Workshops

Our goal is to offer you fresh, fun classes that help you bring your moves from the workshop to the dance floor! To that end, Austin Blues Party is bringing some of the finest blues instructors to town.

We've got two days of workshops lined up, to make sure we have a little something for everyone. Class descriptions and more details about our event tracks are coming soon.

Meet our all-star roster of instructors:

Heidi Fite & Dexter Santos (San Francisco)
Jerry & Kathy Warwick (Dallas)
Amanda Gruhl & Chris Mayer (Boston)
"Texas" Tommy Schwegmann & Karen Smith (Austin & Seattle)

Check them out on the bios page!

Class Schedule

Here is the tentative workshop schedule for the weekend. This is, of course, subject to change!

Below please find the updated workshop schedule. Studio assignments may still change on the day of the workshops, so make sure to check the schedule posted at Galaxy Dance Studio.

Class descriptions are found at the bottom of this page. Levels are indicated by (A) for advanced (auditions required), (I) for intermediate, and (F) for fundamentals (beginner friendly).

Saturday July 21, 2012 - Galaxy Dance Studio

Time	Studio 1	Studio 4	Studio 2
10am-11am	So you think you can dance? (A) Chris & Amanda	The Awesome of Blues (I) Jerry & Kathy	Grooves - double or nothing! (F) Tommy & Karen
11:30am-12:30pm	Solo Blues (I) Heidi & Dexter	Objects in Motion (F) Chris & Amanda	Power moves (I) Jerry & Kathy
12:30pm-1:30pm	Lunch
1:30pm-2:30pm	World of Floorcraft (I) Chris & Amanda	The Essence of Blues Movement (F) Jerry & Kathy	Get Rhythm (when you get the blues...) (A) Heidi & Dexter
3pm-4pm	Big and Small - Blues Has Got It All (I) Jerry & Kathy	Singin' the Blues (F) Heidi & Dexter	Rotational Madness - Partnered Pivots (A) Tommy & Karen
4:30pm-5:30pm	Centrifugal Control (I) Tommy & Karen	Defying Gravity (A) Chris & Amanda	Performance Blues (I) Heidi & Dexter

Sunday July 22, 2012 - Galaxy Dance Studio

Workshop classes on Sunday are geared toward all levels.

Time	Studio 1	Studio 4	Studio 2
1pm-2pm	Fast Blues Heidi & Dexter	Defining Blues Jerry & Kathy	Inspired By Chris & Amanda
2:30pm-3:30pm	Intro to Shuffle Box Jerry & Kathy	Power Lines Chris & Amanda	The Sugar in your Bowl Heidi & Dexter
4pm-5pm	Playing Footsie Chris & Amanda	Bring the Fun! Tommy & Karen	The Challenge 2012 Jerry & Kathy
5:30pm-6:30pm	Ooga Chaka! Tommy & Karen	Meet the Musicmakers DJs	Open Practica

All workshops will be held at Galaxy Dance Studios. This year, we are bringing you three levels of classes to choose from on Saturday. Auditions will be held for the advanced track, first thing Saturday morning. Classes on Sunday will be open to all levels.

If you are new to blues dancing, make sure to come early to the dance on Friday, July 20 — there will be a crash course at 8 pm with Tommy & Karen.

Class descriptions

Fundamentals

The Essence of Blues Movement - Kathy & Jerry

Moving effectively across the floor while maintaining a blues aesthetic.

Singin' the Blues - Heidi & Dexter

OK, we won't really be singing... this class is about using the structure of the music to inform your dance. You'll learn about the use of scale, tension and release, call and response, melody and rhythm to make your blues dancing more musical and add your own personality to the dance.

Grooves - Double or Nothing! - Karen & Tommy

Get your groove on - develop foundational variations to double, multiply or square the amount of things you can do in a dance!

World of Floorcraft - Amanda & Chris

Dancing's easy in the classroom, but what about on the dance floor? With all the other people around, you have to look out for you and your partner. But don't worry, we'll play games to level up your awareness and teach you the techniques you need to be a better partner.

NOTE: The following class is scheduled for 8pm on Saturday, before the main dance. All are welcome to attend. If you are not registered for the workshops, there will be an extra charge of $5 at the door.

Objects in Motion - Amanda & Chris

Dancers obey the laws of physics - a follow in motion stays in motion until acted upon by an outside lead. We'll teach the basics of momentum, tension, and compression and see how well you can apply them.

"Dancing With The Stars" - Blues Dancing to Compete - Heidi & Dexter

Get unique perspectives about competing and judging to help give you the competitive edge. Learn competition trade secrets and strategies to help you and your partner stand out on the dance floor while knowing what judges look for in your dancing. Topics such as aesthetics, musicality, and creativity will be covered along with other tips and pointers to help improve your game. This class will be part lecture and part mock-contest. (NOTE: This class is scheduled for 8pm on Saturday, before the main dance. All contestants are welcome to attend. If you are not registered for the workshops, there will be an extra charge of $5 at the door.)

Intermediate

Solo Blues - Heidi & Dexter

The roots of the Blues dancing lie in solo movement. This class will introduce you to a wide array of solo Blues vocabulary (including Fishtail, Shimmy, Shake n Bake, Mooch, Snake hips, Low down, Black bottom), which can give your dance identity, while providing a means for your own individual expression and interpretation. In this class, we'll also cover isolations and polyrhythms as we cover the movements.

