Every summer, from the middle of June until the middle of July, Lincoln Center holds its Midsummer Night Swing concert series, twenty nights of dancing outside under the stars in the Josie Robertson Plaza. Past Midsummer Night Swings have offered everything from salsa to swing, from disco to Irish Folk. For the summer of 2008, we the undersigned would propose that one night in the scheduled line-up be dedicated to zouk music and dancing.
Often regarded as a Latin dance, zouk originated in Guadalupe and Martinique in the late 1980s. While over the years zouk has developed large followings in both South America and Europe, only recently have their been signs of a growing interest in the United States. One night of zouk at Lincoln Center would be a milestone event in dance history, creating the largest dance venue for zouk in North America, while introducing this beautiful and sexy music/dance to a potential audience of a couple thousand people. Such an event would not only signify to the music world that zouk has officially arrived in the United States, but it would create a very special event befitting of Midsummer Night Swings 20th anniversary.