Madison Vintage Dance and Social Club to Hold Annual Armistice Ball

The Metropolitan Vintage Dance & Social Club will hold its 7th Annual Armistice Ball, a 1918-style ragtime soiree, on Saturday, Nov. 8, from 8 to 11 p.m. at the Madison Community House at 25 Cook Ave. in Madison.

The Metropolitan Club Orchestra will provide hot dance tunes of the early 20th century. A workshop in dances of the era will be held at the Madison Community House from 2 to 4 that day. Ball tickets are $35 per person in advance or $40 at the door ($15 in advance/$20 at the door with a student ID). Tickets may be purchased online here.

This year, the Met Club is also sponsoring a Sunday morning tea brunch at the Cosy Cupboard Tea Room in Convent Station. The cost is $35, and reservations should be made directly with the Cosy Cupboard at 973-998-6676.

The Metropolitan Club Orchestra recreates the popular music of the early twentieth century, with tunes dating from c.1906 to c.1926. The band includes renowned musicians Dan Levinson, reeds; Randy Sandke, trumpet; Jim Fryer, trombone; Jesse Gelber, piano; Matt Tolentino, tuba; Mike Kuehn, banjo; and Sue Fischer, drums.

At the Saturday afternoon workshop, novices can master the basics of period dances including the one-step, foxtrot, tango, blues, and waltz. It will be led by instructors Jan and Al Seabra of Raritan, who teach vintage dance in Bridgewater, NJ. The workshop is included in the ticket price.

A ceremony at intermission will honor active and retired military personnel in attendance. Attire of the 19-teens or ‘20s, military uniforms, or appropriate modern dress is requested.

All profits benefit the Thursday Morning Club of Madison. The Thursday Morning Club is a social and philanthropic organization which owns and operates the Madison Community House, the Community House Nursery School, and the Before and After School Care program.

Since its inception the club has provided support for community programs as well as a meeting place for Madison’s sports, recreational, and civic groups. Click here to learn more.

About the Metropolitan Vintage Dance & Social Club
The Metropolitan Vintage Dance & Social Club is a private organization dedicated to keeping alive the social customs, dances, and other pastimes of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Members dance and do living history demonstrations in the styles of the 1860s through 1920s at events throughout the mid-Atlantic region. Its members are primarily from New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

Pictured in the corresponding image: dancers enjoy a foxtrot at the 2013 Armistice Ball. This year’s Ball is November 8. Photo by Metropolitan Vintage Dance & Social Club

Information and photo courtesy Karen Ann Kurlander