Blues Workshop with Mike & Dan Legenthal (USA)

We are thrilled to bring you a 2 hour blues workshop with Mike and Dan Legenthal, two of the most respected Blues instructors in the world! These USA based instructors have decades of experience teaching at the highest level internationally, and we are lucky that they’ll be stopping by Sydney on their way to teach at Southern Blues in Adelaide (it’s almost sold out but you might be able to get a ticket if you’re super quick). In this 2 hour workshop they’ll be bringing their wealth of knowledge and experience across two classes - choose to do one or both for maximum learning goodness. Tickets will go on sale shortly, so save the date! Workshop details: Wednesday 28th October Doors open 7.00pm Fundamentals class 7.15pm Deep dive class 8.15pm Cost: $35 for one class or $60 for both Class 1: Blues fundamentals (all levels from beginner to advanced) This class is aimed at everyone, from experienced Blues dancers who want to fine tune and perfect their Blues technique, right through to people who’d like to try Blues for the first time - no experience required. Lindy Hoppers - this is the ideal class to learn about this beautiful style of dancing from world class teachers! Class 2: Blues deep dive (intermediate and above) This class will take a deeper dive into Blues technique with more challenging moves and concepts, and is suitable for intermediate level dancers with some Blues dancing experience. Class levels: The Fundamentals class is suitable for everyone from beginners to advanced, no experience required. The Deep Dive class will be perfect for intermediate or above level Blues dancers. If you are an intermediate to advanced level dancer in another style you should be able to do this class, BUT we strongly recommend that you do some foundational Blues classes first (there's some options listed below), AND that you do both classes of the workshop. Getting prepped for the workshop: Jo and Andy will be running a couple of Blues introduction classes at @swingpatrolnorthsydney in the lead up to this workshop which we strongly recommend doing as a primer to ensure that you get the most value out of the workshop. Tuesday 6th October 8.00pm - Ballroomin Blues with Jo and Andy: facebook.com Tuesday 20th October 8.00pm - Jukin Blues with Jo and Andy: facebook.com Jukebox Blues also run a monthly class and social, with their next events on 17th September and 15th October. Details on their website: jukeboxblues.au About the teachers: Mike Legenthal Mike's true loves in life are teaching, dancing, following, and music. There's no order, because for her, these things are intrinsically linked. In addition to national events like Lindy Focus and Enter the Blues, Mike has taught at countless regional events in Lindy, Blues, and Balboa, as well as traveling all over the country to teach and perform. She performed in an all-girls Charleston troupe at Camp Jitterbug's Jump Session Show in 2007, and in the all-girl blues troupe, the Hoodoo Ladies, at events from DC to BluesShout in St. Louis. Additionally, she has taught at events ranging from one-month artists residencies to international training camps.��Mike combines an intuitive understanding of connection with an analytical speaking style to give her students technique, but also strives to challenge and inspire her students to push themselves further into the music. She aims to help leaders create artistic compositions that are clearly led; she wants follows to have the ability to be a completely literal follow, and the inspiration and freedom to be an imaginative and dynamic contributor. In the classroom or on the social floor, she seeks a connection that involves active communication from both partners, to make a dance together. Dan Legenthal Dan loves working on as many vernacular jazz and blues dances as he can. His passion extends to both the social floor and competition. When not competing, he teaches at events like Korea Blues Camp (South Korea), Hot Blues In Toulouse (France), and The Blues Experiment (USA). Drawing from his degree in Classical Guitar, Dan has unique insight into how to practice and develop one’s skills, and uses that knowledge to create a dynamic and engaging learning environment. Since dance is experiential, Dan likes to prioritize doing, and treats learning like a sequence of experiments where you can learn as much from failures as from success. This philosophy is anchored on clear, precise language, and a belief that every student is capable of developing their own skill by patient, intentional practice. Watch them in action at Korea Blues Camp: youtu.be