Performance Blues - Heidi & Dexter

Ever wonder how you take the energy between you and your partner and communicate it to people beyond your dance without losing that wonderful Blues connection? We'll discuss that and cover some ideas and techniques to develop and improve your dance aesthetics, your lines, your partnering and your showmanship

The Awesome of Blues - Kathy & Jerry

Blues can great or it can be meh. Understand the difference you can make in your blues dancing.

World of Floorcraft - Amanda & Chris

Big and Small - Blues Has Got It All - Kathy & Jerry

Adjusting moves and movement to match the feel of the music. Texture is one thing that can make your blues dancing "POP". Whether it is Fast or Slow, Big or Little, Hard or Soft, texture will create a wonderful 'ride'. Nobody likes a roller coaster with no tricks!

Centrifugal Control - Karen & Tommy

Centrifugal Control works on the fundamental movement of traveling and turning across the floor. Pivot turns make your footwork beautiful, clean and controlled. We'll do 3 moves to showcase follow, lead, and combined sweetness.

Advanced

So you think you can dance? - Amanda & Chris (Tryouts)

This year, our classes are going to be tracked and if you're interested in taking the advanced track you will have to test into it.

Defying Gravity - Amanda & Chris

The enemy of any great trick is effort -- anything you do should look as easy as walking. Here you and your partner will learn how to use your bodies to give the illusion that the follows can glide through the air.

Get Rhythm (when you get the blues...) - Heidi & Dexter

You know all about the "pulse" or rhythm inherent in Blues music, but do you know how to use your body or footwork to emphasize this rhythm? Think outside the box! Explore adding stylish rhythmic variations to your basic steps, adding isolations, and adding polyrhythmic body movement to your dance.

Power Moves - Kathy & Jerry

Bring your partner, no rotation, eat your Wheaties, and prepare to sweat… 'nuff said.

Rotational Madness - Partnered Pivots - Karen & Tommy

In this class we'll have a rotational party, spinning down the floor in closed, with a partner! We'll start solo to get squeaky clean footwork and develop some mad skills so as to support our partnership, then put it together and rock it out!

All levels

Fast Blues - Heidi & Dexter

Blues is not just for slow songs! - This class teaches you to hear the differences within a song and between different songs that should influence the way you dance. You'll also learn how to use the Blues movements and Blues aesthetic that you've learned in previous classes so that you can Blues dance to faster songs (up to 200 bpm!).

The Sugar In Your Bowl - Heidi & Dexter

Just like the lead, the follow hears the music and forms ideas on how to express that in their dance. But because of the lead/follow dynamic, the follows have to listen to the leads' interpretation of the music first. More often that not, the voice of the dance comes more from the lead than than the follow. What's a poor follow to do? In this class, we will be appreciating the follow and encouraging her to add to the conversation in a dance allowing her express her creativity and even provide inspiration to her lead. As a follow, you'll be empowered to move with greater confidence on the dance floor. As a lead, you'll have a renewed appreciation for the follow that has transformed in front of your eyes. While the moves are focused on follows, leads play an important and supporting part by providing the framework for their follows' creativity and expression.

Power Lines - Amanda & Chris

Blues dancing is about looking like a badass, and making powerful lines while you move is essential. We'll polish your shapes and give your ballroomin' some bite. Show your partner you're a live wire!

Inspired By... - Amanda & Chris

The best dances happen when both partners are inspired by the other to do things they've never done before! Learn to play off your partner's ideas and energy by listening to the music and each other.

Playing Footsie - Amanda & Chris

One of the most fun parts of tango is the legplay. Legs entwine, knees twist, and feet connect. Learn new ways to lead and follow below the waist...that are all publicly appropriate, of course.

Defining Blues - Kathy & Jerry

Do you feel the music, I mean really feel the music? Do you know where blues music lives within you? DJ Jerry will take you on the road, past basic Blues structure to discover where the blues lives within you and how to bring it out in your dance.

The Challenge 2012 - Kathy & Jerry

We dance, perform, and compete together... Can we get through the challenge course together? This class is designed to challenge your individual ability to think about the dance in more creative, visually dynamic, and musical ways. Along the way, we have discovered it is also a great way to build communities, understand the learning process, and produce something everyone is proud of. (This class uses choreography as a teaching aid and works best when an equal number of leaders and followers attend, so please bring a partner. We will switch partners around so don't get too attached.)

Intro to Shuffle Box - Kathy & Jerry

Take the simple box step out of the ballroom studio, shake it up & spin it around, make it lose its job, lose its dog, have its spouse run off with the mail man, have it find comfort in the arms of Dr. Feelgood, then toss it out of a box car onto the streets of Dallas Texas... Can it drag its way into the nearest Blues bar and survive? That's the Shuffle Box.

Bring the Fun! - Karen & Tommy

Fun games and tools to manage your own energy, mood, and attitude you bring to the dance. Make sure you're dancing *your* dance while connecting with your partner of whatever level and enjoying the experience together.

Ooga Chaka! - Karen & Tommy

In this class we'll all be witch doctors and use games to balance the energy of the ballroom to be just the way we want it! Want more fun? More creativity? More energy? Less lamesauce? Here's how to get it!

Meet the musicmakers - the DJs...

Shop talk for the music makers, DJs, and anyone interested in chatting about the craft.