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Weekly Blues Classes Starting in June!

We’re happy to announce a weekly, drop-in friendly series of blues classes covering the fundamentals that’ll get you comfortable and confident grooving on the blues dance floor!

Learn about pulse, lead/follow connection, basic moves in open position, closed position and close embrace, blues body movement, musicality and much more!

WHEN: Wednesdays in June, 9:00-10:00 pm
** Drop-ins come early at 8:30 pm to get up to speed! **

WHERE: Chemagne Dance, 899 Bloor Street West (at Ossington)

COST: $50 for 5 weeks, $15 per drop-in

REGISTER ONLINE with PayPal:

Are you taking this class as a lead or follow?

RSVP on Facebook and invite your friends!

** ABOUT THE FORMAT: From 9-10 pm we’ll run the class as a normal progressive series, expecting familiarity with concepts from the previous weeks. From 8:30-9 pm we’ll be running through the need-to-know fundamentals that we’ll be building on during the class itself. This pre-class session is mandatory for drop-ins, to get everyone up to speed with series students. (Full series students wanting the extra review are of course more than welcome to attend the catch-up session too!)

Questions? Contact danielle@bluesmovement.ca for more info.

Posted 27 May 2011 § Classes ‡ Comments (0) °

Campbell & Chris Toronto Blues Workshop Weekend: July 16-17

This is it, Toronto: the biggest blues workshop event to hit our city yet!

Campbell and Chris

All the way from Austin, Texas, international instructors Campbell and Chris are here for TWO full days of blues workshops and a bonus blues dance packed into one incredible weekend. Don’t miss this chance to learn from these powerhouses of partnering and musicality, right in your own backyard.

Workshops will be aimed at those with at least an intermediate level of partnered dance background, with some experience in blues dancing socially.

REGISTER ONLINE, or in person with Danielle at the next Toronto Blues Dance (May 27th at Habeeba’s). Also RSVP on Facebook and invite your friends!

Registration includes Saturday AND Sunday workshops with Campbell and Chris, plus the Saturday night blues dance. Contact danielle@bluesmovement.ca for more information.

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE*

Saturday, July 16: 11:00am – 5:00pm
All Things in Balance
Open It Up!
Finesse, Footwork, and Floorcraft
Sweet vs Bitter

Saturday Night Dance: 9:00pm – 1:00am
Try out what you’ve learned, then just relax and dance the night away. Featuring a special instructor demo by Campbell and Chris!

Sunday July 17: 11:00am – 5:00pm
Badass Blues Basics
Flomentum
Following Secrets
Less is More

*Class titles subject to change — stay tuned for full class descriptions!

COST:
Blues Fanatic Pass (first 10 registrants) $80.00
Blues Lover (next 10 registrants, or until May 30) $90.00
Earlybird (until June 27) $100.00
Regular Registration (until July 14) $120.00
At the door $130

** Full-time students and out-of-towners (coming from outside the GTA) save $10 off above pricing. **

THE INSTRUCTORS

== Campbell Miller ==
When Campbell dances with a partner, it is a complete experience: physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. She is grounded with a diverse technical background, but her dancing is unpretentious; she follows to make each dance the best it can be for her partner. She is known for melting into her leader’s connection and making leaders more aware of their own movement by mirroring even the most subtle detail.
Campbell loves living in Austin, where she teaches social dance courses celebrated to be the most popular on the UT campus. Her approach fosters an appreciation for fusion by drawing connections between the varied styles she has studied–some of her favorites being lyrical, waltz, lindy hop, and tap. While her warmth and patience create an inviting atmosphere for all levels of students, she carefully challenges them to realize their full potential.

== Chris Mayer ==
Chris was drawn into Blues by the freedom and expression that sets this dance apart, and he’s never looked back. As an addict since 2006, Chris has been slowly developing a style all his own, taking the parts he loves from other dances and molding them into the blues “aesthetic”: the footwork and the precision of argentine tango, the energy and exuberence of lindy, the smoothness and sly attitude of west coast swing, the rhythm and motion of latin, and moves and tricks that could only come from the depths of his bizarre mind. Call it… Macro-Blango-Hop…. Yeah.
Though through all of this, it’s musicality at the core of his dancing. You’ll often see Chris on the side of the floor, too tired to stand, but still dancing with his hands and feet (or fingers and toes if its *really* late). Between this focus on rhythm and a strong sense of partnering, he keeps people on their toes.

