|        Instructors

This year, rather than offering classes geared toward your level, we'll be offering classes geared toward your interest. Interested in performance? You can take only those classes that are focused on growing your performance skills. Want to learn more that will help you be an instructor? We'll have classes that cover the level of detail that you'll need if you're going to teach the material to others. Or, if you're interested in having a broader experience, you can take a couple classes from each category. Or even follow one set of teachers all weekend. The educational experience you have is up to you!

View the workshop schedule.

Performance & competition focus (P).
Blues Thunderdome Redux! - Don & Tina.
Blues Thunderdome was born at last year's Blues Shout and now its back! Two dancers enter, one dancer leaves. . . Don't miss The Dome! (Note: we strongly recommend attending a solo class to get ready for the Solo Cuttin' contest.)

Solo Blues - Joe & Nelle.
Focus on performing, improvisation, body movement, finding new muscles to use & abuse, and shakin' it like you're breakin' it.

Performance and Competition Blues - Joe & Nelle.
Learn some tricks of the trade: picture the audience in their underwear, write a cheat sheet on your hand, watch what you eat so you don't puke ...plus other useful ideas to put on a good show.

So, You Think You Can Blues Dance? - Dexter & Michelle.
Unleash your inner performer! If you've wanted to break out of your shell and be noticed for your dancing, this class is for you! Get a taste of some blues-inspired choreography and solo movement from Dexter and Michelle while getting into their minds and finding out what inspires them! Learn to challenge yourself – and then challenge your classmates in the Solo Cuttin’ Contest prelims! (Note: we strongly recommend attending a solo class to get ready for the Solo Cuttin' Contest.)

Technique focus (T).
Man/Woman - Damon & Heidi.
What makes a dance sexy? What makes a dance aggressive? Can a man use his hips when dancing and still be masculine? How can a woman dance in a masculine way? This class explores the character of your movement, specifically with respect to masculine and feminine energy, so that you can add variety to your dancing. This class will be taught to live music.

Frame Matching & Connection - Joe & Nelle.
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.

Are You Hip Enough? - Dexter & Michelle.
A great distinction that blues dancing has over other dances are the rhythmic isolations, particularly found in the hip area that add to its dynamic aesthetic and gut-level expression. Talk about wearing your heart on your hip! You'll also learn to translate the pulse from your hips and isolate it to other parts of your body through the concept of "power centers."

Connection Confection - Dexter & Michelle.
What makes a "sweet" connection? It's that oh, so perfect combination of stretching, pulling, delaying, and absorbing each movement in your dance so that you are "on time" every time. But "sweet" connections can only happen with the right "conversation." With just the right ingredients, you'll be savoring the delightful conversation in your dance.

Instructor focus (I).
Building your Blues: Biscuits & Gravy - Damon & Heidi.
As an instructor, you may get so caught up in teaching "cool" moves to inspire your students that you lose the focus on giving them a good foundation in Blues to build their own dances from. This class will help you build your Blues from the ground up so that you can give your students what they really need.

The Blues Aesthetic - Don & Tina & Damon.
The debate ends here. The dancin' STARTS here. Damon, Don and Tina will drop the knowledge about what makes Blues Dancing - and Blues Music - the art of the people. It's time to party y'all.

Jook v. Ballroom: the interplay of music and dance - Damon & Heidi.
Blues dancing at its heart is about authenticity, passion and dancing to the music. In this class, we'll use the Slow Drag as a starting point to explore how your attitude, your body postures and movement style can make your dance be more in tune with the music you're hearing. (Note: this class is discussion-based. There will be some opportunity for examples and practicing, but not like the regular classes.)

Connection points - Joe & Nelle.
Learn how to easily and clearly explain sometimes intangible concepts: connection, tone, energy, frame and posture. (Note: this class is discussion-based. There will be some opportunity for examples and practicing, but not like the regular classes.)

Musciality focus (M).
Makin' the Moves Match the Music - Don & Tina.
Rockstar moves on the dance floor aren't any good if they don't match the music that's playin'. Tina and Don will make sure what you hear and what you feel is actually translated into what you dance.

Deep Dish Musicality - Dexter & Michelle.
How many layers do you have in your dancing? How deep can you get with your blues? Varying beats, overlapping instrumentations, and a range of emotions provide possibilities and depth to your dancing expression. Learn when to "slow it down" and when to "get it down."

Musicality: A Blues Story - Dexter & Michelle.
INT. JUKE JOINT - NIGHT
A man enters the juke joint and sees an empty dance floor. He sees a woman sitting alone at a table with a hopeless expression. To him this can only mean one thing. As he slowly motions forward, a slow, sentimental blues song plays in the background setting the mood for what will soon unfold.
MAN: I'm ready.
WOMAN: Come on into my kitchen.

At the heart of each blues song is a narrative with a setting, characters, and emotions open for interpretation. For this class, we'll explore themes behind some songs and examine how it can inspire the musicality in your dance.(Note: this class is discussion-based. There will be some opportunity for examples and practicing, but not like the regular classes.)

Movin' & Groovin' - Damon & Heidi.
Exactly what it says. Use the fundamentals of Blues movement to explore freestyle dancing to a range of music. Be inspired by the music, and learn to turn that inspiration into improvisation in both closed and open positions with your footwork and body movement. This class will be taught to live music.

Social dancing focus (S).
Intro to Blues: The Floor is Your Friend! - Don & Tina.
Moving across the floor with style and technique is an art-form appreciated by both leads and follows alike. Don and Tina will show you a few moves that will make you the DaVinci of the dance floor.

Fast Blues - Damon & Heidi.
Blues is not just for slow songs! You'll learn how to use the Blues movements and Blues aesthetic so that you can keep on dancin' when the tempos are rising.

Intro to Drag Blues - Joe & Nelle.
A classy, sexy & fun blues dance. Learn fundamental movements and techniques along with dynamic combinations that focus on partner connection.

Switching Roles - Don & Tina.
If you're a lead who has always wanted to follow, or a follow who's curious about leading, this class is for you. Tina and Don will talk about what it means to "lead" and "follow" in a dance, especially if you're switching roles. Who knows... you might like the view from the other side of the fence. (Note: this class is discussion-based. There will be some opportunity for examples and practicing, but not like the regular classes.)

This year's classes aren't divided into levels based on your skills or experience. You can take any class and expect that there will be something there for you. However, the focus of the class (performance, instruction, social, etc.) will have an effect on the speed and detail that the material is presented.

Performance & competition (P) - You can expect the focus to be on how the moves look - and how your dancing looks. In addition, you'll be expected to be at a level of dance where you would be comfortable performing in front of others.

Technique (T) - Expect these classes to go into great detail about how to do things correctly. There will be a lot of explaining, but also a lot of time to practice. These classes may move a little slower so that you can be sure to get things right.

Instructor (I) - Many of these classes will be discussion-type classes, but with some time to practice and try out the information. Expect there to be lots of detail, and expect that you will need to contribute to the discussion and curriculum as well as part of training to be a teacher.

Musicality (M) - These classes have one thing in common - the focus on musicality. Expect to be pushed to keep up with the median speed of the class so that the instructors can cover all the material and give you plenty of time to practice. If you are a quick learner, expect to have some extra time to explore your own "musical" additions to the class as well.

Social dancing (S) - These classes are geared to the general social dancer. We'll get into enough detail that you can do it right, but we want to give you enough time to practice so that when you get out on the dance floor, you feel confident in your skills. For those dancers who learn more quickly, it's a perfect class to explore what it's like to dance your very best with dancers of all levels. It's also a great chance to perfect your fundamentals so that you can free yourself to explore other aspects of your dancing.