DANCEFLOOR SYMPHONY
Take the songs that fill dance floors and give them the scale, drama and power of a live orchestra. It’s not an orchestra concert. It’s a party with a very, very big band.
THE STORY BEHIND DANCEFLOOR SYMPHONY
A few years ago, a conversation between Gerhard Oosthuizen and Wian Joubert turned to the live shows that had made the biggest impression on them. One of those was Metallica's legendary collaboration with the San Francisco Symphony, S&M. That sparked an idea.
What if you took the power of a band and orchestra—but changed the music completely?
Instead of building a traditional symphonic rock concert, what if you started with the songs About Last Night had spent years watching people dance to at weddings, corporate events and parties?
Songs people recognise within seconds. Songs people sing together. Songs that fill dance floors. And then added an orchestra. That slightly crazy conversation became Dancefloor Symphony.
THIS IS NOT AN ORCHESTRA CONCERT.
THIS IS A PARTY WITH A VERY, VERY BIG BAND.
Dancefloor Symphony combines About Last Night with orchestral musicians to transform familiar party favourites into something bigger. Strings soar over guitar riffs. Brass gives familiar choruses new weight. Percussion expands. Arrangements build.
Songs you've heard countless times suddenly feel cinematic, dramatic and enormous. But underneath all of it remains the most important part, the groove.
Because Dancefloor Symphony was never created to make people sit quietly in rows.
It was created to make them dance.
BORN ON THE DANCE FLOOR
About Last Night has spent years performing at weddings, corporate functions and private events. That experience has created an unusual kind of musical research.
We've seen which songs make a room react within seconds. We've seen which choruses hundreds of people sing together. We've seen which songs bridge generations. And we've seen which tracks can rescue a dance floor at exactly the right moment. Dancefloor Symphony takes that knowledge and gives those songs an entirely new scale.
THE FIRST DANCEFLOOR SYMPHONY
The concept was first brought to life in Johannesburg in collaboration with the Johannesburg Youth Orchestra. What began as an idea became a stage filled with band members and orchestral musicians performing specially arranged party favourites together.
And most importantly, the idea worked exactly as intended, the dance floor filled with young and old alike. It wasn't simply a band performing with an orchestra. It became a genuine Dancefloor Symphony.
MEET THE CONDUCTOR — EDDIE CLAYTON
More than three decades of orchestral mastery and musical direction.
Eddie Clayton
With a career spanning more than three decades, Eddie Clayton is one of South Africa’s highly experienced conductors, arrangers and musical directors. He has conducted major orchestras across the country and worked across theatre, ballet, opera and large-scale productions including The Lion King Live in Concert, Disney100, Starlight Classics, Classics is Groot and the South African Tattoo.
Eddie has also spent the past 12 years conducting the Johannesburg Youth Orchestra, combining his professional career with a passion for developing young South African musicians.
As conductor of Dancefloor Symphony, Eddie played an integral role in bringing the concept to life, bringing his orchestral experience, arrangements and musical direction to a show designed to blur the line between concert and dance floor.
NOW, DANCEFLOOR SYMPHONY CAN COME TO YOUR EVENT
Dancefloor Symphony is available as a premium live entertainment concept for corporate events, gala evenings, launches, festivals and special productions.
The format is scalable. Depending on your event, venue and production requirements, About Last Night can perform with a selected orchestral ensemble or a larger professionally assembled orchestra.
This means the concept is not restricted to one orchestra, one venue or one version of the show. We can build the production around the event.
CORPORATE EVENTS
Imagine the evening beginning with the sophistication and visual impact of an orchestra. Then the band enters. A familiar song starts. Another follows. The energy begins shifting. By the time your guests realise this isn't going to be a conventional orchestral performance, they're already singing along.
Dancefloor Symphony works particularly well as a feature entertainment experience for:
Year-end functions • Gala dinners • Conferences • Awards evenings • Client events • Launches • Team celebrations • Conference after-parties
It can form the centrepiece of an evening or become the moment that transitions a formal event into the party.
A SHOW THAT CAN BE BUILT AROUND YOUR EVENT
Every Dancefloor Symphony production can be tailored according to the event. Options can include different orchestra sizes, selected arrangements, production elements, staging and show lengths. For larger bespoke productions, we can also explore music selections and arrangements suited to the event, brand or audience.
The result is not simply booking a band. It's creating a show.