Ballroom Bands Festival

Dance, quickstep and cha-cha the night away at this inaugural ballroom soiree

Dust off those old dancing shoes and brush up on your foxtrot because the first ever Ballroom Bands Festival is jiving up the GrandWest Arena in Cape Town on Saturday, 1 June 2013.

The casino’s massive performance space will be converted into a dance floor big enough for 1500 couples and with five of the Western Cape’s top ballroom bands enlisted for the evening, guests are fully expected to show off their airy waltzes and sexy tangos. The musicians, which include the likes of the Trevarians, the Eginaires, Five Stars, Strand Combo and Cool Sounds, are each going to display their stellar ballroom, jazz and pop repertoires to get feet tapping and arms swinging. Folks who don’t quite feel like shaking a tail feather can view the festivities and enjoy the music from the mezzanine level; plus, there will be a chill area in the Market Hall next to the arena where everyone can rest their weary feet and enjoy some food and refreshments.

Line-up for Ballroom Bands Festival and Band Info

• The Eliginairs
   With roots that reach as far back as the 70s, The Elginairs Dance Band first officially appeared together in 1983 at a wedding, and since, have made the rounds everywhere, from Beaufort West to Lesotho, playing langarm to enthusiastic audiences. The band is regularly booked for social events and festivals, and has expanded their repertoire to include a wide range of music styles. Idols 2005 winner Karin Kortje was a vocalist for the group before her rise to fame.
• Cool Sounds
  The six- piece Cool Sounds Dance Band pride themselves on their perfect tempos in ballroom music styles that include the Viennese waltz, the quickstep, tango, cha-cha, rumba and more. The group was established in February 1996 by Carl Van Rensburg, and their impressive set also includes pop, rock ‘n’ roll and jazz standards.
• The Treverians
  Saxophonist Trevor Spannenberg established The Treverians in 2010 to bring a fresh, fun flavour to ballroom, jazz and pop music. The Kuilsriver septet consists of established musicians with years of experience in the industry under their belts and a special knack for being super entertaining. 
• Strand Combo
  Regarded as one of Cape Town’s most legendary dance bands, the Strand Combo, a six-piece started by a duo of brothers in the 70s, specialises in traditional langarm and ballroom music. They’ve featured regularly at Sun International in Lesotho for the past 20 years, and more than 30 years since their debut, the band still sells out at Western Cape town halls and community centres.
• Five Stars Dance Band
  Winners of the 2003 DSTV/Kyknet Sakkie Langarm Battle of the Bands, the Five Stars Dance Band features top-class musicians who have been playing together even before they were an official group. Officially established in 2003, the band’s Cape langarm, township rock and jazz sounds have featured in several compilation albums

Tickets for Ballroom Bands Festival

Tickets for the Ballroom Bands Festival are available via Computicket.com or at Computicket outlets and cost R150p/p for dancing tickets and R100p/p for seated tickets. Seated tickets are non transferrable; meaning, you can’t move onto the dance floor from the seated area. Dress code is smart casual, and the event starts at 5pm, doors open at 4pm.

---

If solo more modern dancing is your flavour, check out these top dance clubs in Cape Town.

---

Use our events section for an up-to-date overview of happenings in Cape Town. Also don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter, follow us on Twitter, like us on Facebook, join our Google+ circle, connect with us on LinkedIn and check out our Pinterest boards for updates.