Basement Blues Summer Special w Kenneth Ship

Its summer and its getting hot! The perfect thing for a blues special! Blues Special w/ Kenneth Shipp, a US dancer that is ready to share his personal experiences of growing up and the blues! This will be a special full not only of dancing, but also the cultural perspective that makes us better understand the feeling of the blues. Date: 30 July Time: 16.30 - 18.30 Texas Shuffle Special 19.00 - 20.00 Black Ballroom Dynamics 20.15 - 21.15 Back to the Juke Joint 21.30 first set live music 22.30 second set live music Where: Grand Cafe Frankendael (Middenweg 116, Amsterdam) Price: 4h of Classes & Party EUR 55 3h of Classes & Party EUR 50 2h of Classes & Party EUR 45 1h Class & Party EUR 35 Party only: EUR 15 (no registration required only for the party) You DON'T need to register if you want to come only to the party, just bring cash for the entrance More info about the workshops: In the first two hours we will cover Texas Shuffle Fundamentals & Texas Shuffle Tricks This amazing style, which was danced to the music of Texas musicians who relocated to California, features similar leverage and compression dynamics found in Lindy Hop, but keeps your feet grounded and utilizes the unique blues lag you’re familiar with. By the end of this class, you’ll under how to operate in the “slot” like many black dances from the 1950-60s, and how to keep your feet shuffling all night long. Texas Shuffle Tricks Now that you understand how Texas Shuffle works, it’s time to find out how to play. We keep pushing the leverage and compression power that the dance provides into amazing spins, quick and short bursts of slide and shapes, while highlighting where you can do this in time with the music. Black Ballroom Dynamics GrAystone…Detroit Ballroom…Chicago Steppin…these are modern black dances that have a direct or cultural connection to the ballroom blues dance done in the Savoy. Looking at these modern dances can help us understand the differences in where our current approach to ballroom blues is lacking or excels, examine how we create our dance (for example, where are we generating power, what shapes do we choose, etc.) and how we can incorporate these values and aesthetics into our ballroom blues. Back to the Juke Joint The Mississippi Delta is littered with Juke Joints that served as the birthplace for so many amazing blues artists (and still does today) that influenced the sound and dance that we now enjoy as dancers. Returning to these spaces and remembering how they worked, what black people were dealing with, and what they are currently valuing today can be invaluable to maintaining a healthy respect for the dance, and learning how much our dances have changed as we do in studios instead of their original crowded bars. I’ll also share some of my stories from my journeys and childhood growing up in the American South to help you connect.