Posted 09 May 2011 § Dances § Workshops ‡ Comments (0) °

June 18 Workshop: The Science of Blues

So you’ve got some moves, and they look pretty cool… now how to make them *feel* amazing?

Join Danielle and Jules to explore how an awareness of body positioning and movement, as well as the physics of motion — direction, momentum, inertia, and more — can take your blues to new levels! No science background required — only a willingness to experiment with your blues! :]

WHERE: Chemagne Dance, 899 Bloor Street West (at Ossington)

WHEN: Saturday, June 18, 2:00-5:00 pm

COST:
$25 Earlybird (until May 31)
$30 Advanced Registration (until June 17)
$35 At the door

REGISTER ONLINE, or in person with Danielle at the next Toronto Blues Dance (May 27th at Habeeba’s).

Posted 07 May 2011 § Workshops ‡ Comments (0) °

Spring Blues Workshops

In THREE great workshops coming up this spring, we’ll be getting into some very cool concepts that will transform the way your blues looks and feels.

Sat, March 19, 2-5 pm: Partner Matching; Hold and Stretch
Learn to feel and respond to your partner’s movement in new ways, and milk the music for all it’s worth.

Sat, April 16, 2-5 pm: 12-Bar Blues; Marco- and Micro-Musicality
Learn to navigate one of the most common musical structures for blues, shaping dance patterns that complement the song, plus how to embody the overall feel of the music and play along with it in subtler ways.

Sat, May 28, 1-5 pm: The Science of Blues
Want your blues to feel amazing? Explore how an understanding of body movement and the physics of motion can take your blues to new levels!

REGISTER ONLINE for March, April or May, and save even more by taking more than one!
Earlybird pricing for March ends March 12!

Posted 07 March 2011 § Workshops ‡ Comments (0) °

April Workshop: 12-Bar Blues; Macro- and Micro-Musicality

Learn to navigate one of the most common musical structures for blues, shaping dance patterns that complement the song, plus how to embody the overall feel of the music and play along with it in subtler ways.

WHEN: Saturday, April 16, 2:00 – 5:00 pm

WHERE: Habeeba’s Dance Studio, 179 Dundas St. East

COST:
$25 Earlybird (until April 2)
$30 Regular Registration
$35 At the Door

REGISTER ONLINE.

============= Class Descriptions ============

12-Bar Blues (2:00-3:30 pm)
The Twelve-Bar Blues is one of the most iconic and popular structural patterns in blues music. Once we see and recognize this pattern, we can begin to merge our dancing to it, embrace the and enjoy the “quiet moments” in the music, recognize the “ramp up” and anticipate the “cooldown”, allowing ourselves to be slaves to the music and, when the time is right, recognize when to break free.

For:
- leads who find themselves needing a strong foundation in creating paced patterns,
- follows who want to enhance their musicality,
- anyone who wants the ability to sing along to songs they’ve never heard…

Macro- and Micro-Musicality (3:45-4:45 pm)
Learn to dance the music from the overall mood of the song, to the little hits and syncopations along the way.

Posted 07 March 2011 § Uncategorized ‡ Comments (0) °

March Workshop: “Partner Matching” and “Hold & Stretch”

Learn to feel and respond to your partner’s movement in new ways, and milk the music for all it’s worth!

WHEN: Saturday, March 19, 2:00 – 5:00 pm

WHERE: Habeeba’s Dance Studio, 179 Dundas St. East

COST:
$25 Earlybird (until March 12)
$30 Regular Registration
$35 At the Door

REGISTER ONLINE or in person at the next Toronto Blues Dance on March 11.

Let your friends know you’re going — RSVP to this event on Facebook!

============= Class Descriptions ============

Partner Matching (2:00-3:15 pm)

Gain awareness of how your partner’s shaping, energy and tone can change throughout a dance, and learn to match them. Find out what new possibilities these dimensions can add to your blues!

