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Senior citizens prepare for WMU prom night

March 3, 2011

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KALAMAZOO--Area senior citizens will be celebrating prom night for the 23rd consecutive year when they gather from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday, March 10, in the Bernhard Center's North and South ballrooms on Western Michigan University's main campus in Kalamazoo.

The University's annual Senior Prom is a fun-filled, nostalgic evening that brings hundreds of senior citizens together with WMU students, faculty and staff for a night of Big Band music and swing and ballroom dancing.

Members of the general public are welcome to attend this semi-formal event. No reservation is necessary. Admission is free, as is parking in the nearby parking ramp--Parking Structure No. 1.

For the 2011 Senior Prom, dubbed "Nautical Nights & Dancing Delights," attendees are invited to dance the evening away in a space decorated like the ballroom of a vintage cruise ship. Music will be provided by the Otsego Jazz Band, and the event will include dance contests, prizes, free refreshments, bingo and photo keepsakes.

The Senior Prom began in 1988 as a way for older WMU alumni and area residents to share an evening of fun and reminisce with current students. It gradually grew in popularity, and last year, attracted some 300 senior citizens and members of the University community.

Students traditionally prepare for the event by teaming up with senior-citizen tutors in late February to learn the fox trot, waltz, Lindy and other dance steps popular in the 1940s. The seniors also are able to brief the novice dancers in such areas as hairstyles and fashions of the period.

The Draper-Siedschlag, Ernest Burnham-Smith Burnham and Henry residence halls are organizing the prom with the help of many volunteers. Financial assistance is being provided by such WMU organizations as the Western Student Association, Residence Hall Association and Residence Life.

For more information, contact Joseph Erskine, Draper-Siedschlag Hall director, at joseph.b.erskine@wmich.edu or (269) 387-4790.

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Media contact: Jeanne Baron, (269) 387-8400, jeanne.baron@wmich.edu

WMU News
Office of University Relations
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5433 USA
(269) 387-8400
www.wmich.edu/news