Lincoln Center Kicks Off MIDSUMMER NIGHT SWING Tonight

Lincoln Center's Midsummer Night Swing - This summer marks the 25th Anniversary season of Midsummer Night Swing. Midsummer Night Swing takes place Tuesdays through Saturdays, today, June 25-July 13, on the elevated dance floor in Damrosch Park on West 62nd Street, between Columbus and Amsterdam Avenues.

The Swing box office is located in the lobby of Avery Fisher Hall, Broadway and 65th Street. Tickets for individual events and passes may 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 may also be purchased through CenterCharge, 212-721-6500, or by logging on to www.MidsummerNightSwing.org. Twitter users can sign up to followMidsummer Night Swing @LCSwing for ongoing news and updates.

Week One kicks off with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, which is also celebrating its 25th Anniversary this year, and they will play big band classics by Duke Ellington and others, ideal for swinging the night away. June 26 is a night of sensuous tango, old and new, withLeonardo Suarez Paz's Cuartetango Meets Cristian Zárate. Red hot boogie woogie takes over on June 27 with Mitch Woods & His Rocket 88s, and on June 28 the legendary Spanish Harlem Orchestra will get the salsa dancers out on the floor. Week One closes with an iconic performer from the world of calypso - Calypso Rose - who is making a stop on her world tour to bring the island sounds of summer to Midsummer Night Swing.

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.

The schedule for WEEK ONE of Midsummer Night Swing:

Tuesday, June 25

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis Big Band Swing

Composed of fifteen of the finest jazz soloists and ensemble players working today, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra has been the resident orchestra at Jazz at Lincoln Center since 1988. It performs in concert halls, jazz clubs, dance venues, public parks, with symphony orchestras, with ballet troupes, and with an ever-expanding roster of guest artists across the US and around the globe. It has released 14 recordings under the lead of Music Director, trumpeter, and composer Wynton Marsalis, winner of nine Grammy Awards. The orchestra's vast repertoire includes historic compositions and arrangements by Duke Ellington (the focus of June 25th's performance), Count Basie, Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Goodman, Charles Mingus, Chick Corea, and many others, as well as Lincoln Center-commissioned works by Benny Carter, Wayne Shorter, Chico O'Farrill, Marcus Roberts, and others, including Wynton Marsalis. The evening's special guests include legendary musician and dancer Dawn Hampton, who will dj a set of music to kick off the season, and the "Queen of Swing," Norma Miller, who will show off her original, 1940s Savoy Ballroom dancing style.

Lesson: Adam Brozowski teaches Jazz and Lindy Hop, with special guest Norma Miller

DJ: Dawn Hampton

Wednesday, June 26

Leonardo Suarez Paz's Cuartetango Meets Cristian Zárate Tango

Leonardo Suarez Paz, the internationally acclaimed fourth-generation tango artist and porteño, directs the Cuartetango Music & Dance Company, sharing his unparalleled experience in the genre as a virtuoso violinist, vocalist, dancer and composer. From the Buenos Aires Tango Festival to the Washington Park Music Festival, this dynamic ensemble stays true to the authenticity, power, and the uniquely urban "swing" that's characteristic of tango, showing it to be a sophisticated, moving, and daring genre. For the first time in 15 years, since they collaborated on the show Tango Argentino on Broadway, acclaimed Buenos Aires-based Cristian Zárate will join Paz for a night of both their original works and beloved music from the 1940s and 50s golden age of tango, elevated with the contemporary harmonies and rhythms of nuevo tango.

Lesson: Jorge Torres teaches Tango

DJ: Ko Tanaka

Thursday, June 27

Mitch Woods & His Rocket 88s Boogie Woogie, Jump Blues

Taking their inspiration from the jump n' boogie bands of the late 1940s and early 50s, Mitch Woods & His Rocket 88s breathe fresh life into the music that gave birth to rock n' roll. For more than 20 years they have been the torchbearers of a great American blues heritage, playing the music first made popular by the bands of Louis Jordan, Wyonie Harris, and Amos Milburn. With a big dose of pile-driving piano and New Orleans' R&B, powered by Amadee Castenell's saxophone, Mitch Woods & His Rocket 88s have created their own brand of music they call "rock-a-boogie."

Lesson: Swingin' with Simone reaches Lindy Hop

DJ: Meredith Ochs

Friday, June 28

Spanish Harlem Orchestra Salsa Dura

Putting a contemporary spin on the Latin jazz big band music of the Palladium Ballroom as well as the classic Fania era, Oscar Hernandez and the Grammy-winning Spanish Harlem Orchestra brings its incendiary brand of salsa to Damrosch Park with hard-hitting dance floor blazers. This 13-piece band tours worldwide and has recorded four CDs, including its most recent,Vive El Tradicion.

Lesson: Carlos König teaches Salsa

DJ: Ron McGugins

Saturday, June 29

Calypso Rose Calypso, Soca

The first woman to win the crown of Calypso Monarch (the yearly competition originally called Calypso King until Calypso Rose took the title), Tobago-born Calypso Rose has been the reigning "Queen of Calypso" for more than 50 years. In 1966 she wrote "Fire in Meh Wire," which was translated into eight languages and became one of the international anthems of the genre. Her energy and charisma has led her to share a stage with some of the biggest stars in music, including Miriam Makeba, Tito Puente, Michael Jackson, Bob Marley, and many others. A documentary of her life - Calypso Rose the Lioness of the Jungle - was broadcast on PBS throughout 2012 and has re-invigorated the career of this musical legend.

Lesson: Royelle Mckenzie teaches Calypso and Soca

DJ: Back to Basics

Presented in association with the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute.

Midsummer Night Swing 2013 is sponsored by Macy's

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (LCPA) serves three primary roles: presenter of artistic programming, national leader in arts and education and community relations, and manager of the Lincoln Center campus. A presenter of more than 3,000 free and ticketed events, performances, tours, and educational activities annually, LCPA offers 15 series, festivals, and programs including American Songbook, Avery Fisher Artist Program, Great Performers, Lincoln Center Books, Lincoln Center Dialogue, Lincoln Center Festival, Lincoln Center Out of Doors, Lincoln Center Vera List Art Project, Midsummer Night Swing,Martin E. Segal Awards, Meet the Artist, Mostly Mozart Festival, Target Free Thursdays, and the White Light Festival, as well as the Emmy Award-winning Live From Lincoln Center, which airs nationally on PBS. As manager of the Lincoln Center campus, LCPA provides support and services for the Lincoln Center complex and the 11 resident organizations. In addition, LCPA led a $1.2 billion campus renovation, completed in October 2012.

Lincoln Center is committed to providing and improving accessibility for people with disabilities. Braille and large-type programs are available for selected Lincoln Center concerts. Wheelchair seating and assisted hearing devices are available at all concert halls and theaters. For further information or to receive a Lincoln Center accessibility guide, call 212-875-5375.

Programs and artists subject to change.

Photo Credit: Clay Patrick McBride