Shades 4-2: Latin dance for Fusion dancers with Imaan Taghavi!

Join us this and every Monday for fusion dancing and music! We are super excited this month to introduce Imaan Taghavi! He will be teaching our Extended Topics lessons, and you will not want to miss them. Imaan "PapaFuegz" Taghavi is a seasoned social dance instructor and the Founder and Executive Director of The Omni Movement, an endeavor to promote the accessibility of social dancing across the globe. They promote the belief that "You can dance anywhere, with anyone, to anything.” Imaan began his social dance journey in 2012 at UC Davis where he started Baile De Fuego, the collegiate Latin dance student organization. He went on to train in salsa and bachata with the renowned CoboBrothers Dance Company and in brazilian zouk with Elena "The Rhinestone" Rovitol and other instructors from across the globe. He has since gone to teach internationally on both coasts of the U.S., Canada, and Iran. Imaan focuses on teaching the “why” and “how” behind social dancing styles. He believes social dance is a physical conversation where we must learn grammar alongside vocabulary to empower ourselves to create entirely unique dancing styles of our own. Testimonial: Here is a testimonial from one of my students that showcases this: “[PapaFuegz] pays very close attention to detail... He shows how not only is he teaching new moves, but emphasizes how… I can begin to come up with my own moves.” This month, Imaan will present social dancing concepts from Salsa, Bachata, Kizomba, and Brazilian Zouk including turn technique, body isolations, counterbalance, and more. Prepare to take your fusion dancing to the next level with Omni at Shades! Fundamentals will be taught by the wonderful Nathaniel M. Abrea, a legend in his own right! DJs: River Bradley Daniel Bullard-Bates, visiting from Portland! Telind Bench Your hosts are Mimi Xia and River Reeva Bradley Lessons: 8pm-9pm Dance: 9pm-12am Sliding scale pricing: $12-$16 for lesson, get into the dance for free! $6-$10 for dance only We accept credit cards as well as cash! Strong preference for cash, please. Want to get in for free and support your community? Sign up to volunteer here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1liYBHZY1aLSQ1v3WqbgUPDzrz9E_Hj6WRVkBBTrFqF8/edit#gid=0 If you’re a new volunteer, please do not sign up to open or close. Contact Sarah Elise or the host directly for those shifts (7:30 and Midnight). Shades of Blues strives to create a safer space for everyone. We do not tolerate harassment or unsafe behavior of any kind.