Hold & Stretch (3:30-4:45 pm)

Not so fast there! Sometimes less is more. Add richness and dynamics to your dances by holding back: savour the song by pausing through stillness, and stretch through your motions to really fill out the space the music gives you.

Contact danielle@bluesmovement.ca for more info.

Posted 06 March 2011 § Workshops ‡ Comments (0) °

Register now for 10-week progressive blues series!

It’s registration week at U of T Dance Club, which means it’s time to sign up for the 10-week progressive blues series with Danielle and Jules! You’ll learn great blues dancing fundamentals that’ll get you grooving on the dance floor. Then you’ll use what you’ve learned to pull off some smooth moves in a choreographed routine that we’ll teach in the later weeks of the course. (And yes, we’ll show you how to apply everything from the routine to your social dancing as well!)

Check out http://dance.sa.utoronto.ca/ for details about times and location for registering in advance (as well as schedule and location details for all UTDC classes). You can also sign up by bringing your registration fee to the first class, but spaces are limited, so register early to secure your spot!

Cost for the full 10 weeks is $40 for students (must show student ID at registration) and $80 for non-students — an awesome deal! :]

Posted 11 January 2011 § Classes ‡ Comments (0) °

Jan 22 Workshop: Blues Partnering and Musicality

Whether you’re just starting out or have been enjoying blues for a while, these workshops will explore some core concepts that’ll help take your blues to the next level. All levels; no partner required.

Where: Habeeba’s Dance Studio, 179 Dundas Street East (corner of Dundas and Jarvis)

When: Saturday, January 22, 2010

3:00-4:00 pm – Partnering in Blues
4:00-5:00 pm – Musicality

======= PRICING & REGISTRATION

Regular registration: $25
Advanced registration (pre-paid by January 17): $20

Register online at http://bluesmovementjanuary.eventbrite.com/

Register in person at the Yonge and Bloor Blues Dance on January 14:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=144545268932619

(… or contact Danielle at danielle@bluesmovement.ca to ask where you can find her dancing next!)

Posted 11 January 2011 § Workshops ‡ Comments (0) °

Blues Abroad

Serious about taking your blues to the next level (and meeting great dancers from all over the place in the process)? Check out some of these awesome workshop events happening over the next few months in other scenes around the US and Canada:

January:
Boston Fusion Exchange (Jan 7-9; Boston, MA) [Facebook event]
Winter Blues Intensive (Jan 29-30; Chicago, IL) [Facebook event]

March:
Steel City Blues Festival (Mar 11-13; Pittsburgh, PA*) [Facebook event]
Mile High Blues (Mar 27-29; Denver, CO) [event registration]

April:
Ottawa Blues Blast (Apr 8-10; Ottawa, ON*) [Facebook event]

May:
BluesSHOUT! (May 27-29; Boston, MA)

* Only a 5-6 hour drive away, so grab some friends and make a road trip of it!

Check out bluescal.com for more event listings, and TorontoBluesDance.com for upcoming workshops in Toronto (like this one :D)!

Posted 22 December 2010 § Uncategorized § Workshops ‡ Comments (0) °

Blues Classes at U of T Dance Club

Blues is a rhythmic, feel-good partner dance that gives dancers true freedom to express themselves and connect with their partner through the music. Traditionally danced to blues music, though more recently danced to other genres like pop and R&B as well, blues can be slow or fast, groovy or sweet, classy or gritty, sexy or silly — all depending on what you’re listening to.

Blues dance in Toronto is growing fast, and Danielle and Jules can’t wait to teach this progressive 10-week beginner series that’ll get you moving to the blues too! You’ll develop fundamental partner dancing skills and learn elements of blues dancing that will let you bring your own creativity to the social dance floor with confidence. Classes will build up to a short choreographed group routine by the final week. Beginners welcome. No partner required. Open to both students and non-students.

Classes start in January 2011 and run for 10 weeks. Schedule to be announced first thing in January (keep an eye on the UTDC website and Facebook group)!

Posted 06 December 2010 § Classes ‡ Comments (0) °