Dancing With The King Festival To Groove Tupelo This Weekend

This blog entry was guest authored by Charlise Latour, Marketing Director for Harden Enterprises. 

When people think of Elvis Presley, they naturally recall how he changed the face of music. What they may not consider is the fact that his music changed dancing too. With new music and a charismatic performer that demonstrated striking new ways to move, the face of dance was changed forever. Elvis recorded music that is appropriate for swing, ballroom, rhythm, Latin, and even dancing real slow with your sweetie.

The Tupelo Ballroom Dance Club is sponsoring an event that celebrates Elvis’ contributions to both music and dance. The Club has consistently offered a large number of dance education opportunities over its twelve-year history, but this is the first time that an event has something for everyone. The Dancing With The King Festival includes components for dancers, those that love to watch dancing, Elvis fans and rock 'n' roll music lovers. Everything will happen at the Tupelo Middle School April 25 – 27.

For club members and dance enthusiasts, the weekend provides high-level dance education opportunities provided by visiting instructors Jason Barnes and Jim & Jenell Maranto. These professionals have proven their own ability to dance winning countless awards and high-level recognition. They are also award-winning teachers and have the skills necessary to provide judging services for the event’s competitions.

For dancers with a competitive spirit, there are opportunities to compete for dance scholarships. These competitors can choose to dance with their teacher in the Pro-Am division or with another amateur in the Amateur Couple division. Each will receive feedback from the judges on their performance, providing another way for them to benefit from the experience. The top three from each division will receive dance scholarship prizes to help them continue their dance education.

For the community at large, the amateur and professional Dancing With The King Festival competitions provide great opportunities to observe dancers doing what they do best. There is nothing more thrilling than watching dancers leave it all on the dance floor! Since every couple is competing to the Elvis song of their choice, there is sure to be a lot of fun moves to watch. You might even hear an Elvis song you aren’t familiar with as the King of rock 'n' roll recorded 728 songs over his career.

The weekend kicks off on Friday evening with a great dance party from 7 – 11 pm. Everyone has the opportunity to let go of any stress and get ready for a fun weekend. This party will include mixers to help locals and those coming in for the weekend get to know each other. This makes sure that everyone has lots of opportunities to dance. In addition, Jason Barnes will teach a West Coast Swing lesson at 9 pm and the playlist will be exclusively West Coast Swing from that point forward.

Saturday is all about dance education with 12 workshops offered by our illustrious professionals. At 2 pm, attention turns to the amateur competition where couples and groups from this region will show off what they’ve been practicing for the past few months. Spectators are welcome to cheer for their favorites.

Saturday evening is the Dancing With The King Festival gala event. At 7 pm The Bankers Rock 'N' Roll band from Memphis will begin with a set that is all Elvis. At 8 pm, professional competitors from as far away as Arizona will demonstrate their flexibility, rhythm, and strength as they showcase their skills. Everyone will be able to vote for his or her favorite couple. 

The top six professional couples will win cash prizes. There will also be a People’s Choice Award, an award provided by the Mayor’s Youth Council and the Sheriff’s Choice Award. The Best of the Best Amateurs will perform as well. Then dancing will resume, with the Bankers continuing to play great rock 'n' roll favorites. There is even an after party featuring West Coast Swing at The Dance Studio starting at 11 pm.

If you enjoy rock ‘n’ roll music, Elvis, dancing, or watching dancers plan to attend the event. Tickets are on sale at Busylad, Keep It Casual, and SprintPrint, or by phone at 662-213-0504.

The club would also like to thank the community for its support. Many people have contributed to making this event a success. Special thanks goes to The Create Foundation, The Elaine Dundy and Roy Turner Endowment for the Arts, Tupelo Convention and Visitors Bureau, Robin Haire, Fusion Hospitality, Sheriff Jim H. Johnson of Lee County, Mayor Jason Shelton, and Phillips Daybrite.

Full schedule of events for the festival. Click to enlarge. 

For more information, visit the official website here: http://dancingwiththeking.com

Charlise Latour is a transpersonal psychologist with a flair for marketing. Her passion is dancing and she is an active board member for the Tupelo Ballroom Dance Club. In this position, she has the privilege of promoting Tupelo and dancing at the same time.