Downtown Blues

We are happy to announce that the amazing dancers and instructors Jenny Sowden & Dan Repsch are coming to Dublin on the 26th and 27th May. Downtown Blues have been trying, for a while, to get these teachers here for you! Jenny & Dan are known for being mind opening and enlightening, you’re in for a dancing treat!

This workshop will be focused in Blues Dance Aesthetic and Vocabulary with a bit of Blues History during the classes.

Registrations will open on Sunday 6th May at noon, stay tuned for more details.

Workshop Class Descriptions:

Level 1:

• Building Better Blues:
  This is an all-levels class that works from the ground up. We’ll start with the foundations and fine-tune those all-important details, including posture, pulse and other elements that create blues aesthetic. No matter where you are in your dancing, you’ll take something new away from this class.
   
• Effortless Embrace:
  We’ll start with creating a great embrace connection, and how to pass effortlessly between embrace and closed. Then we’ll share some vocabulary for this comfortable dance position that will sweep you across the floor.

Level 2:

• Round and Round:
  Sometimes movements start with a rotation before the woosh! We'll refine the technique of creating a rotational stretch, then use that to create a few different movements.
   
• Chicago Blues:
  Chicago Blues: a style soaked in beer and raised in bars. We're going to use this music to find just what it brings out. Expect to refine an invitational lead and follow style, while exploring a range from powerful to laziness can play into your dance. Be ready to put an ear to rhythm.
   
• Movin’ On Up:
  We will identify the key areas that will take your dance to the next level, and give you homework to walk away with while honing your Blues Aesthetic.

Level for Blues Dance Teachers:

• Determinate / Indeterminate:
  How did they know I was going to do that?! Sometimes you sync so well with a partner that the connection seems telepathic. Jenny and Dan will share what they use to form this connection through musical choices, preps, and body language to make it feel like you and your partner are on the same brainwave.
   
• Movin’ On Up:
  We will identify the key areas that will take your dance to the next level, and give you homework to walk away with while honing your Blues Aesthetic.

Workshop Levels:

Level 1:
This level is aimed for Beginner Blues dancers. If you have attended even one Blues class, this is your level.

Level 2:
This level is aimed for dancers that are more experienced in their dance and have done some Blues courses / Workshops. One year of regular blues dance classes are encouraged.

Level for Blues Dance Teachers:
This level is focused on more technical aspects of Blues dancing and dedicated to dancers that are teaching Blues Dance. The classes will include a pedagogical component.

To apply for this level, contact us.

Venue:

All classes will be at Dance Ireland (Liberty Corner, Foley St, Dublin 1).

Social Dancing will be at MyArt (Newmarket, Merchants Quay, Dublin 8). Please note, this venue is not a bar, so you should bring your own drinks. Beer and wine are okay, but no spirits please.

Dan & Jenny are both full-time international dance instructors traveling to share the joy of dance. They've won many competitions around the country both separately and together in Lindy Hop and Blues.  Dan & Jenny have found themselves teaching together with ease throughout events with a focus on musicality, fine movement detail, and play between partners.Dan is immersed in the music and the movement. He constantly travels to continue learning, happily sharing his ideas along the way. In his teaching, Dan’s enthusiastic approach brings a focus on innovation, connection, and attention to your partner. Dan is also a veteran DJ, spinning for events locally and across continents on a weekly basis, and has dabbled in organizing for events and local dances. In the end, Dan is most excited to push his own dancing and to see his students break through their boundaries.

Jenny, based in NYC, is also a DJ and Director/Co-Founder of Brooklyn Swings, a Swing & Blues dance school in New York. Jenny has been training in dance for over 25 years and teaching for over 20 years, with a BA in Dance and Theater from San Diego State University. She is trained in 34 different styles of movement including Ballet, Tap, Hip Hop, West African, Capoeira, Aikido, Tango, Salsa, Lindy hop, Balboa, and Blues. Her background influences her teaching and general style through musicality, variation, expression, and an understanding of body mechanics. Jenny believes the dance floor is a 'World of Yes' where we accept and are inspired. In turn we take classes in a 'World of Intention' to expand our 'World of Yes.'

Dan & Jenny’s general vibe is uber playful; just watch them dance! They like to challenge and play with their students, sharing both classic and new approaches while keeping one’s own unique style.