Dancers love the infectious and authentic rhythms of the Royal Society Jazz Orchestra and the smaller ensembles. Popular partner dance steps include Swing, Fox Trot, Lindy Hop, Waltz, Tango, Charleston, Balboa, Shag, Black Bottom, Rumba, and Samba. They play songs by George Gershwin, Fats Waller, Irving Berlin, Hoagy Carmichael, Cole Porter, Walter Donaldson, Harold Arlen, and Johnny Mercer and original vintage-style songs by Don Neely. Also in their colorful repertoire are songs from Tin Pan Alley, Vaudeville, the Cotton Club, Art Deco-era cinema, Broadway, and original songs by Don Neely. To learn more about our music please visit our Home page and Our Music page.
The Royal Society Jazz Orchestra has performed at many Vintage Style dancing events including
- The Gatsby Summer Afternoon at Dunsmuir House in Oakland featuring a Roaring Twenties theme with numerous Foxtrots and Charlestons
- The Art Deco Preservation Ball which features mostly Vintage 1930s Swing.
Don Neely's Swingtet plays for many Bay Area Lindy Hop Events including:
- Wednesday Night Hop in Palo Alto, featuring Lindy and Swing
- Bootleggers Ball in San Francisco, featuring Lindy and Swing
- The Breakaway in Oakland, featuring Lindy and Swing
Dance troupes with whom we work include:
- San Francisco Swing Cats Rhythm Revue
- The San Francisco Jitterbugs
- The Decobelles.
Dance teachers include Cynthia Glinka, Johnny Lee, and Angie Major.