Swing! Swing! Swing!

Swing music – we know it when we hear it. Our feet tap, our hips shake and our fingers snap to the syncopated beat.

A mix of West African and West European rhythms, the energetic vibe will be on full throttle as the Edmonton Pops Orchestra finishes its inaugural season with swing music’s timeless allure.

Playing at the Pleasantview Community Hall on May 26 and 27, the Spring Swing concert and dance promises to have that enchanting, romantic feel that captured the imagination of the original swing generation.

But with a twist, says music director Michael Clark.

“We write all of our own music. We write original arrangements based on what we hear,” said Clark who champions both the infectious sound and the joy of movement it creates.

Much of the credit goes to the in-house arrangers that include St. Albert pianist Keat Machtemes, Goeff Li, Laurel Sadownik, Peter Clark and Teran Plamondon.

Led by Clark, Edmonton Pops is the brainchild of 20 university and college graduates who present a fresh take on popular music.

Abstaining from the stuffier orchestral sound of a symphony, this vibrant collective switches easily from classical and jazz to Broadway tunes, film scores and radio hits.

“We play what we like to hear and we want to hear a variety of music,” notes Clarke. He adds that the non-profit pops orchestra, because of its structure, is more flexible than a symphony.

“A symphony is contractually obligated to have the same musicians and it’s always the same orchestral sound. But we have more flexibility to do different things. For instance, Spring Swing is planned at a community hall the way it would have been back in the ’30s.”

The program kicks off with four pairs of dance graduates whirling and twirling in an exhibition dance before they step into the audience and invite people onto the floor.

And in another nod to the big dance band scene, Clark has invited three vocalists with a blend of wholesome girl-next-door and nightclub sophistication to recreate the heartthrob ballads of the era. They include Kaeley Wiebe, Monica Roberts and Nevada Collins-Lee.

The set list is full of gold standards such as Cheek to Cheek, Shall We Dance and I’m in Heaven. But it’s the vocalists’ actions accompanying the songs that will keep the audience entranced and on some occasions in stitches.

At the cabaret style evening, patrons will find a complimentary dessert awaiting them at their table.

“It’s going to be a very relaxed evening. You can engage in the narrative or you can just sit next to someone and talk. We’re encouraging you to do what stimulates you,” said Clark.

“It will be a night of quality music, quality arrangements. Imagine patio lanterns, dance lights, people dancing and sitting at round tables. That’s the recipe for a great summer evening.”