Follows Footwork & Functional Armwork

Partner-dancing is one of the most important and satisfying facets of Mambo and other Afro-Latin styles. It’s not only what makes this dance social, it brings people from all across the world together to connect as a community through music. But true partner-dance is not random, nor is it a skill we’re either naturally good at or not. It is a language just like music, mathematics, and the one(s) we use in our everyday lives. And like any language, the practice of partner-work requires a structure to follow in order for it to be used for communicating. That structure is made up of specific rules and skills for each role involved (lead and follow), as well as ones that apply to the couple as a whole. And fortunately, this is a structure we all have the potential to learn, develop, and refine, not only while connected to a partner, but also on our own. In this 2 hour workshop, we will be focusing primarily on the fundamental patterns of footwork for the Follow, as well as an introduction to “functional” armwork. And we will be doing so all on our own! We’ll begin with a warmup consisting of some of the most common turn patterns, followed by a detailed breakdown of their footwork and possibly others. In the second half of the class we’ll put some of the turns into a sequence that can be used for training or anytime in our dancing. And lastly, we'll discuss the concept of “functional” armwork and work on options that can be incorporated into our footwork sequence. In between the movements we'll be training, we'll also be discussing some important concepts such as the relationship of follow+lead in Mambo and partner-dance in general, armwork vs.'“styling”, and any questions that might come up throughout the class. **Please note** that while this workshop will focus on the Follow and the majority of Follows happen to be women, it is OPEN to ALL dancers and levels of experience, REGARDLESS of SEX or DANCE ROLE PREFERENCE (lead or follow). If you are a lead who would like to learn more about following or communicating with their partner, a male who follows and would like to acquire new tools to further their development, or dancers new to Mambo, you are welcome to attend and either participate physically or observe. No partner is required as we will be dancing (and turning!) on our own! Footwork and armwork are skills that Follows can develop indefinitely for partner-dancing, but they are also ones that can strengthen and refine our individual potential as dancers in the studio, dance floor, and even on stage. I look forward to sharing how it has done so for me and exploring the possibilities it holds for all of you! **DETAILS** Level: OPEN When: Thursday, April 25 from 7-9PM Where: Ripley Grier Studios 305 W 38th ST, 2nd FL Studio 304 Price: $30 per person Registration is welcome on the day of or via PayPal: https://www.paypal.me/LiaRobertson/30 For additional questions and information, please feel free to contact me here on Facebook or by email at [email protected]!