When: Saturday, Sept 14th
Where: RVA Swing, 6114C Lakeside Ave, Henrico VA
Cost: Sliding Scale of $10 - $45
Instructors: Ryan Lemar & Erica Vess
Format: This is a Rotating Partner format workshop. No partner is needed to sign up.
Pre-requisites: no Balboa experience needed for either workshop, previous partner dance experience suggested for workshop 2.
Schedule
12:30pm - doors open
1pm - Workshop 1: "Cozy n' Close" - Pure Bal Fundamentals (2hrs)
3pm - 30 minute break
3:30pm - Workshop 2: "Open Up!" - Bal-Swing Explorations (2hrs)
5:30pm - doors close for dinner break
6:30pm - doors re-open for the social dance
7pm - Beginner Swing lesson w/RVA Swing instructors (included with registration)
8pm - Jumpin' at the Lakeside social dance (included with registration)
10pm-ish - dance ends, doors closed
About the Workshops
๐Finally! Time for some BALBOA here in Richmond!๐
Workshop 1: Cozy n Close: Pure Bal Fundamentals
Level: Open to anyone, beginner dancers welcome
Pre-requisites: none, but some partnered dance experience of any kind is always helpful.
Cost: Sliding Scale $10 - $25 (choose your price at registration)
Availability: Leads: 6 spaces Follows: 4 spaces
What is "pure bal"? This is the OG Balboa, as danced in the Balboa Pavilion back in the day and is danced entirely in a close embrace. In today's modern scene, we call everything danced in close embrace "pure bal" and everything danced in open "bal-swing."
The first workshop will focus on getting students comfortable with the close embrace Balboa connection and get you dancing some common rhythms used in Balboa.
Can you spot Erica in this Pure Bal competition from 2015?
Workshop 2: Open Up! - Bal-Swing Explorations
Level: Open to anyone with partner dance experience
Pre-requisites: You don't have to know any Balboa, but you must have some previous experience with partnered dancing (in any style). This workshop should not be your first rodeo! ๐ค ๐
Cost: Sliding Scale $10 - $25 (choose your price at registration)
Availability: Leads: 8 spaces Follows: 0 spaces*
*if you can show up WITH a lead who is not already registered, we can add you. Due to a large role imbalance in this class we cannot accept any more solo follows
The second workshop will explore some common open-position ("bal-swing") moves like out&ins, lollies and turns. We'll be utilizing out&ins as our "basics" for this workshop: this means that you do not have to take Workshop 1 in order to take this workshop, but it should not be your first dance class ever.
Peep a mix of bal-swing and pure bal in this comp from 2017
Meet Your Instructors