From Blues Idioms to Blues Music, Afro-Brazilian to Chicago Stepping, we have an all-star lineup of Instructors waiting to help you level up your Blues dance skills with our Blues from Roots to Rhythm curriculum.
Photo credit to Bobby Bonsey
Damon StoneDamon has been dancing his entire life, starting with vernacular Jazz/Blues first taught to him at the tender age of six by his grandmother. After nearly a decade of learning at the heels of his elders, he went on and eventually studied numerous dance forms until coming full circle in 1995 to focus primarily on the history and styles of partner dances as his family danced them with a special focus on the Southern Blues styles from the Mississippi Delta region. He has studied the development of vernacular Jazz/Blues dance across the United States learning from a number of the original dancers.
He is largely regarded as one of the foremost authorities on Blues idiom dance and has been interviewed as a dance historian in documentary, radio, and newspaper. Damon has been a featured instructor at camps, festivals, and workshops regionally and internationally. |
Kelsy StoneKelsy brings her lifetime of dance training, a passion for vernacular dance, and a sharp eye for technique to the Blues dance world. She has brought her joy and knowledge of Blues idiom dances to some of the most important and high-profile events in the USA and across five continents, including but not limited to: bluesSHOUT!, The Experiment, Muse, Hearken the Blues, and Seoul Blues Dance Festival-serving as faculty, mentor, competition coordinator, and judge.
Kelsy's critical eye and love of deep technique are tempered by her love of "dad jokes," getting lost in the music, and embracing of the ridiculous. She shows her appreciation of African American culture by speaking of the history of Blues idiom dance and taking her craft seriously, but never herself. She believes every mistake is an opportunity to learn, every class an opportunity to challenge, and every dance an opportunity to pay respect to those who came before. |
Photo credit to Devon Rowland Photography
Jen DelkFollower, leader, organizer, student, teacher, music nerd (actually everything nerd). Jen started teaching dance in college to afford the habit. She refused to believe there was one way to break something down. Her curiosity about how things worked as a child taught her that if you try hard enough you can break something and if you try harder you might be able to put it back together making it better than before.
In the classroom Jen often draws on her own journey to find grounding, a voice, and a better connection with the music as a lead and follow. It’s been a long journey, it’s definitely not over, and she will gladly share what she has learned along the way. Jen lives in Denver, and when she isn’t scheming about future dance related projects,she is probably at home jumping on her trampoline. |
Katrina Rogers (she/her)Katrina Rogers is an instructor, follower, leader, organizer, DJ, performer, and choreographer based in Denver, CO, known for her rich musicality, grounded movement, and the ability to bring both technical clarity and soulful expression to the classroom. With over 17 years of teaching movement—including fitness, track and field, and more than 8 years of blues—Katrina invites students to discover how dance can be a powerful tool for self-expression, embodiment, and joy.
While she primarily follows, Katrina is actively developing her leading to deepen her understanding of connection and partnership. She also leads and choreographs for BKB Dance Crew, now in its second season—a performance team she founded to celebrate community, growth, and expressive movement. You might also see her judging, competing, performing, or teaching at events across the country. Her current focus is on growing her business, Move With Ease: A School of Functional Movement, where she helps people reclaim their bodies through intentional, sustainable movement. When she’s not dancing or teaching, Katrina enjoys reading, hiking, gardening, and crocheting |
Photo credit to Juls Sobrón
Charlley WardCharlley Ward loves and has played the Blues for over half a century making the semi-
finals of the International Blues Challenge in Memphis twice, and he brings that wealth of experience to his teaching and DJing. He has taught Blues dance or DJ’d across the country for the last decade, at events like Mile High Blues in Denver, Brickyard Blues in Atlanta, Blues and Bagels in Montreal, Steel City Blues in Pittsburg, Take My Hand in DC, Big City Blues in Ghent Belgium and Blues Muse in Philadelphia. Last year his band (The Carter Minor Band) also performed live at Muse. In 2022 he won the solo Blues Dance Competition at the Riverfront Blues Festival in Portland (Oregon.) He is currently a lead teacher for his Home Scene, RDU Blues Dance in the Raleigh- Durham-Chapel Hill Triangle in North Carolina, and lives in an allegedly haunted house outside Raleigh with his two cats and Sophie the Ghost. |
Photo credit to Wonil Jung
Kenneth ShippKenneth Shipp hails from St. Louis, MO as an instructor who grew up dancing hip-hop and DJing breaking comps before jumping into blues. He has spent the past few years passionately studying the family of blues idioms, incorporating his nerdy personality along the way. Kenneth’s life experiences inform his dancing and teaching style so that students walk away with a better historical and contextual understanding. With every class and practice, he'll encourage you to approach social dancing with coolness, relaxation, or in other words “Chill The F$%& Out.” When he’s not dancing, you can likely find him ranting about the latest blockbuster movie, game, or nerd convention, or desperately trying to dismantle toxic institutions.
