Vashon’s long-time tradition of celebrating its daughters will return from 7-9:30 p.m. Saturday, May 18, with “Starry Night” — the 13th annual semi-formal dance for island daughters and fathers, parents and/or guardians.
Inspired by the recent Oscars, the name of this year’s dance is “Starry Night” — an evocative and magical theme fit for the occasion that welcomes daughters as young as four years old to those who are in college and returning home for the summer.
The evening, held at Vashon Center for the Arts (VCA), will come complete with paparazzi and red carpet interviews for those attired in semi-formal dress, dance lessons by Sarah Howard, of Nomadic Dance, and then, the main event — a swirling, intergenerational dance party in the atrium of VCA.
A sumptuous optional dinner, at 5:30 p.m., will be catered by Chef Chantel Jackson of Thyme Well Spent.
For three organizers of the event, Brent Poole, Charlie Choo, and Nick Kennan, the night will hold extra meaning, because they have been accompanying their daughters to the dance for many years. Now, those daughters are seniors in high school.
“The dance has been a tradition Sadie and I have looked forward to each year,” said Choo. “It’s been a great opportunity to spend some special one-on-one time together, having some relaxing fun. I’ve also really loved meeting other dads and parents.”
“I just love all the special memories that I have with my dad, starting from when I was really small,” said Sadie.
For Brent Poole and his daughter Cassidy, who is graduating from high school this month, the memories are also golden. They started attending the dance when Cassidy was 7.
“That first year I recognized immediately how special this was to the girls, because several of the men who started this great tradition, including Jeff Sayre and David Leonhardt, had daughters who’d returned home from college just to attend the dance,” he said.
Tickets are on sale at vashoncenterforthearts.org, and attendees can purchase discounted corsages or flowers for the evening at the local flower shop, Herban Bloom, when they mention the Vashon Daughter’s Dance. Ticket sales end May 11.
