A Weekend of
Blues Seasoned Fusion
4 Incredible Instructors
13 Workshops
Class descriptions and instructor biographies are below the schedule.
City In Motion is your chance to try new things, to find something you want more of, and especially find new inspiration in the familiar.
SATURDAY
January 27, 2024
10:30a-11:15a
Hangout and take your rapid test
If you haven’t checked in
11:15a-12:30p
Blues Fundamentals for Fusion Dancers
with Heidi, Jamica, Jenny, & Ruby
12:55p-2:10p
Slow Drag Blues Introduction
with Jamica & Jenny
Deeper Blues
with Ruby & Heidi
3:15p-4:30p
Ribcage Mechanics for Dancers
with Ruby
Solo Sexy Blues
with Jamica
4:55p-6:10p
Advanced Blues
with Heidi
The Fun in No
with Jenny
SUNDAY
January 28, 2024
1:10p-1:40p
Hangout and take your rapid test
If you haven’t checked in
1:40p-2:55p
Dark Arts and Ninja Skills for Follows*
with Ruby & Heidi
Even More Slow Drag Blues
with Jamica & Jenny
3:20p-4:35p
Jazz with Sass & Class
with Jenny
Repetition works, David. Repetition works David.
with Ruby
5:00p-6:15p
Dance Training Ground
with Heidi, Jamica, Jenny & Ruby
Head-to-Toes Dancer Self-Care
with Emily Webb
Heidi Fite (she/her)
began dancing, teaching, and djing Blues dances in St. Louis in 1999. She has been dancing, teaching, performing, and djing ever since. An early promoter of Blues dancing, she founded the first national Blues dance workshop (Cheap Thrills), which has since transformed into the nation's largest Blues dance workshop and competition weekend (bluesSHOUT!).
Now busy with family, Heidi no longer runs bluesSHOUT!, but she continues to travel the world teaching Blues dance as a living tradition, with a rich history and an exciting future. From local classes to international workshops to historical research and documentation of the dance, she is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Blues dancing.
This weekend, you can count on her set to put some serious 'boom boom boom' and 'aw haw haw haw' in your dancing.
Jamica Zion (they/she)
Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Jamica Zion takes pride in being a dynamic follow and growing lead. Jamica aims for range, not just in connection and style, but across genres too! They hold multiple titles in Blues and Lindy Hop contests from top US events including Lindy Focus, Camp Jitterbug, Beantown, and Camp Hollywood. When Jamica is not social dancing, teaching, or working on choreography, she is likely spending time with her dog, reading, playing video games, napping, or spending time with loved ones. Jamica's approach towards sharing dance with others includes a critical understanding and appreciation of its history and culture, while simultaneously ushering students to build their own styles and meaningful connections to it. Jamica draws on their professional training from working with organizations like the Anti-Defamation League, and educational background which includes nearly three degrees in Sociology. This unique blend of experiences, pedagogy, and knowledge allows Jamica to deliver inclusive and culturally responsible classes that are creative, fun, and original!
Jenny Sowden (she/her)
“You are truth in motion when you dance, Ms S.” - Jason
Jenny Sowden is an award winning, full-time, international dance instructor based in New York City where she is the founder and director of Brooklyn Swings. Jenny has been training in dance for over twenty-five years and teaching for over twenty, with a BA in Dance and Theater from San Diego State University. She has studied 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, variety, expression and an understanding of body mechanics. Jenny believes the dance floor is a ‘World of Yes,’ where by constantly accepting and being inspired by what happens, creates an amazing place to be. We then take classes in a ‘World of Intention’ to expand our ‘World of Yes.’ Find out more at JennySowden.com.
Ruby Red (she/her)
A lifelong student of movement, I studied ballet at the San Francisco Ballet, modern dance at Mills College, music production at Mills’ Center for Contemporary Music and eventually trained in San Francisco to be a Master Bodyworker in a variety of modalities. After exploring Trapeze and Silks at San Francisco’s Circus Center, performing Burlesque in underground clubs and training in the instructor program at the American Chinese Martial Arts Federation I discovered the world of social dance at the San Francisco Community College in the year 2000. After exploring the Ballroom Dances, Argentine Tango, West Coast Swing and Salsa, I had the fortune of attending a Frankie Manning workshop in 2001 where he told the story of the battle of the bands between Chick Webb and Benny Goodman and his performance of the first air-steps. It was then that I realized that Swing Dance would last me for the rest of my life. After all, Frankie was 89 at the time and still going strong!
