Reviews

I really love dancing to Joy Street. Not only do I get to enjoy beautiful music by top-drawer professionals and the sweet voices of Dina Blade and Lucia Neare, but the variety of music styles keeps my dance jones satisfied all evening. I can Lindy, Swing, Waltz, Foxtrot, Blues, One Step, Cha-Cha, Tango and more, all in one evening, under one roof, to the same stellar music makers.  They’re a dancer’s dream – and let me just add: This band knows how to swing it!

~ Guy Caridi, swing-dance instructor, former national Lindy Hop competitor

"Wow, super fun at the New Years Eve bash! Thanks so much for all of the NW Dance team’s hard work. I am grateful for having the chance to join in the dance.

"Also a shout out to the band. Joy Street did an amazing job. Probably the most dance-able band I have ever danced to. They played EVERYTHING. They also sounded great. I’m going to try and find an e-mail address for them to send them a thank you. Loved the band!!!"

~Scot Thomas

Just wanted you to know that all of the feedback I've received about the waltz ball has been superb!  Thank you again for a magical night.

~ Nancy Matella

“Thinking back on ‘Un Bal a Paris’ last week, I wanted to send you a note to say how lovely it all was…. For people who had not heard this orchestra before, they were of course very impressed…and do know that many people are talking about how totally charming an evening this was.”

~ Linda Roubik, Seattle Dancer

“I just wanted to thank you again for the great show the band put on and all the energy you put in making it happen. We have had nothing but positive feedback from people. We are thinking of making this a twice yearly event and hope the band can come down again.”

~ Dennis Myers, Producer
Portland Winter Waltz Ball

“Greetings from France. This is to add a word of thanks to Vivian's for the music of the Joy Street Orchestra. We have had enthusiastic comments from the wedding attendees. One friend wrote that he has been telling everyone: ‘I've been to an adult wedding! They had music I could dance to!’ Many many thanks to all of you. Your treatment of Puccini’s ‘O Mio Babbino Caro’ was the best I’ve ever heard it played.”

Laurana Rice Mitchelmore
Pianist & Accompanist
Metropolitan Opera and Vienna Staatsoper

“The music you planned was wonderful, and several guests have commented that even the musicians seemed to be enjoying themselves.”

Mary Hafner-Laney, Seattle
25th Anniversary Party

“Chris and I want to thank you for a perfect evening of dancing and joy. Everyone’s still talking about the wonderful music. And we really appreciated how attentive you were to the pacing of the evening…. We enjoyed working with you throughout the spring, and your professionalism is impressive.”

Katherine Koberg, Seattle
Wedding

I have had the great pleasure of collaborating with the Joy Street Orchestra many times over the past few years – what a joy!

Not only are these musicians masters of their art, but they are wonderfully open to collaboration, experimentation, and outright lunacy. Over the years I have asked them to perform in many unique and unlikely outdoor environments – in all kinds of weather, on land, water and even, one February, in horse-drawn vehicles – and these intrepid, gifted musicians are always, always more than game.  They can, and will, play anything. And they will play it beautifully. 

Joy Street's music fills the air with a joy and grace that call us out of our sometimes-harsh mundane world into a realm of kindness, romance, and fun. The Orchestra is a living testament to the power of great music from other eras to bring people together, and their efforts are no doubt (at least in part) responsible for many local love stories. They embody more than simply a vivid understanding of dance music; they care deeply about the aesthetic experience of the hundreds of dancers who regularly flock to the dance halls to revel in their unique musical magic. Among the Orchestra's many exceeding talents is the extraordinary Toby Hanson, who must have received special blessings from the gods of music, to so deftly create orchestrations and arrangements of such delicious design. 

Few musical ensembles have the spirit, breadth, and inventiveness of the Joy Street Orchestra, and I wholeheartedly recommend them to you.

Lucia Neare, Lucia Neare's Theatrical Wonders