Classes/Workshops | Practica | Private
Lessons
June |Class Descriptions
| Calendar View
Through the lens of natural movement, my classes are jam packed with tons of technique, with an eye on posture, alignment and relaxed connection. You'll come away not only with new moves but an understanding of why we do things the way we do.
If you are interested in private lessons or semi-private lessons for
you and a group of freinds, something can be always be arranged via email.
Contact me directly at dance [at] ruby-red [dot]com.
Classes are currently closed for the summer. We'll be offering new workshops in fall.
Fundamentals of Blues
Format: This is the base level blues class that all other classes build on. Even if you are advanced enough to take higher level classes, you'll benefit from learning Blues dance from the ground up. In this four week progressive class, we'll cover the essentials of partner dance and the specifics of Blues posture, aesthetic and movement. By the end of the series, not only will you have been exposed to ways of moving yourself and modes of connection with your partner, but you'll have a solid vocabulary of moves to play with on the social floor including solo movement, pivots, turns, traveling methods and safe social dips. You'll also experience a wide sampling of Blues music, from 20's era Jazz to Delta and Piedmont, Texas, Jump, Big Band Jazz and contemporary Chicago Blues.
Instructors: Ruby and Shoshi Krieger,
one of Chicago's friendliest and fun dancers!
Format: Blues Practice session open to all dancers. Students from the Fundamentals Class are encouraged to stay and review each week's material.
Join our Facebook Practica Group to find out who else is going.
Blues Elective: Spins and Turns
Prerequisite: Fundamentals of Blues Dance, or permission from the instructor. Contact Ruby to verify your level.
Format: Once we start to break away from open embrace, the next thing that most people want to try on the dance floor are spins and turns. We'll cover good turning technique for solo and partnered movement. Learn how to lead the 9 basic turns and how to add infinite variation. Learn how to safely follow any kind of led turn, regardless of your partner's training. From pop-turns to cross body leads, you'll learn how to create and use rotational momentum without ever breaking flow.
Instructors: Ruby and Shoshi Krieger
Blues Elective: Spins and Turns, Part II
Prerequisite: Fundamentals of Blues Dance, or permission from the instructor. Contact Ruby to verify your level.
Format: There are so many variations on Spins and Turns that we had to add another month! This month we'll build on what we did in March, starting off with cross body leads and adding tuck turns, reversals, free-spins, hip catches, crank turns and more. We've broken a dizzying variety of options down into a clear system designed to help you make the best on-the-spot decisions based on your connection with your partner. We'll add more follow-flare into this month's class, as well as fancy turns for leads!
Blues Elective: Modes of Travel
Prerequisite: Fundamentals of Blues Dance, or permission from the instructor. Contact Ruby to verify your level.
Format: Traveling around the floor can be done in short bursts, or long leisurely strolls. In this class we'll cover various positions for travel and ways to add fun variation and musicality into your traveling. From struttin' (for fast blues) to leisurely promenade, we'll punctuate our trajectories with footwork variations, skip-ups and multiple traveling turns.
Instructors: Ruby and Shoshi Krieger
Intermediate Juke Joint Workshop with John Joven
Format: With the Blues Fest around the corner we're going to be dancing in crowded spaces (and some not so crowded spaces!), alternative floors, public places and most importantly, to bands who play 13 minute songs!
In this class, John and Ruby will focus on the specific skills needed to dance well in public bars to live bands, as well as how to wow the crowd without being showy or self-aggrandizing. From floor-craft around tables and chairs, to stealing your friends to keep those long jam songs interesting, to dancing with a glass in your hand, we'll approach juke joint dancing from a practical yet fun perspective.
This will be a great chance to get your chops up before everyone else streams into town for The Chicago Underground Blues Experience!
Instructors: Ruby and John Joven
Questions? Comments? Want to book a lesson? Send an email to dance
[at] ruby-red [dot] com.