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Photo credit to Arianne Autaubo Martinez of AMA Photography
DeAndré Carroll (he/him)DeAndré Carroll is a choreographer, teacher, and performer specializing in dances of the African diaspora including West African, Afro-Caribbean, and American street and club forms.
DeAndré has also been a dance soloist with C+C Music Factory, a guest artist with the Boulder Colorado Hip Hop Festival, and taught collaborative workshops for the Colorado Dance Festival with the Philadelphia based Hiphop Company Rennie Harris Pure Movement and The African American Dance ensemble. He has also been a regular instructor and guest artist at local dance schools including Cleo Parker-Robinson Dance, Streetside Dance Studios, The BBoy Factory, and School of Breaking. He was also an inaugural member of Rennie Harris Grassroots. He is currently the director of The FunKinetic Project which had produced the annual Disciples of Funk Dance Festival from 2015 - 2020. |
Kebrina Josefina De JesusA New York and Puerto Rican Native, Kebrina Josefina De Jesus has been studying and teaching youth and adults dance and theater for over two decades. She holds her Masters of Fine Arts in Theater and Contemporary Performance from Naropa University. Currently, Kebrina teaches, directs and choreographs for her company Samba Colorado, the first Brazilian dance school & company in Colorado. In her spare time, she enjoys mermaiding with Rocky Mountain Mermaids, continues to study dance / theater and travels sharing her love of Brazilian dance, Salsa/Mambo, movement and theater-arts throughout the states and with all who are curious to learn.
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Rex PeoplesRex is a band leader, singer, songwriter, voice coach and Blues in Schools educator. He was named the best blues vocalist by the Colorado Blues Society 8 times. Rex is an International Blues Competition winner, semi finalist, and has had a top 3 album for 12 months running: "Fried Food, Hard liquor."
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Tom AmendTom Amend is a multi instrumentalist, composer, artist, and teacher who performs with many local acts. His 2019 release, “Frontier Justice” is a swinging album of original music for organ trio. His 2021 Octet release, “Heliotrope” features a host of Colorado’s finest improvisers playing exciting original music spanning many genres.
Tom has studied and teaches Jazz Piano and Music Technology and currently teaches out of his studio Yellow Bench Studios. The Tom Amend Octet sophomore release, “Yellow Bench” is now available! |
Photo credit to Calvin Locklaer
Andreas SchmidAndreas Schmid is a professional drummer with many successful artistic collaborations with notable artists from a variety of backgrounds, such as Jazz, Blues, Funk, Country, World, Pop, Singer/Songwriter and Gospel.
Andreas developed his individual sound through studies at New York’s Drummers’ Collective, graduating from Berklee College of Music in Boston and receiving a Master’s in music education at the Zurich Conservatory in Switzerland. He also studied the cajón at the Taller Flamenco in Seville. He is the cofounder of the Coexistence Trio, Spherio and Motek, for which he composes and arranges. Andreas additionally runs a small studio (Hit Box Studio) where he records drum tracks for clients as well gives drum and cajon lessons. He thaught at DIME-Denver at MSU and currently teaches Music (K-5) at Steele Elementary School. Recently Andreas collaborated with Brigitte Moeckli in the multimedia art installation "viewopoints" which was on display in Switzerland, South of France and at Denver's Bitfactory gallery. |
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