Blues Foundations: Every Thursday
New to blues dance? Experienced dancer trying to level up your dancing? We host a beginner-friendly foundations lesson at 8:15pm every week before the dance. Come try it out or refresh your skills! No partner or prior experience required. See more info below.
Special Event Thursday, August 6:
Visiting Instructor Kenneth Shipp teaches Improving Stretch in Jookin’ & Ballroomin’!
Kenneth will teach both the intermediate and beginner classes and DJ!
Intermediate lesson 7–8pm ($25 at the door, no pre-registration)
The intermediate class topic will be improving your stretch within Jookin’ and Ballroom Blues dances, how to build and release that stretch in satisfying ways, and what it opens up in your connections and movements!
Beginner-friendly lesson 8:15–9pm ($10 at the door, no pre-registration)
Paying for either class gets you into the dance for free!
Blues Dance 9pm–11:30pm DJ’d by Kenneth and Niko Balcom
Kenneth Shipp hails from St. Louis, MO. He grew up dancing hip-hop and DJing breaking comps before jumping into blues. He has spent the past few years passionately studying the family of blues idioms, incorporating his nerdy personality along the way. Kenneth’s life experiences inform his dancing and teaching style so that students walk away with a better historical and contextual understanding. With every class and practice, he’ll encourage you to approach social dancing with coolness, relaxation, or in other words “Chill The F$%& Out.” When he’s not dancing, you can likely find him ranting about the latest blockbuster movie, game, or nerd convention, or desperately trying to dismantle toxic institutions.
Special Event Thursday, August 27:
Visiting Instructor Fen Lastra joins us to teach intermediate and beginner-friendly blues dance classes!
Dr. Fen Lastra is a full-time dance geek based in upstate New York, where they work as a dance professor and historian. They have been dancing Blues since 2010, supporting events as a competition coordinator, access and safety lead, and instructor. Fen’s classes are known for combining granular technique with a spirit of play and curiosity – they would love for you to ask them to dance!
Intermediate lesson 7–8pm ($25 at the door, no pre-registration)
Beginner-friendly lesson 8:15–9pm ($10 at the door, no pre-registration)
Paying for either class gets you into the dance for free!
9pm–11:30pm DJ’d Blues Dance
Weekly Drop-In Foundations Classes taught by Capital Blues staff
Time: 8:15pm–9pm
Location: Back Room, Glen Echo Park
Cost: $10 covers admission to the class at 8:15pm and the DJ’d dance from 9pm to 11:30pm. No reservation required!
Wearing smooth-soled shoes that slide easily will help you dance comfortably and protect our wooden floors.
Instructors and topics rotate, so each class teaches something a little different. Several instructors also offer private lessons.
Occasionally we offer class series or one-off lessons with resident and traveling instructors that dive deeper into specific blues dance styles and topics. Some of these classes require previous experience.