about the Lincoln Park District Foundation
and upcoming park district events, visit
www.lincolnparkdistrict.com.
[Stephanie Hall]
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