By Netera Landar
The Savoy Ballroom in Creations Park captures the spirit of the original Savoy in New York City from 1926 to 1958. Ella Fitzgerald performed there in 1934, and Dizzy Gillespie’s Orchestra in the 40s. The ballroom, named after The Savoy Hotel in London, was where new talent could perform, and it was the home of the Savoy Lindy Hoppers, dancers who went on to entertain in Broadway and Hollywood productions.
In Second Life, the Savoy Ballroom is located in a community that resembles what it must have been like in the past. The designers selected many key elements from the original Savoy and applied Art Deco styling.
“The two stages emulate the one long bandstand where two bands could set up at the same time, and then either could hand off, to continue the entertainment uninterrupted, or to alternate for their ‘Battle of the Bands’ shows,” said Mathew Kosse, who has been managing The Savoy Ballroom on Second Life since 2022. “We chose to include the Taxi Dancer booth and AFK Dancers to give our audience the same experience patrons had back in the heyday of The Savoy. If you didn’t have a date, you could hire a male or female dance partner, so you could do couples dancing.”
Other elements in the virtual representation include the street layout and the naming of Swing Town to evoke the ambiance and vibe, and the Lenox Lounge to highlight its history and Black culture. The actual Lenox Lounge was six to eight blocks away, and the Cotton Club was across the street.
Just as the original Savoy Ballroom in Harlem updated its floor and furniture regularly, The Savoy in Second Life is upgraded, as well.
“The entrance to The Savoy Ballroom was on street level with a wide staircase leading up to the second-floor ballroom, which took up the entire city block,” explained Mathew. “Patrons would walk between the city’s shops on either side, ascend to the upper level, hearing the music pour out onto the street.”
The Savoy hosted as many as 4,000 dancers, which would be impractical to recreate in a virtual world. To showcase The Savoy’s remarkable size, the building team made a themed exhibit using an actual floor plan of The Savoy, scaled to avatar size. You can view the floor plan by entering the foyer and turning right. Click the board, and you’ll be teleported to the floor plan.
As for the history of The Savoy in Second Life, it began as Creations Park Swing (CP Swing), part of the Linden Endowment for the Arts (LEA) sim grant to introduce the Dance 101 Class that Carlyle Chaparral created in 2015. CP Swing was one of four installations of the Dance 101 classroom on the Lea sim.
“It originally represented an example of a ‘swing era ballroom’ featuring non-stop swing era music and a 101 Classroom off to the side,” explained Mathew. “When the LEA grant expired at the end of 2016, CP Swing Ballroom was moved to a permanent home at Creations Park thanks to an offer by Barbie Alchemi. In 2018, CP Swing was renamed to Savoy Ballroom to reflect the increasing focus to specifically replicate and educate guests about the original Savoy.”
The creative team for CP Swing and the initial Savoy build included Carlyle, Barbie, and Lesley Jenkins-Singh. The current owners are Carlyle and Mathew (except for the flying, of course).
The initial goal of the Dance 101 class was to offer free dance lessons, which happens at the beginning of many real-life dance events. Mathew said that Carlyle and his wife enjoyed dancing in real life, and he wanted to bring that experience to Second Life.
“The region itself was envisioned by Barbie Alchemi, and its first iteration didn’t include The Savoy. The whole region was designed to be a haven of respite, specifically geared to collecting donations to the Michael J. Fox Parkinson’s Research Foundation. The owner’s father and mother both came down with Parkinson’s Disease, so this charity is near and dear to her heart. If you go into the Swing Era Museum, there’s a slideshow and a video of Barbie and her mom interacting in SL. Fran Seranade was an incredible lady, and her mindset was, ‘If I can do it in SL, I should be able to do it in my real life,” said Matthew.
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| Enter The Savoy's Ballroom and leave the world behind. |
The Savoy Ballroom in Creations Park captures the spirit of the original Savoy in New York City from 1926 to 1958. Ella Fitzgerald performed there in 1934, and Dizzy Gillespie’s Orchestra in the 40s. The ballroom, named after The Savoy Hotel in London, was where new talent could perform, and it was the home of the Savoy Lindy Hoppers, dancers who went on to entertain in Broadway and Hollywood productions.
In Second Life, the Savoy Ballroom is located in a community that resembles what it must have been like in the past. The designers selected many key elements from the original Savoy and applied Art Deco styling.
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| A photograph representing the original Savoy. |
“The two stages emulate the one long bandstand where two bands could set up at the same time, and then either could hand off, to continue the entertainment uninterrupted, or to alternate for their ‘Battle of the Bands’ shows,” said Mathew Kosse, who has been managing The Savoy Ballroom on Second Life since 2022. “We chose to include the Taxi Dancer booth and AFK Dancers to give our audience the same experience patrons had back in the heyday of The Savoy. If you didn’t have a date, you could hire a male or female dance partner, so you could do couples dancing.”
Other elements in the virtual representation include the street layout and the naming of Swing Town to evoke the ambiance and vibe, and the Lenox Lounge to highlight its history and Black culture. The actual Lenox Lounge was six to eight blocks away, and the Cotton Club was across the street.
 |
| The two stages represent one long bandstand where two bands could set up at the same time, and then either could hand off to continue the entertainment uninterrupted. |
Just as the original Savoy Ballroom in Harlem updated its floor and furniture regularly, The Savoy in Second Life is upgraded, as well.