Through Swing dancing I was invited to an an underground blues dance party and by 2005 I was teaching and DJing at the first iterations of Friday Night Blues in San Francisco. Since then I’ve traveled the US and to the UK to teach, DJ and share my love of Blues and Swing with other dancers. I continue to study other movement styles, yoga, and strength training to bolster my movement awareness. Now based in Chicago, I’ve worked to foster the blues community here through the creation of Bluetopia (Chicago’s monthly blues dance) as well as the Chicago Underground Blues Experience, Chicago’s annual celebration of Blues fest. I continue to travel to other cities to connect, collaborate and bring inspiration back to my community.
Blues Fundamentals for Fusion Dancers
Heidi, Jamica, Jenny, & Ruby
Description coming soon
Slow Drag blues
Jamica & Jenny
America's first partnered blues dance! Emerging in the 1890s, this close embrace slow dance has continued to stand the test of time and changing genres. In this class you will see some old inspirational clips, understand the social-political significance, practice the fundamentals, and have the opportunity to level up your rhythm and nonverbal communication. Come see why Jenny and Jamica are so passionate about this dance!
Intermediate Blues
Heidi & ruby
Description coming soon
Ribcage Mechanics for Dancers
Ruby Red
Learn about how your breathing mechanics affect your dance connection, arm mechanics, core stability, and ultimately, your ability to move your feet as intended. This won’t just be an anatomy class. You’ll get to integrate new practices into partnership and into your personal movement practice.
You’ll need: your feet without shoes, socks, and any extra jackets, sweatshirts, or other outer-wear that you travel with. If you have myofascial release tools with you, or yoga mats, you can bring those too, but they aren’t required.
SOlo Sexy BLues
Jamica Zion
The Blues encompasses a wide range of styles and topics with sex and sexuality being one of the most well known themes. From the classical blues queens like Lucile Bogan and Ma Rainey, to versatile Lowell Fulson and iconic Muddy Waters, there are many sexy flavors to appreciate. Regardless of your level of experience, this class will help you explore your own flavor using blues aesthetics. Worried about being uncomfortable, cringey, or culturally insensitive? Jamica is known to help her students get comfortable through laughter, positive encouragement, and increased social awareness.
Advanced blues
Heidi fite
Description coming soon
The fun in no
Jenny sowden
Let's get into the variety, fun, and wit of saying yes, no, and not yet... in movement. Both sides of the conversation will get ways to respond and react. Get the inside joke, be surprised, and keep dancing.
Dark Arts & Ninja Skills for Follows*
Ruby & HEidi
Anticipate, Precipitate, Tesselate, Eviscerate and Dissipate. You’re a force of nature, wily and cunning, with the ability to slip in and out of your partner’s embrace, steal their chi, nab some gold, do a jig, and quickly move on to the next victim, ahem, partner.
Which end of the sword do you want to be on? Leads, learn how to match your opponent and counter with powerful spells that will regain your mana and transform them into your ally, thus assuring the destruction of all who oppose you and your mutual rule of the universe.
You’ll need: spellbook, super powers, robe and wizard hat.
More Drag Blues
Jenny & Jamica
Jamica and Jenny respect the slow drag tradition, but they also value the natural evolution of the dance and love to play with it. This second class will build on the first, so the first class is a prerequisite. Slow drag has evolved to include footwork variations and even moving around the room, it has adapted to a variety of genres, and newer dances have built off of it. This class will explore the innovations through clips and practice, and will end with time to experiment!
Jazz with sass & class
Jenny sowden
Jazz has quite a range from Classy, Sassy, to even a lil Dirty by contrast. We will get to examples in music, movement, and how contrast and focus can get you into this playful way to approach Jazz.
Dance training ground
Heidi, Jamica, Jenny, & Ruby
Description coming soon
Repetition works, David. Repetition works David.
Ruby Red
How to use the power of repetition in your practice.
Head-to-Toes Dancer Self-Care
emily webb
Do you have tight shoulders? Sore feet? Or maybe you're just tired all over. This class will release tension, give your feet the love they deserve and hit the energy reset button on your body. We will work a series of movement exercises (which you can also do at home) to stretch and align your body so you can dance at your best all night long. This class is a bit different each time I teach it and will always give your body the self-care it needs to keep dancing at your best.