COEUR d'ALENE - Opportunities to dress up and dance to live music performed by a 25-piece orchestra don't come often, but a chance is on the horizon in North Idaho.

The Coeur d'Alene Symphony's Black & White Ball is set for Jan. 21 at Templin's Red Lion Inn in Post Falls. The black-tie event begins at 6 p.m. with a social hour and no-host bar, followed by dinner and dancing.

"If you're into 'Dancing with the Stars,' this is your chance to get out there and try out some of those moves," said Jill Cathey, a musician with the nonprofit symphony.

The orchestra will be performing a wide range of selections, from waltzes to the Beatles, Cathey said, all under the direction of David Demand, the symphony's artistic director.

They have hits from the '50s, '60s and '70s as well as jazz standards planned.

The ball is the nonprofit symphony's largest fundraiser of the year.

"It's such a great thing to have a symphony in our city," Cathey said.

The symphony is a "cultural gem" that depends on the support of the citizens, she said.

For a community its size, the Coeur d'Alene region is unique in having its own symphony orchestra, said Robert Bittick, a Hayden resident and producer of the symphony's Christmas season "Messiah" concert.

And it's good for the area.

"Every time you increase the culture in a community, everything related to that increases. It helps the restaurants and other businesses," Bittick said.

Bittick encourages local businesses to consider purchasing tables so they can offer the tickets to customers and associates, as a tax-deductible way of showing their appreciation.

"It's such a great time. There's nothing else like this going on around here," Bittick said. "It's really wonderful."

Information: www.cdasymphony.org, 765-3833