Saturday Classes
12:30 - 1:30: Ribcage and Foot Mechanics For Dancers (Ruby Red)
Your point of contact with your partner and your point of contact with the floor are two of the most important areas of a partner dancer’s body. Learn about how your breathing mechanics affect your dance connection, arm mechanics, core stability, and ultimately, your ability to move your feet as intended. Expand your understanding of the range of movement available to your feet and how to prevent common issues like bunions, plantar fasciitis, and adjust your movement and training to accommodate high arches, flat feet and everything in between.
This won’t just be an anatomy class. You’ll get to integrate new practices into partnership and into your personal movement practice.
You’ll need: Your feet without shoes, socks, and any extra jackets, sweatshirts, or other outer-wear that you travel with. If you have myofascial release tools with you, or yoga mats, you can bring those too, but they aren’t required.
1:45 - 2:15: Finding Common Ground (JAmie-Lynn Figure)
You've watched them dance a couple times, they're fun, quirky, captivating... Any number of awesome adjectives come to mind. You work up the nerve, find your way across the room, ask them to dance. The music starts. As those first notes hit the floor, you realize your background is completely different from theirs. How do you bridge the gap and forge a connection that will stand the test of time (approximately 3-5 minutes)?!
Here, we learn to appreciate commonalities and differences and establish communication among
separate dance styles, no matter what skills you bring to the table as individuals.
3:00 - 4:00: Go With The flow! (Gracie Johnson)
Ever wondered how some people seem to glide through the air and make simple movements have a big impact? In this lesson we will explore a way to do this though utilizing body kinetics and weight change techniques to create more “flowy” movements. Additionally, we will utilize our collective momentum by leveraging body movements to make body rolls more accessible and smooth. This includes both solo movement, as well as how to help a partner leverage this movement to make it more accessible and dynamic.
Knowing Your no (Jaesic Wade)
Because I’m a huge nerd, “Knowing Your No” is the title of this class, for its alliteration of course. BUT what this class really is, is an experiment in finding our embodied YES and no, and knowing how to communicate our boundaries to others both on and off the dance floor. Through a few exercises, we’ll learn to listen to our bodies, and practice only engaging with others when we can sense our “Hell yes!” is fully present, or when we are consciously willing to explore the nuance of a subtle yes. This class will get you grounded into your body, mindful of the relationship between your boundaries and your environment, and provide you ample practice communicating, verbally and nonverbally, your desired interaction with others (whether engaging or disengaging). Embodied consent practice? Yes please!
4:15 - 5:15: Traveling Turn Technique (Ruby Red)
Linear patterns build momentum and create an energy exchange that can feel like an undulating wave that you want to ride again and again. Adding rotation to that momentum is a delight for follows skilled enough to interpret it. For leads, we’ll build precise preparations and turning patterns that you can use to assess what your follow is capable of and lead them at their skill level, creating an enjoyable dance for you both. Follows will work on precise turning mechanics from footwork to hand connection.
You’ll need: shoes with suede or leather soles, or those which are slick enough to spin safely in.
Solo Rhythm (Dr J and Katie)
Solo doesn't have to be hard! Use what you already know to become a more complete dancer. We'll explore pulse, walks, shoulders, and hands.
5:30 - 6:30: The Wild Child: Fusion Holds and Flows (Jaesic Wade)
Through combining the principles of ecstatic dance and spontaneity to partnered dance, people will experiment with what it's like to not know what's coming next, and to not care! The goal is to have fun connecting with oneself, each other, and the music. Our inner child will be so happy 🥹 This class will explore unconventional form (in posture, connection, and leads) to break people out of their molds and see what creativity will come of it. Get ready to PLAY!
Identifying the Window of opportunity (Jamie-lynn figure)
Partner dance begins with your own ability to occupy, organize, and move within the spaces you co-create. Here, we'll play with proprioception and better understand where to be and how to balance in the window provided by the framework of partnership. Be prepared to stack your spine, unfold your legs, and move more confidently solo by the end of class!
Sunday classes
12:30 - 1:30: Frame Switching (Dr. J and katie)*
What are the key connection elements that separate Lindy and West Coast? Blues and Tango? Zouk & West Coast? A few key changes can open entire new ranges of movement for you and your partner!
*This class features advanced material. The instructors request that you have intermediate experience in at least two of the following dance styles: Blues, Lindy Hop, Tango, West Coast Swing, or Zouk.
Sunday “Morning” yoga
Release the tension of a weekend of dancing and unlock the full potential of another day with this gentle mobility practice focused on increasing proprioception, coordination, and range of motion for dancers. No previous yoga experience expected or required.
Please wear clothing that is easy to move in and consider you'll be sitting or reclining for portions of class and bring a mat if you are able.
1:45 - 2:45: Feedback From a Follow (gracie johnson)
Lead techniques for creating more space for follows, and following techniques for filling that space in a more musical way. Additionally, how to signal ideas and/or ask for space as a follow and how to read those signals as a lead.
Rhythm Challenge (Ruby Red)
Dig into the beats that move you and discover why they do. Then dig into the beats that make you feel uncertain, edgy, maybe even insecure. From simplicity to complexity, we’ll explore ways to appreciate and interpret a wider variety of rhythms both with some fun solo and partnered practice tools. Keep an eye out for my DJ set later that evening that will give you a chance to integrate.
You’ll need: your ears.
3:00 - 4:00: Finding, using, and sharing axis (Jamie-lynn figure)
Let's demystify the concept of tango axis and learn how to leverage it in fusion spaces. We'll organize our pieces for comfortable, efficient rotational play both as a building block for creativity and in the context of specific movements.
(Please wear smooth sole shoes that let your feet twist and pivot on the floor.)
Micro Fundamentals (Jaesic Wade)
This class is a beginner intro to micro fusion. We’ll cover how to use tone, breath, and pause to communicate tiny movement and make melty magic happen! Also covered in this class is an introduction to isolations.
4:15 - 5:15: Fusion Family of Ochos (Dr. J and Katie)*
Are the Tango ocho and the Zouk lateral the same move?
Learn how to modify the direction, connection, and rhythm of Tango ochos until it transforms into a Zouk lateral.
*Must have experience with tango ochos or Zouk laterals, or both
Mirrored Conversations: Melty Edition (Jaesic Wade)
What does it look like to be a part of a dance that is completely co-created, with not just one person leading the conversation? Through exercises of switching lead and mirroring, sharing bodyweight, and embodied listening, dancers learn to listen as much as they speak in a partnered micro dance. We may be talking small, but we're saying a lot! By the end of the class, dancers will have a new sense of empowerment when it comes to contributing to their shared connections with others, as well as experience a new level of meltiness (the potency of true collaboration is a powerful thing).
5:30 - 6:30: Dark arts and Ninja skills for follows
Anticipate, Precipitate, Tessellate, Eviscerate and Dissipate. You’re a force of nature, wily and cunning, with the ability to slip in and out of your partner’s embrace, steal their chi, nab some gold, do a jig, and quickly move on to the next victim, ahem, partner.
Which end of the sword do you want to be on?
Leads, learn how to match your opponent and counter with powerful spells that will regain your mana and transform an adversary into an ally, thus assuring the destruction of all who oppose you and ensuring your mutual rule of the universe.
You’ll need: spellbook, super powers, robe and wizard hat.