As a naive Southern California college student, Blake discovered swing dancing with a whimsical New Year’s resolution to try learning the dancing he saw in Swing Kids (1993). Little did he know, SoCal was one of the world’s largest scenes, with a rich history and dozens of the world’s best dancers and instructors. Immediately hooked, he developed a relentless obsession for Lindy, Balboa, and Collegiate Shag. He’s since gone on to win in a variety of international competitions and has taught around the world in places like Europe, Korea, Japan, Australia, and the US.
In his free time, Blake loves to study vintage dance clips. He has a deep reverence for the original dancers and loves to teach classes that focus on particular styles and techniques they used. As an instructor he also focuses on imparting his values of partner connection, tasteful musicality, and developing beautiful basics. While he loves practice, competition, and performance, his favorite thing about dancing is just having a simple, deeply-connected social dance with a like-minded partner.
Alice Jeng fell in love with swing dancing the moment she attended her first local social dance in Durham, North Carolina. She immediately became hooked on the feel and aesthetics of Balboa and soon after began to travel all over the US for balboa workshops and competitions. Drawing from her musical background in piano, she leverages her intuitive understanding of music on the dance floor and is known to deeply value connection, technique, and subtlety in her balboa. In just a short number of years of competing, she has become known for her poise, nuanced connection, and eye-catching agility. In 2019, Alice moved to Southern California where she continues to dance and compete regularly. She has since gone on to win a variety of international competitions (including CalBal, Camp Hollywood, NY Bal Week) and has taught in the US, Europe, and Asia.
The level of the workshop is for those who are familiar with Balboa's Basic Steps.
Each class begins with a basic review, advances to applications and variations, and ends with challenging content.
*caution
Photography or recording during class is prohibited.
The recap video after the class is for personal practice only, so please do not upload it to social media etc.
If you have any questions, please ask them during class. Please refrain from asking personal questions during breaks.
ワークショップのレベルはバルボアのベイシックステップを一通り踊れるダンサー向けになります。
各クラス、ベイシック→応用→ヴァリエーション→チャレンジという流れの内容になります。
venue : Meguro Persimmon Small Hall
7 minutes walk from Toritsu Daigaku station.( Tokyo-Toyoko line by local )
13:00-13:30 registration
13:30-14:35 / class 1
Out and In Flows
Make your out and ins feel amazing and glide across the floor.
14:45-15:50 / class 2
Lollies and Maxie Style Swivels
The right lolly and swivel technique can be the difference between fighting with your partner and flowing with your partner. Come learn to use your arms in rotation the easy and effortless way.
16:00-17:05 / class 3
Texas Tommy and Elbow Catches
The Texas Tommy and Lolly elbow catch both lead to a classic Balboa double turn behind the leader's back. Come work on the footwork and turn technique to make this step smooth and easy.
venue : Sakurashinmachi Residents' Community Center
5 minutes walk from Sakurashinmachi station. ( Denentoshi line by local or semi express )
12:30-12:45 registration
12:45-13:50 / class 1
Roll In Roll Out Rhythms
Arm slide (or long arm) has a lot of connection to lead and follow different rhythmic possibilities. We'll learn how to use relaxation and tension in the right places to do this.
14:00-15:05 / class 2
Pure Bal: Build Your Own Basic
Learn some of the common pieces of pure Bal and how to make them look effortless and partnered. Then play with all the possible variations to make your own unique basic.
15:15-16:20 / class 3
Dynamics of Grapevine Turns
The grapevine turn has a lot of small adjustments you can make to create different variations. We'll explore these and different techniques for the basic move.
*Schedule is subject to change