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Classes Description

Drop In

Accessibility starting a dialogue because dance is for everyone

Jody Glanzer

We're hoping to get people thinking about their bodies (and others') a bit differently and open people's minds about moving in alternate ways. The class will facilitate creating a dialogue between partners. Moving forward with confidence by explaining your needs and understanding your partner's limitations. Why? Aid with injury prevention, get back onto the dance floor after an injury, hopefully have a setback by overdoing things. Above all, to have an excellent time dancing.

Foundational Blues Rhythms

Dan & Julie

Come learn about some common rhythms that show up in blues music, and some different ways we can use these rhythms as dancers—connecting to the music and interacting with these rhythms in different ways, to open up our expressive opportunities.

Advanced Embrace: Individual Expression

Dan & Julie

This class will explore asymmetrical, independent expression in close embrace. We’ll use a combination of isolations, shapes, rhythm, and fluid points of contact to create a comfortable and communicative dialogue, even with very different movement ideas. 
Pre-requisites:

Strong close embrace skills.

Emotional comfort with upper body isolations in close embrace connection

History & Culture Matter + Q&A 

Dan & Julie

In this class, we’ll share ideas for incorporating history and culture into our practices as DJs, teachers, community members, and scene organizers. We’ll also share why we each personally think this is important, and then close with a Q&A to help you feel empowered in growing this part of your participation.

Chill Fast

Dan & Julie

This is a class about keeping it chill, comfortable, and relaxed while dancing to fast blues music. Still connected to and driven by the music, but keeping cool.

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Pre-requisite: some partnered blues vocabulary and basic blues connection skills.

The Miseducation of Black Partner Dance (All Levels)

Kenneth & Katrina

Why do black dances get structured the way they do? Why are certain grooves and feelings in close embrace, walking, shaping pretty common across various black partner dances? We will discuss the root threads that connect them together, why these can be instantly recognized when you step onto the floor, and what benefits and information it can provide for your partner dancing.

Borrowing The Bop

Kenneth & Katrina

A popular black social dance done in different variations, the STL Bop was primarily done to 1960s soul music and taught in schools across the city of Saint Louis. We’ll borrow the triangle pattern from the dance to help you better adapt to soul music you hear at blues dance and how you can utilize it’s groove space in your other blues dances.

TX Shuffle Level Up

Kenneth & Katrina

Born out of Texas musicians who moved out West and developed a new style in California, Texas Shuffle is a fast-paced, closed position blues idiom that combines foot shuffles, compression, and leverage to form a fun and unique partnered experience done to West Coast Blues.

What Is Mastery? 

Kenneth & Katrina

Values of Excellence 

Cultural lens and values

What should your dancers be able to do at each level and how this relates to the concept of mastery

Local dance competition and their role in the pursuit of excellence

Me, my partner, the music

Alfredo

As we dance, our dance "conversation" can cover a range of topics.  We will focus on the three most important and how to convey and feel the difference

Jedi Level Connection

Alfredo

A master of connection does not use force to connect and communicate with their partner.  We will focus on what it takes to achieve this level of dance-ship, even with a low midichlorian count.

Hong Kong Jelly Roll

Alfredo

While I lived in Hong Kong, I created a blues-based line dance.  We will learn it, play with it, then pair it up.

Set up for success!

Alfredo

I'll be focusing on how to make your intro/pre/party classes so much fun that people will be eager to stay the whole night and come back for more

Double Buggin' 

Zach & Gwen & Gab

One lead and… TWO follows? It’s not just possible, it’s FUN! Come learn as Zach AND Gwen AND Gab introduce this brain-breaking activity that you can use on the social floor and what both leads and follows can learn by being inspired by two partners at once!

The Footwork Hour (and ten minutes) 

Zach & Gwen

Take your dancing and musicality to the next level! How you step, or don’t, can express what you hear in the music and add texture to your partnership. We’ll break down a couple footwork choices and explore how you carry your weight in your feet and legs to emphasize your musicality. 

Hitting the breaks

Zach & Gwen

So you’re dancing and having a great time and then the music stops…. For a second. What do I do? How do I know when a break is coming? How do I “hit it”? We’ll explore a couple strategies and ways to acknowledge the music so that you can hit the break w/ confidence.

Drills

Zach & Gwen

You’ve got a practice group together. Someone asks, “So what do YOU wanna do?” and everyone shrugs. In this class we’ll form some ad-hoc practice groups and run through some drills to have in your toolbox to have more structured, productive practice time.

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