Classes
Damon & Heidi
Solo dance
As much as blues is thought of as a partnered dance, its roots lie in solo expression. This class will work on some of the root movements of solo blues dance concentrating on full body rhythms, hip-centric motion, and expression.
Getting' Janky With It
Blues dance is rooted in an aesthetic and a culture that value rawness over polish. This musicality class will focus on adapting our movement to some of the more raw and gritty styles of blues music and how to hide the technique that makes blues happen and make the strength and emotion more visible. So throw some dirt on your dance and make it janky.
Music in 3D
Musicality... a word often used as a catch all term for everything from being on the beat to hitting breaks, and used to justify dancing fast, slow, moving all over the place or barely at all... all to the same song. Musicality is about putting what you hear in the music out into the world to be enjoyed by as many senses as possible. We'll break down the most common elements in blues music and how they correspond to movement and partner dynamic. Beginners will learn how to take their dancing from just a series of random moves and styling to something with artistic intent, while advanced dancers will learn knew levels of interaction with the music, their partner, and the community.
What You Need
Critiques & Responses: Students will receive "mini-privates" if they choose to dance in front of the instructors/class. This is a great way to get individual critique as well as observing/absorbing other dancers' critique.
Homeroom
Come start your weekend off right with a little taste of Bluesy rhythm & Soulful style. During this time, your instructors will take you through the foundations; in depth details of connection, musicality and movement to sharpen your Blues skills and put you in the right mindset to get the most out of the weekend. ***IMPORTANT: doors close 15 minutes after start of class, and no late-comers will be admitted. Please arrive early. ***
Joe & Nelle
Frame Matching for Blues Dancers
We’ll discuss the methods of connection that give dancing an organic look and feel that is natural and comfortable. Frame Matching can create a more exact connection that widens the possibilities of lead/follow and will put you more in tune with your partner, thus opening up the possibilities for creativity and self-expression.
Solo Body Movement
Moving your own body well is an important component to being able to move well with a partner. You'll learn to get the most out of what you've got!
Cadence
Learn how to accelerate and decelerate movements to make them more dynamic and expressive. Punctuate the music in a new way!
Blues Breathing
Learn to relax with and connect to your partner in a deeper, yet subtler way. Blues breathing will create a connection through our centers, that we will use in our movement, musicality & micro-blues.
Dips and Drags
Want some fun moves with a little more pizazz? These dips and drags are sure to get some serious dance floor attention. You'll learn how to incorporate these socially-acceptable, show-stopping moves and how to execute them safely and fluidly.
What You Need
Critiques & Responses: Students will receive "mini-privates" if they choose to dance in front of the instructors/class. This is a great way to get individual critique as well as observing/absorbing other dancers' critique.
Homeroom
Come start your weekend off right with a little taste of Bluesy rhythm & Soulful style. During this time, your instructors will take you through the foundations; in depth details of connection, musicality and movement to sharpen your Blues skills and put you in the right mindset to get the most out of the weekend. ***IMPORTANT: doors close 15 minutes after start of class, and no late-comers will be admitted. Please arrive early. ***
Reuel & Mike
Movement Quality- Solo
As an advanced dancer, you know the names of the moves, and the shapes of the moves. You can improvise. But what really separates the movement of a great dancer from a good dancer? Elements like intention, awareness, balance, and control will allow you to take your dancing much further, so come prepared to train your body, and push yourself.
Fancy Ballroom Moves
Prepare to take a trip back to the Savoy, to grab your partner and dance to some slow jazz. You'll travel, you'll use momentum, and you'll do some fancy turns- old-school style.
Composition Options
Whether you're dancing in front of judges, or dancing on the social floor, you're always sharing the music with at least one person. We want to give you the tools to compose a dance that's as interesting as the music you dance to.
What You Need
Critiques & Responses: Students will receive "mini-privates" if they choose to dance in front of the instructors/class. This is a great way to get individual critique as well as observing/absorbing other dancers' critique.
Homeroom
Come start your weekend off right with a little taste of Bluesy rhythm & Soulful style. During this time, your instructors will take you through the foundations; in depth details of connection, musicality and movement to sharpen your Blues skills and put you in the right mindset to get the most out of the weekend. ***IMPORTANT: doors close 15 minutes after start of class, and no late-comers will be admitted. Please arrive early. ***
Rachael & Bryan
Leading with the Legs
This class is designed to help you explore different connection points, focusing on the legs and lower body, and how you can use these to add diversity to your dancing. We will cover both technique of how to initiate and maintain these different connections as well as some diverse movements which are led in this fashion.
Rhythm Variations
Blues music has a large variety of tempos and rhythms. This class will focus on both how to respond to different rhythms in each song as well as how to mix the rhythm up to create different accents and feels.
Tangoesque Blues
Blues inspired by the moves and styling of argentine tango. This class is not a tango class! You won't learn proper argentine tango in this class, but you will learn some kick-ass blues moves inspired by what we've seen in tango. Prettify (it's a word!) your blues!
Shauna Dunlap
Turning! Turning! Turning!
Learn the technicalities of turning from enhancing your core, balancing gracefully, to spotting properly from any angle. We'll focus on our individual turns while transferring our technique to proper partner turns and spins.
Nick Jones and Diana Cruz
Tango
Tango is intimate communication and connection between two embracing dancers that uses no words. Within the boundaries of a very few rules, the dance is open to endless creativity. In this class, you will learn the fundamentals of this very sensual dance.
Ronnie Shellist
Harmonica
This class is designed for complete beginner players. Throughout this class we will have fun exploring single notes, proper breathing, rhythm playing and we will learn a melody.