Sydney Town Hall, 23 February 2013

The Dragon Ball was the third part of the Trocadero Trilogy, a series of swingband based theatre environments created from 2011 to 2013.  For more info, check out the Trocadero page.

From the City of Sydney website:

“For the first time in 40 years, Sydneysiders can enjoy an unforgettable evening of glamour, music and spectacular dancing with the return of the city’s Dragon Ball – for one night only on 23 February at Sydney Town Hall.

A 20-piece big-band will belt out hits by everyone from Nicki Minaj, Beyoncé and Adele to Michael Bublé and Frank Sinatra, while hundreds of Sydneysiders take to the floor to do the cha-cha, New Vogue and swing, and learn new routines taught by professional dancers.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the Dragon Ball was once a huge part of Sydney’s social scene and its revival for this year’s Chinese New Year Festival would bring back the glitz, glamour and fancy frocks of a bygone era.

“A big band, big sounds, big frocks, floor shows, dancers and performers will make the Dragon Ball an unforgettable way to welcome the Year of the Snake,” the Lord Mayor said.

“It’s 40 years since the last Dragon Ball, so we’ve asked internationally renowned director Kris Stewart to reimagine this grand old event for 2013.”

A Sydney institution much-loved by Chinese-Australians, the annual Dragon Ball took place from 1938-73 and was a night local Asian communities wouldn’t miss for the world.

Held at the Trocadero before moving to the Chevron Hotel in Kings Cross and Sydney Town Hall in its final years, the event saw young debutantes rehearse for months before they were presented to the Chinese Consul General with their families looking on.”