Blues Rising Classes
The class levels at Blues Rising are intended for dancers
who have some Blues Dancing experience. If you have taken
some beginning classes and have gone out Blues Dancing, then
you should be ready for most of the classes. Classes with
more advanced material will be listed as such on
the
final class schedule.
List of classes
This class will focus on Andrew's personal take on musicality, focusing on the emotion and style of the music. This will stretch everyones boundries, both with their partners and themselves, focusing on building on their strengths and at the same time, taking them out of their norm. This is Andrew's favorite class to teach.
Creating and expressing tension, or suspense, in your latenight blues. We will work on using our breaths, varied timing, resistance, stretch, isolations, and more... to experience a more intimate blues connection.
This is my fundamental blues class, but don't let the word fundamental scare you off. This is anything but ordinary. Many have said that this class alone has revolutionized their dancing. It teaches the very necessary connection elements to my blues style. Not to mention, it helps people understand the paramount principle of "Less is More".
It is a common misconception that Blues dancing doesn't move around much; but on the contrary. This class teaches how to use blues movements to travel across the floor without loosing that delicious blues connection that we all crave.
Blues is a sensuous dance, not necessarily a sensual dance. This class shows how to differentiate with emotional movements and help clarify the message you want to send.
We'll be breaking down everything that makes Blues work. This class is for intermediate and advanced dancers, we will explore the "foundation" of foundations by getting into the heart of connection in Blues dancing.
Make your blues more dynamic by creating changes and enhancing the flow of the dance. The music doesn't get stuck in a rut, so neither should your dancing. We will help you expand the direction your dance is growing by learning new ways to travel. Elevate your blues to a new level and in a new dimension.
It all comes from the music, so that's what we'll be working on. As we find new ways to connect to the music we can express it through connection and dance. In the end, the music, your partner and yourself become seamlessly one.
Too often we slip into a rut of thinking that because we are leading (and it is being followed) or following (what is being lead) that we are "dancing." This class pushes you beyond just leading and following to help you re-evaluate how you think of "dancing." We'll learn a little about translating solo movement into partner movement, about leading without overpowering, about following without high-jacking, about musicality, and about how to really express yourself, communicate, be creative, and DANCE.
Bring your personal style fully into a dance and to your partner. At the same time, not only match but immerse yourself in your partner's style as well. In this class we'll look at ways to actively communicate your style with clarity. We'll also practice listening to and adapting to our partner's style.
We will explore a unique blend of how to dance to the energy of music and that of your partner. Plus we will get into some ideas of how to create your own path and ways to set your self free or on fire.
In this class, follows will learn the art of really filling out the connection with frame, hips and weight. Leads will learn the tools necessary to let the follow work hard for you, such as precision of movement and groundedness. By the end of this class, the dance should feel utterly natural, complete and amazing.
Music is the inspiration of the dancing. The trumpets and clarinets can demand certain things of a dancer as clearly as a girl telling her boyfriend to "put away the video game!" In this class, I don't want to work on specific stylings or hitting breaks. I want to explore the overall mood and character of the dance at its core. By the end of the class, you should have the tools to embody the emotion of the song and to communicate your interpretation to others.
No really, that's what the class is named. In this class you build trust in your partner though connections that lead to dips, drops, lifts and other blues tricks. *Note, this will not be a lesson in choreography. The Blarials will be created through natural blues movement on the social dance floor. By the end of the class, both leaders and followers should be able to comfortably request and grant the trust and skills that can make these tricks happen.
Learn how to establish and maintain various points of contact and connection with your partner in order to juice up your dancing. This class will also touch on solo and partnered body isolations, how to bring breathing to your blues dancing, and if there's time...a moment of massage.
Once they reach a certain level of technique, the learning curve levels out for many dancers because of some specific feelings, attitudes and beliefs. This class will explore those road blocks to becoming a great dancer and present some simple exercises that will help students overcome them. Our goal is to encourage confident and creative dancers on the social floor.
Focus, attitude, confidence, bearing. These are key elements of great dancing, and they can be developed through the application of concrete exercises and techniques. We will work on these techniques, perhaps change your perspective a bit, and help you to develop the the skills that will keep dancers coming back for more...
Once you learn to feel the energy of connection without movement, then you can create movement using that energy. The movement created in this way will be unique, intensely personal, and intensely musical.
There are more styles of blues dancing than there are individuals doing it. Solomon's dancing is known for its uniqueness, and for its rhythmic and emotional intensity. In this class you'll learn the basics of one of the styles of blues that characterize Solomon's dancing.
We'll be sharing the Doghouse on Saturday night with Lindy Hoppers, and Solomon will be teaching a beginning blues class open to anyone attending the Saturday dance.
Our advanced flying workshop. Students will learn tools to broaden their improvisational pallet when in the air. Come learn how to be bad-ass in the air. Laura and topher's class is a prerequisite except by permission of the instructors. Be sure to wear comfortable, loose clothes as we will be using floor work in some exercises.
Now follows, this isn't back-leading because leads like it. Shared initiation unlocks a depth of creativity allowing follows and leads to access the others ideas as a source of inspiration. Leads will learn how to open that door for their follows and use what they discover on the other side. Follows will learn how to open doors for themselves and give back to their leads. Be sure to wear comfortable, loose clothes as we will be using floor work in some exercises.
When the music pops who wants to be caught with only a shimmy in their pocket? We will address how to draw a core of energy from blues that overflows with it, unleashing at just the right moment through syncopation, flying, stillness.
