Workshops

This class may be the first look for many of you at Bolero, a beautiful Cuban dance (and musical genre) that will feel like stepping back in time to an era when the emphasis in the dance was on connection and feeling, rather than crazy turns and showing off. This class will aim to help you understand the music, the cultural context, and how we connect through the dance. You’ll learn fundamental movements as well as several patterns and variations to add to your repertoire. Through this movement, you’ll have fun, challenge yourself, and be able to have a much richer, more playful, and more connected dance when you’re out there in a social setting. And once you know what you’re listening for, you may just find bolero popping up everywhere you look, whether it’s a Havana d’Primera album or the latest track from Gente de Zona.

💃 Travel back in time to the heyday of mambo in the 1940s and 1950s, when the rhythm–with it’s emphasis on speed, horn blasts, and playful interactions between dancers both in couples and on solo–was all the rage. As always, the focus will be not only on learning and enjoying the movement, but also the music, culture, and history that led to this beautiful dance 😊

This class will explore different calls, concepts, structures, and foundational techniques to dance a style of rueda that incorporates movement, change of direction, and playfulness with the music. We’ll go way beyond simple calls that involve only one partner and happen to be danced while standing around in a circle to USING the rueda for fluidity, smoothness, and flow.

Focusing on the connection, groove, and elegance of son, this class will teach an understanding of the rhythm and movements through partner dance, focusing on technique and musicality. We’ll begin solo though, to encourage development of fluidity and timing in our movement. The focus will be not only on understanding the rhythm, but on leading and following that can actually be applied in social settings to make your dances much more enjoyable.

You’re gonna love this class whether it’s your first time dancing suelta or you’re an old vet. We mix together concepts from a variety of Cuban dance styles with the goal of helping you to add lots of style, authenticity, and flavor to your dance repertoire. Suelta is danced solo–no partner needed–and is intended for that moment in the music when you want to get your groove on. The class will focus on developing control over your own body movement and various ways of interpreting what’s happening musically in our dance.