Embrace the Blues- Sat 3 30 Blues Dance Workshop with Kenneth Shipp

Join us on Saturday, March, 30th for a Blues Dance workshop with the internationally renowned instructor Kenneth Shipp. Tickets are now available: https://rdublues.ticketspice.com/embrace-the-blues Kenneth Shipp Workshop: 4 hours of instructions 4-class workshop series for all levels! Time: 12:30pm to 6pm Location: Old Murphey School 3717 Murphy School Road Durham, NC 27705 Instructor Bio: Kenneth Shipp hails from St. Louis, MO as an instructor who grew up dancing hip-hop and DJing breaking comps before jumping into blues. He has spent the past few years passionately studying the family of blues idioms, incorporating his nerdy personality along the way. Kenneth’s life experiences inform his dancing and teaching style so that students walk away with a better historical and contextual understanding. With every class and practice, he'll encourage you to approach social dancing with coolness, relaxation, or in other words “Chill The F$%& Out.” When he’s not dancing, you can likely find him ranting about the latest blockbuster movie, game, or nerd convention, or desperately trying to dismantle toxic institutions. Instructior Dance Video: https://youtu.be/FbAjBRNKzcc?si=xX2Tchtz61dtCNWv Workshop Schedule and Class Descriptions 12:30pm Class: It's Just Dancing Going back to the one-step and two-step jookin dances, we'll break down how these dances started, how they were used interchangeably as blues basics and whole dances, and find ways to build on these movements, like mooche, grind, and fishtail among others. Will be great for beginners and dancers who are already familiar with the jookin/delta family of blues dances. 1:30pm Class: The Old Slow Drag Slow drag is one of our oldest and most documented blues dances...and it's still done today across different black spaces. We'll break down this simple step blues dance, why it utilizes close embrace, how old-timers adjusted their embrace to fit their bodies, and what happens to slow drag when the music speeds up and turns into struttin... 2:30-4:00pm break and organized talk / discussion facilitated by Kenneth Shipp 4pm Class: Dance To The 1s and 2s: Stepping every beat, every other beat, using a triple...these are just a few ways we relate to the music. Using our jookin dances, ballroom walks, Chicago Triple and other blues dances, we'll break down how these moves work with the beat, and how to deal with and interact with a variety of standard blues rhythms and riffs. 5pm Class: Country Blues When we label something country, we can be referring to a wide range of blues dances and styles. Let's break down what makes something sound country, discover the dances that relate to the various country blues regions, and find where they overlap and widely vary so you can dance to every country blues song that plays. DANCE AFTER THE WORKSHOP: Please join us at the Same venue for Live Blues Band and Dancing. https://www.facebook.com/events/898697605307576 Join us for the full Embrace the Blues weekend: Fri. March 29th Dancing @ Blue Note Grill: https://www.facebook.com/events/1094516931563073 Sat. March 30th Workshop w/ Kenneth Ship: https://www.facebook.com/events/897249101991380 Sat. Night March 30th Live Blues Band & Dancing: https://www.facebook.com/events/898697605307576 Sun. March 31st Brunch and Dancing at Diane’s house