“The entrance to The Savoy Ballroom was on street level with a wide staircase leading up to the second-floor ballroom, which took up the entire city block,” explained Mathew. “Patrons would walk between the city’s shops on either side, ascend to the upper level, hearing the music pour out onto the street.”
The Savoy hosted as many as 4,000 dancers, which would be impractical to recreate in a virtual world. To showcase The Savoy’s remarkable size, the building team made a themed exhibit using an actual floor plan of The Savoy, scaled to avatar size. You can view the floor plan by entering the foyer and turning right. Click the board, and you’ll be teleported to the floor plan.
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| Charice performs on The Savoy's stage. |
As for the history of The Savoy in Second Life, it began as Creations Park Swing (CP Swing), part of the Linden Endowment for the Arts (LEA) sim grant to introduce the Dance 101 Class that Carlyle Chaparral created in 2015. CP Swing was one of four installations of the Dance 101 classroom on the Lea sim.
“It originally represented an example of a ‘swing era ballroom’ featuring non-stop swing era music and a 101 Classroom off to the side,” explained Mathew. “When the LEA grant expired at the end of 2016, CP Swing Ballroom was moved to a permanent home at Creations Park thanks to an offer by Barbie Alchemi. In 2018, CP Swing was renamed to Savoy Ballroom to reflect the increasing focus to specifically replicate and educate guests about the original Savoy.”
The creative team for CP Swing and the initial Savoy build included Carlyle, Barbie, and Lesley Jenkins-Singh. The current owners are Carlyle and Mathew (except for the flying, of course).
 |
| Dancing the night away on The Savoy's dance floor. |
The initial goal of the Dance 101 class was to offer free dance lessons, which happens at the beginning of many real-life dance events. Mathew said that Carlyle and his wife enjoyed dancing in real life, and he wanted to bring that experience to Second Life.
“The region itself was envisioned by Barbie Alchemi, and its first iteration didn’t include The Savoy. The whole region was designed to be a haven of respite, specifically geared to collecting donations to the Michael J. Fox Parkinson’s Research Foundation. The owner’s father and mother both came down with Parkinson’s Disease, so this charity is near and dear to her heart. If you go into the Swing Era Museum, there’s a slideshow and a video of Barbie and her mom interacting in SL. Fran Seranade was an incredible lady, and her mindset was, ‘If I can do it in SL, I should be able to do it in my real life,” said Matthew.
Over the years, it evolved, especially in the area where The Savoy is located. The Savoy was a single parcel, but over time, the two streets in front of The Savoy expanded into “Swingtown” as a themed community.
There are 15 main landmarks. They include, The Clock Tower, The Savoy Ballroom, Castle Alchemi, Unicorn Grove, Atlantis Underwater Paradise, Ethereal Realms Stage, The Party Yacht & Balloon Ride, 50s Dinner & Fran Serenade Art Gallery, Rooftop Art Gallery (above The Savoy) & Swing Era Museum, Shopping District, Children’s Park, Horse Riding Stable, The Cabin & The Poets Gazebo and the Meditation Gazebo. There’s also a Primtionary Game parcel. The landmarks can be reached through the Creations Park Personal TP HUD, available at Givers stationed in the ballroom and around the sim.
“There is one place you can only reach using the TP HUD, and that’s The Ethereal Realms,” said Mathew. “It’s so far in the overhead of the sim that you need to teleport. Everything else is actually accessible by exploring.”
Another feature of the TP HUD is a partnership with more than two dozen other clubs, art galleries, and clothing shops. They are represented on the HUD. Scroll through the pictures, select one, and you will be brought to the location.
As for entertainment, Mathew updates the schedule weekly. The main reason for these changes is that The Savoy regularly attracts singers, musicians, and DJs interested in performing there. Matthew also invites singers to go on The Savoy’s stage.
“Over a 3-year span, we’ve gone from 2 DJs to 30 entertainers. That includes 15 singers, 1 musician, and 13 DJs, some of whom perform multiple shows per week. Plus, we have 4 regular hostesses,” Mathew added that additional hostesses are needed to keep up with the busy schedule.
When you arrive, you’ll hear the house stream playing original swing, ElectroSwing, Jazz, Latin, Rockabilly, and eclectic tunes. Scheduled live events with singers and DJs include various genres.
The dress code for live events can be casual or formal, depending on the singer. You should always be dressed appropriately.
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| The Lenox Lounge and other businesses in front of The Savoy. |
“The whole concept behind Creations Park was that it was built with love. I felt it the first time I stumbled into The Savoy, and then wandered around exploring the region,” said Mathew. “Honestly, anyone who comes here, stops for a moment to breathe and looks around…they’ll experience that same sense of awe and comfort. I felt it every single time I came back. Once I met Barbie Alchemi and Carlyle Chaparral, I recognized who had poured their love into fashioning it. They set the standard, making it easy to follow in their footsteps.”
Netera Landar
