It’s Time to Dance It Out!
Four weeks of outdoor dance parties celebrating the rich music and dance communities and cultures of South Jersey and the region
By Marion S. Jacobson
June 12, 2025
The Perkins World Stage series begins with our annual call to the community to come and “Dance It Out.” African dance maven Audrey Davis-Dunning and her drumming partner Victor Marshall will kick off the series with percussive energy. The remaining four concerts feature samba, country and bluegrass, and traditional music of the Andes. With five events scheduled this summer, now might be a good time to clear your calendar every Tuesday from July 1 through July 29.
Each event begins with the evening’s featured dancer striding out onto the lawn, headset mic in place, coaxing the audience to get up from their lawn chairs and try out some moves. Each of these dance leaders is a unique cultural icon at the center of her own thriving dance community. We recently caught up with two of our World Stage dance mavens to learn what inspires them and get some helpful tips for us newbies.
Fernanda Bravo
Dance It Out! Samba Style – July 8
When most people think of samba, they might think of dancers marching in glittery costumes and headdresses, maybe once a year at Carnaval time. But what I learned from you is how samba is a year-round phenomenon, deeply rooted in the everyday lives of regular Brazilians. Did you grow up in that tradition?
Yes! I am a devoted lifelong samba dancer. In Rio where I grew up, samba schools are like soccer teams. Each neighborhood has its own school with its own flag and its own colors. The schools define their own beats and rhythmic characteristics.
Each samba school spends the entire year preparing for Carnaval, choosing a theme, learning their song and choreography, and preparing to compete for cash prizes, hoping to win “Song of the Year.” Each samba school has group of at least 100 drummers. Samba is a community space where people express their style.
What is at the heart of samba?
The essence of samba is the beat of the drum. Samba comes out of the senzalas, the places where the enslaved African people lived. Samba comes from the prayers to their gods and the rhythms of the drum, reconnecting them to the source.
Samba songs performed in Carnaval usually tell a story. It could be about the Portuguese conquest or the history of the people of Brazil. It could be a tribute to a famous composer like [Carlos] Jobim, or to the strength of women. There are also much lighter themes. Carnival is a cultural expression of how the people live and what they grew up with.
Any advice for us samba newbies?
My advice is to listen for the strong beat. Samba is basically just one step, shifting your weight from front to back. Learn the basic step, and then you can add a rhythmic syncopation and do little breaks. And then add arm movements.
We’ll start with a slow tempo and work up to a faster pace. During the musical performance, we’ll gather together again to practice what we learned.
Fernanda Bravo is a singer, percussionist and (sometimes) dancer with Philly Roda, a Brazilian music collective that performs the first Sunday afternoon of each month at the Black Squirrel in Philadelphia.
Debbie Maxwell
Dance It Out! Country Swing Style – July 15
What’s your signature dance genre and where do you teach?
I teach country line dancing most Thursday nights at Prospector’s in Mt Laurel. We have free lessons and open dancing Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Once a month we have Family Day on a Sunday, Sugarfootin’ Sunday. I also teach 3 different levels of beginner line dance classes in a six-week series on Monday nights. I get hired to teach at private events on weekends.
What’s at the heart of country line dancing?
Having fun and moving to the music with fun choreography is the heart of country line dancing. Line dancing includes music from all genres. A line dance to “A Bar Song” by Shaboozy is as popular as a dance to “Shivers” by Ed Sheeran. There are line dances to country, country-pop, pop soul, blues and even hip-hop.
Anyone with any dance background or age can do line dancing, as long as you enjoy music and moving to music. And you don’t need a partner to enjoy the community. Unlike lead-and-follow dances, you’re learning a pattern that you can stylize by yourself.
Advice for newbies?
Be patient with yourself. Learning how to dance is like learning a new language. If you get lost in the sequence, don’t try to catch up, just go to the place in the dance that you remember, stand and wait for the next wall [quarter turn facing an adjacent wall, followed by a repeat of the dance sequence] And don’t leave the floor!
If you love it and it speaks to your soul, take a class. It develops confidence.
Learn more about Prospector’s dance venue and Debbie’s line dancing classes at https://www.prospectorsrestaurant.com/dance-venue.
To complete your summer dance journey, mark your calendars for the final two World Stage events of 2025:
World Stage: Dance It Out! Jazz Style – July 22
Get ready to swing and sway with an evening of jazz! The night begins with a swing dance workshop from 6:30 PM to 7:00 PM, led by the fun and improvisational duo Greg Avakian and Laurie Zimmerman. From 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM, enjoy live jazz from a diverse lineup of critically acclaimed musicians. Suzzette Ortiz’s Latin Jazz Ensemble will deliver original compositions and jazz standards with a vibrant Latin twist, followed by The Midiri Brothers Sextet offering their fresh takes on swing jazz favorites and original works.
World Stage: Dance It Out! Global Orchestra – July 29
Close out the series with The Global Orchestra, a dynamic cross-cultural music collective that blends genres from around the world. Led by Jay Sand and featuring an extraordinary lineup of international musicians from the South Jersey/Philadelphia area, this concert promises vibrant sing-along, dance-along performances for an unforgettable evening.
NJ Folklife at Perkins is a cosponsored project of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.
