Ponpon Chen at the Culver Steps – A Great Performance at a Wonderful Outdoor Space

Last Thursday night at the Culver Steps in Culver City, Ponpon Chen and her Quintet were the headline performers at the Summer Sunset Concert series.

Playing from 8 to 9 PM, they performed a selection of many Swing-danceable standards, with a Latin song or two thrown in. The space was packed with people, although most Swing dancers were at the Grove during this time to see The Moontones, so there were very few people dancing, unfortunately.

Ponpon and her band gave a great performance, as they usually do! She had great banter with the crowd, explaining how she moved here from Taiwan and learned English and how to play the guitar. She stayed for a long time afterward to chat with audience members, who seemed excited to get a photo with her.

The Culver Steps is located in Downtown Culver City adjacent to the Culver Hotel. The ambiance of this location at night is amazing:

Off to the right side of the band, there is a smooth tiled area that was suprisingly good for dancing, and there was plenty of space that night!

This is a wonderful outdoor venue for Swing dancing! I highly recommend coming out to see Jonathan Stout and His Campus Five Featuring Hilary Alexander here on Thursday, August 14th!

There is a parking garage under the Steps, but it was nearly full when we arrived around 8PM. You may need to park at one of the other downtown parking garages and walk a few blocks to the Steps.

– Brian