Welcome to a weekend full of fired-up blues!  We have put together a weekend full of instruction from Mike (the Girl) Legett (video), one of the nation's best social dancers and instructors.  In addition to working on your technical skills, she'll be working on composition, movement quality, lead‑follow dynamic, and more!  The schedule includes dances, two full days of classes, and even an all‑levels master’s class (which is your chance to get one‑on‑one instruction from Mike).  As if that wasn't enough, there will be a by‑application‑only teacher's track^[1] to hone your instructional skills — at no extra cost!

Dayton is at the heart of a burgeoning art scene.  We’ve combined forces with national artist, Mike Elsass, to provide you with an ambient surrounding at The Color of Energy art studio (photo gallery).  The venues will all have wood floors and the DJs^[2] will be spinning blues music from across the decades.

Housing is available.  Our lovely housing coordinator, Alecia Niese^[3], will see that you are properly accommodated.  Space is limited, so request housing early to ensure we have a place reserved for you!

Note: Each day will start from the top, and assume no prior knowledge.

Saturday - Lindy Hop: Born of Charleston and made world-famous in the movies of the 30's, Lindy Hop is a syncopated, high-energy dance that lets both partners interpret Jazz on the floor. Over four classes, we'll cover the basics of Lindy Hop, but we'll also be going in-depth to really get you comfortable on the floor. Mike is known for teaching technique, which will help you lead and follow with ease. In addition to swing-outs, we'll be covering inside turns, outside turns, and some of Mike's favorite moves, as well as her famous make-your-own-moves class that will make sure you're never short of ideas on the floor!

• Teacher Training 1: The Master^[1]
  The ability to troubleshoot dancing without contact is an elusive one. However, in order to excel in multi-dancer privates, master's classes, and even normal group classes, an instructor must be able to see a problem, and give feedback in a more efficient way.
• Lindy 1: The Swingout
  If you've never done a swingout before, come prepared for the one of most difficult and rewarding basics in dance! If you've done one swingout or a thousand, come prepared to take apart your swingout and put it back together- you're going to be challenged as well!
• Lindy 2: Combinations and Permutations
  If you're not a math person, this title means, "a zillion ways to put things together." This class will make sure that you never run out of moves again. For follows, this class is a lesson in trusting your leader- and yourself- to make you a better follow than you thought was possible!
• Lindy 3: Rhythm
  Here we have the soul of lindy- the rhythm. We'll use connection to create some fun, dynamic, rhythmic moves worthy of the title Jazz.
• Lindy 4: She Said What??
  This class gives the gents another way to avoid boredom: by listening to their follows! We'll be doing some styling variations for leads and follows, and well as some great ways for follows to speak up- and advice for leads when they do!

Sunday - Blues: Blues is a form of dance and music which (like Lindy Hop) is rooted in African, European, and American cultures and histories. The Blues is a dance based deeply in emotion; and whereas rhythm and footwork can take the limelight in Lindy Hop, connection and weight-changes take the spotlight in blues. In these three classes, we'll cover everything from the basics of connection to really dressing up your blues and mastering the grounded, gritty movement that makes blues so unique.

• Teacher Training 2: The Pupil^[1]
  Do you build up, or break down? Do an exercise, or just the move? Count, scat, or verbalize steps? We'll discuss some of the pitfalls and common mistakes that teachers make, as well as how to cope with the biggest challenge presented to the teacher: the student!
• Blues 1: The Not-So-Basic
  Have no fear, we'll start from the beginning. But we're going to really get into the nitty-gritty, to give us much more freedom than most "basic" steps.
• Blues 2: More, Bigger!
  I'm taking your blues outside the box. We'll be opening up, traveling across the floor, and generally turning up the volume on your dancing. You could say we're putting the "dancing" back in "blues dancing".
• Blues 3: The Fancy Stuff
  You've asked for it- the tricky moves, the eye-catching moves, the way to move... here they are.
• Master's Class
  Have you ever wondered what YOU should be working on? Come find out. Volunteers will dance, one couple at a time, for individual feedback. But, unlike a private, everyone in the group will benefit from the feedback. Note: if you don't wish to be critiqued, that's ok- you might find it's less intimidating than you imagine, but no one will be put on the spot who doesn't want to be.

[1] The teaching class sessions require an application to be submitted.  Please send an email to jacobsen.3@wright.edu describing:

• your dance experience
• your teaching experience
• what are your goals/desires for your teaching
• what would you would like to learn from the Teacher Training sessions
• and (optionally, but recommended) any recommendations from your instructors

[2] Tiff Jacobsen and Mike 'the Girl' Legett are currently the DJs.

[3] To reserve housing, please contact Alecia Niese at niese.11@wright.edu with the number of people you need housing for.

[4] Several good places to eat in Dayton and the surrounding area are:

• Thai 9
• Pacchia
• Café Boulevard
• Dublin Pub
• Dewey's Pizza

[5] The location for the House Party Dance is 1000 West Grand Ave., Dayton, OH (tenative).