After a three-year hiatus due to COVID, the Standing Room Only Big Band is excited to once again be staging Sunday afternoon ‘tea dances’ in the historic Almonte Old Town Hall. There will be a tea dance on Sunday, February 12th.
What is a ‘tea dance’? Tea dances are afternoon dances that were popular in the 20s, 30s, and 40s, when big bands were king. They were generally held in hotels and, of course, featured a live band. One key part of the concept is that, as implied by “tea”, beverages served are non-alcoholic. Standing Room Only (SRO) launched the popular Almonte tea dances in 2006 – seventeen years ago! They give the band members a regular opportunity to perform the music they love to play in a period atmosphere, while allowing guests a chance to listen and dance to live big band music. Over the years, SRO’s Sunday afternoon Almonte tea dances have become widely known, attracting ballroom and swing dancers from as far away as Brockville and Deep River, as well as from the Ottawa area. The music played naturally includes a lot of swing music, but also enough waltzes and Latin music such as cha chas and tangos to keep the ballroom dancers happy.
The Almonte Old Town Hall is a beautiful classic old building located at 14 Bridge Street in the lovely little town of Almonte, about a 35-minute drive from downtown Ottawa. The dances take place on the top floor of the building, a beautifully preserved venue with a clean and spacious wooden dance floor, natural lighting, and wonderful acoustics.
SRO learned early on that its tea dances can’t compete with the nice weather, when even keen dancers would rather be outside on a Sunday afternoon, or with the holiday season. The tea dances are normally held once a month in November, January, February, and March.
The February 12th tea dance will feature vocalist Saffron Bradbury. Saffron has sung with jazz and pop bands, and in an a capella female quartet. She has sung on cruise ships in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean. She has sung at casinos, weddings, funerals, birthdays, house concerts, and street parties. Her many years of experience and her versatile voice will contribute to an enjoyable Sunday afternoon.
The dance will be held from 1:30 pm to 4 pm. Doors open at 1:00 pm. Admission is $16 per person at the door or $30 per couple, cash only. Reservations are not required. Light refreshments will be available at very reasonable prices. These will include delicious treats and a range of (non-alcoholic) beverages, cash only.
For more information, visit SRO’s website at srobigband.ca, where you can watch video excepts of SRO performing for dances and concerts, or visit SRO’s Facebook page at facebook.com/srobigband. To receive notifications of upcoming tea dances and other public performances, you can ‘like’ SRO’s Facebook page in your Facebook News Feed and/or you can be added to SRO’s email distribution list by sending an email to srobigband@bell.net.
