Cultural Party:
Let’s Swing
Price
HKD 200
Cultural Party:
Let’s Swing
This programme is for participants ages 16 or above.
Please wear comfortable clothing and shoes. The dress code of the event is white and/or magenta.
Due to the dance type and programme nature, please note that your dance partners are not fixed.
The programme ticket will include same-day access to all galleries (including Special Exhibition). Please retain a copy of your registration to facilitate your entry to the galleries.
Join the party, swing to the jazz rhythm, and get to know new people through swing dance!
In 1980s, with the help of Song Huai-Kuei, also known as Madame Song, the first overseas branch of Maxim’s de Paris was established in Beijing. The restaurant became the place to be for both international and Chinese artists, actors, singers, and models to ‘party’, where a small dance floor was reserved for people to dance with live music. As people from all walks of life came together to party, there was also an exchange of arts and cultures between China and the rest of the world.
Dance group Swing Pocket will guide you step-by-step into experiencing the power of ‘partying’ in Maxim’s. In the programme, you will first join a guided walkthrough of the Special Exhibition Madame Song: Pioneering Art and Fashion in China to learn how new connections between people were fostered through dancing in Maxim’s. With those thoughts in mind, you will then learn the basic steps of Swing Dance as a type of social dance and build connections with different partners. Dance to express yourself and experience the joy of meeting new friends through live jazz and swing dance.
The programme is designed to cater to both beginners and experienced dancers. The arrangement of the programme differs according to the ability, please choose according to your personal needs:
- Beginners: Guided Tour, Swing Taster, Swing Party
- Experienced Dancers: Guided Tour, Swing Party
Cultural Party: Let's Swing. Photo: Courtesy of Swing Pocket
Cultural Party: Let's Swing. Photo: Rambo Lam
Cultural Party: Let's Swing. Photo: Rambo Lam
Installation view of Madame Song: Pioneering Art and Fashion in China, 2023. Photo: Dan Leung, M+, Hong Kong
Song Huai-Kuei in a Pierre Cardin evening dress at Maxim’s Beijing, mid-1980s. Photo: © Yonfan
Cultural Party: Let's Swing. Photo: Courtesy of Swing Pocket
Cultural Party: Let's Swing. Photo: Rambo Lam
Cultural Party: Let's Swing. Photo: Rambo Lam
Installation view of Madame Song: Pioneering Art and Fashion in China, 2023. Photo: Dan Leung, M+, Hong Kong
Song Huai-Kuei in a Pierre Cardin evening dress at Maxim’s Beijing, mid-1980s. Photo: © Yonfan
About the Instructor
Established in 2021, Swing Pocket is a swing dance group that carries the legacy of the social dance art form originated from the African American community in New York. The group aspires to promote the dance’s party culture and social value, as well as its celebrative spirit of individuality and self-expression through collaborations across art and business disciplines.
Related Exhibition
Image at top: Cultural Party: Let's Swing. Photo: Rambo Lam