The Duane Street Swing

Duane Street was in full swing last month, the second such event sponsored by Friends of Duane Park. Photo: Carl Glassman/Tribeca Trib

“Feel free to grab a partner,” swing dance instructor Michael Raine called out to the folks who had gathered last month in Tribeca’s Duane Park. “If it’s a girl with a girl, a boy with a boy, a girl with a boy, everyone gets to dance!”

And, indeed they did. Following some basic lessons, dancers of every age and skill got into the swing of it on Duane Street, closed to traffic and open for an evening of free fun, sponsored by Friends of Duane Park. Dancers ranged from kids out for their first swing, to exhibition-level performers who wowed the crowd.