Tickets Now Available for Lincoln Center's MIDSUMMER NIGHT SWING

Tickets go on sale today for Lincoln Center's 24th season of Midsummer Night Swing taking place Tuesdays through Saturdays, June 26-July 14. Swing's 15 dazzling nights of dancing, and one free daytime lesson for children, take place at the bandshell and elevated dance floor in Damrosch Park, on West 62nd Street between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues. Midsummer Night Swing offers an array of dance music styles including salsa, swing, tango, rock 'n' roll, and bhangra. Because of the national holiday there will be no Swing on July 4th, so a special Monday night will be added on July 2nd.

The 2012 season of Midsummer Night Swing represents the 19th year of generous support for social dancing at Lincoln Center by Daisy and Paul Soros.

The series opens on June 26 with a look back at the Mad Men era of the fifties and sixties with The Nelson Riddle Orchestra paying tribute to the music of Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. The lush orchestrations, the swelling strings and romantic melodies defined cool in that era and made the dance floor the only place to be. Subsequent nights will bring sizzling salsa, smokin' New Orleans jazz, lively lindy-hopping, torrid tango, and rollicking rock 'n' roll onto the stage and out onto the floor. Another of the many highlights, and new this year, will be a night celebrating the centennial of Luis Gonzaga, the father of baião, the popular dance music from the northeastern region of Brazil.

This is the second year of sponsorship by Macy's. "Macy's Herald Square and Lincoln Center are two of the most popular destinations in New York City for New Yorkers and tourists alike," said Patti Lee, District Vice President of Macy's Herald Square. "We both bring the City together with our exciting and iconic public events whether it is swing dancing underneath the stars or watching our epic fireworks display in the sky." She added, "In New York City, there is no better way to celebrate summer than with Midsummer Night Swing. We are very proud to be a sponsor once again, and plan on celebrating the 2012 Swing season with windows and in-store events."

Midsummer Night Swing 2012 is sponsored by Bank of America and Macy's

Midsummer Night Swing is made possible in part by grants from Daisy and Paul Soros
and Charina Endowment Fund.

Bank of America, a long time partner of Lincoln Center, joins us as a co-sponsor of Midsummer Night Swing. "Bank of America is a major supporter of arts and heritage programs around the world, stimulating cultural understanding and economic growth," said Jeff Barker, New York City Market President, Bank of America. "We are proud to sponsor Midsummer Night Swing, providing the public with access to this unique New York City cultural experience."

Each evening of Midsummer Night Swing is a ticketed event. The night begins with a dance lesson at 6:30 pm for all levels with some of New York's foremost instructors. Lessons are included in the price of admission. Live music and dancing is at 7:30 pm until 10 pm, and dancing continues until 11:30 pm on July 7 and 12 for the Silent Discos.

Tickets and passes are on sale now. Multi-evening Midsummer Night Passes are priced at $80 for six nights, and $160 for the full season. New this year are the Latin Pass for $60 for four nights of Latin dance, and the Swing Pass for $60 for four nights of swing dancing. Tickets for individual evening events are $17.

• The Swing box office is located in the lobby of Avery Fisher Hall, Broadway and 65th Street. Tickets for individual events and passes can be purchased in advance at the Avery Fisher box office or beginning at 5:30 pm on the night of the event at a box office in Damrosch Park. All major credit cards will be accepted. Tickets and passes can also be purchased through CenterCharge, 212-721-6500, or by logging on to www.MidsummerNightSwing.org. Twitter users can sign up to follow Midsummer Night Swing @LCSwing for ongoing news and updates.

Rain Policy Midsummer Night Swing makes every effort to present each event of the season, as long as unpredictable weather allows. Performance cancellations due to inclement weather will not be announced until 8:30 pm on show night. In the case of cancellation, ticket holders are entitled to exchange for another performance or a refund. Pass holders are not entitled to a refund. If a performance has begun and is cancelled after 8:30 pm, exchanges or refunds are not offered.

Silent Discos powered by Silent Frisco On the nights of July 7 and 12, following the regularly-scheduled night of live music and dancing at approximately 10 pm, "silent discos" will take place on the dance floor and around Damrosch Park, continuing until 11:30 pm. At 10 pm, when the sound system is turned off, the dance party keeps going – the DJ broadcasts directly to dancers' headphones, provided by Silent Frisco, until 11:30 pm. Passers-by will see hundreds of people dancing to seemingly no music – a silent disco, in other words. Free with that night's live show ticket, or $5 at the door for Silent Disco only.

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