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 COMING UP!
Thursday, October 8:
Visiting instructors Kelsy and Damon Stone teach intermediate and beginner-friendly blues dance classes!
Damon Stone has been dancing his entire life, starting with vernacular Jazz/Blues first taught to him at the tender age of six by his grandmother. After nearly a decade of learning at the heels of his elders, he went on and eventually studied numerous dance forms until coming full circle in 1995 to focus primarily on the history and styles of partner dances as his family danced them with a special focus on the Southern Blues styles from the Mississippi Delta region. He has studied the development of vernacular Jazz/Blues dance across the United States learning from a number of the original dancers.
He is largely regarded as one of the foremost authorities on Blues idiom dance and has been interviewed as a dance historian in documentary, dissertation, podcast, radio, and newspaper. Damon has been a featured instructor at camps, festivals, and workshops around the world.
Kelsy Stone brings her lifetime of dance training, a passion for vernacular dance, and a sharp eye for technique to the Blues dance world. She has brought her joy and knowledge of Blues idiom dances to some of the most important and high-profile events in the USA and across five continents, including but not limited to: bluesSHOUT!, The Experiment, Muse, Hearken the Blues, and Seoul Blues Dance Festival—serving as faculty, mentor, competition coordinator, and judge.
Kelsy’s critical eye and love of deep technique are tempered by her love of “dad jokes,” getting lost in the music, and embracing of the ridiculous. She shows her appreciation of African American culture by speaking of the history of Blues idiom dance and taking her craft seriously, but never herself. She believes every mistake is an opportunity to learn, every class an opportunity to challenge, and every dance an opportunity to pay respect to those who came before.
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 Blues Dance DJ’d by Brie K and Amanda Comi!
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.