CB Fall Workshop: Kenneth Shipp

Collectively Blue is delighted to present a fall 2026 workshop by internationally renowned Blues dancer and dance instructor Kenneth Shipp. Door pricing will be $20/class or $60/day or $120 for all six classes. We will host a house party on Saturday night from 8 pm to midnight (location TBD) for $5. Kenneth “Commander” Shipp started learning the family of Blues dances back in his hometown of Nashville, and has been hooked ever since. With each class and social dance, Kenneth aims to share his love and understanding of these dances, mixed with his connection to Black eldership and other Black dances (like Breakdancing), woven with a deep affinity for nerdy references. As the Blues elders say, “This is just dancing” and Kenneth works that philosophy into every class to help you achieve your Blues goals, affectionately reminding you to “Chill the F#$k out” at every opportunity. When he’s not teaching, you can currently find Kenneth in Saint Louis, either helping build the Blues scene there, serving as the director for Ujima Blues Foundation, or discussing the latest movies and nerdy topics on his site Nerd Union. CLASS DESCRIPTIONS: **Saturday, November 14th, noon - 4 pm: great if you've taken at least a few Blues dance classes before.** Class 1: Grounded in the Blues: An aesthetics refresher 12:15 - 1:15 pm In Blues, we move & dance in certain ways because Blues is grounded in African and African-American dance & movement traditions. Take time during the weekend to get (re)grounded in these ways of moving and of relating to each other as we dance. Class 2: Ass Back in Jazz 1:30 - 2:30 pm Eliminate the stiffness, create dynamic shapes, and maximize a relaxed, youthful feeling in your ballroom Blues by focusing on a often neglected body part: the gluteus maximus. We’ll show you how to exert energy in a powerful way, that's necessary for the African American spirit and aesthetic of the dance. Class 3: Juke Like An Old Timer 2:45 - 3:45 pm How to use close embrace and other connections effectively across multiple Juke dances. **Sunday, November 15th, noon - 4 pm: for intermediate or higher level Blues dancers ** Class 1: My Eyes Are Up Here 12:15 - 1:15 pm Your feet are the conduit between your body and the floor, and we’re going to explore all the ways we can use them and create fancy feet as we dance. Shoes that slide and move well are going to be your best friends in this class Class 2: Fancy Line of Dancey 1:30 - 2:30 pm In this class, we’ll cover/review the basics of line-of-dance for Blues, work on skills and moves for navigating the floor, and challenge ourselves with fancier partnered moves to keep you in the flow. Students should already be comfortable traveling in close embrace, closed, and promenade (side-by-side) in Blues. Class 3: Developing Your Style 2:45 - 3:45 pm Work on developing or refining your personal style in solo and partnered contexts, exploring who you are, what you enjoy, and what you want to project in Blues contexts. Your personal style and individual voice are not only valued in Blues, but are an essential and defining element when dancing Blues and other African-American-created forms. --- Fragrance Policy For the comfort of all attendees, please avoid the use of strongly fragranced products before and during the workshop, including scented hand sanitizers. Housing For out of town guests we will run a housing system to match you with locals willing to host you. We cannot make guarantees about housing, but we expect to be able to accommodate folks. We will try to keep groups together.