Just Dance Away Plummer Park, a new outdoor dance pilot from the City of West Hollywood, brought music and neighbors onto the south basketball court at Plummer Park on Sunday night. The free, all ages event ran from 5 to 7 p.m. and was open to residents, neighbors and visitors who wanted to try a few steps, watch from the sidelines or just see what the pilot looked like in action.
When WEHOonline stopped by at 5:30p, there was a nice crowd of older couples blended with families and even some solo dancers moving to the eclectic sounds. The clear winners for most adorable moment were two toddlers trying to follow the beat, a half step behind but grinning the whole time. Watching them figure it out was the kind of thing that puts a big smile on your face.
Leo and Taty handled the music, mixing high energy songs with a few slower numbers, including a strong blend of Arabic and Eastern European sounds. You did not have to know any steps. People joined in anyway, sometimes in pairs, sometimes in small circles, sometimes just solo in the open space.
The concept is simple. Take an existing public space and use it for something easy and social, without tickets or a stage. On Sunday, that translated to a sound system, some lights and a lot of room to move on a basic basketball court in a neighborhood park, and it worked.
For more information about Just Dance Away Plummer Park and other arts and culture programs, contact the City of West Hollywood at (323) 848 6826 or trodzinek@weho.org.
