Class Descriptions
Friday Class Description:
Balboa Fundamentals (Beginner) – Laura/Jeremy (7pm CDT)
Learn the basics of balboa. No experience necessary!
Saturday Class Descriptions:
Vinyasa Flow – Emily Schumann (9am CDT)
Join Emily for a playful Vinyasa flow class to warm you up, expand awareness into your body, and get you pumped for a weekend of amazing Balboa classes. We’ll play with a dance influenced ‘flow’ in this hour long class set to engage and create flexibility in ‘high use’ muscle groups specifically for balboa dancers (yep, we’ll be twisting a lot). Class is all levels, beginners welcome, no experience needed. You may want yoga blocks (books will work) a chair, a belt, and flexible clothing.
Footwork Rhythms and Accents (Int and above) – Olga/Andreas (9am CDT)
Come play with footwork rhythms and accents to make your balboa footwork more musical!
Technique Clinic (Int and above) – Luis (9am CDT)
Try some fun exercises to improve the clarity, precision, flow, and efficiency of your balboa movement.
Solo Balboa Choreography (Int and above) – Olga/Andreas
Part 1: 10:15am CDT and Part 2: 11:30am CDT
Come learn a fun and approachable solo balboa choreography. Choreograph can be a great tool to solidify your footwork and practice transitions. You will have the opportunity to perform the routine at the evening party.
Slow Balboa Fundamentals (All Levels) – Kelly/Mickey (10:15am CDT)
Learn the fundamentals of Slow Balboa. Beginners welcome!
Irish Dance – Ian Monaghan (10:15am CDT)
Learn a beginning Irish jig! This class will teach a few basic movements and how to put them together into a complete dance. Learn to move in some new ways and dance to fun and upbeat music! No partner or prior experience needed
Guided Practice and Questions (All Levels) – Laura/Jeremy (11:30am CDT)
Bring your questions! Laura and Jeremy will be ready to discuss any balboa-related questions you might have. They will also lead you through some of their favorite practice exercises.
Solo Drills (Int and above) – Kelly/Mickey (11:30am CDT)
Learn how Kelly and Mickey use solo drills to improve their partnered dancing.
Balboa in Color – Nicholas Centino, Shani Brown, Steffanie Schilling, Chisomo Selemani, Bobby White
(12:45pm CDT) This interactive panel discussion will reflect on Bal-Swing & Balboa’s multicultural roots, and highlight voices working to make today’s scene more inclusive.
Spins and Turns (Int and above) – Laura/Jeremy (2:30pm CDT)
Learn exercises to improve your turning technique and explore ways of turning for leads and follows.
Developing a Personal Style (Int and above) – Kelly/Mickey (2:30pm CDT)
Join Kelly and Mickey as they walk you through developing your personal “style” and aesthetic. Learn some of their favorite styling for leads and follows. Make your dance more your own!
Slow Balboa: Inspiration from the Laminu (All Levels!) – Olga/Andreas (2:30pm CDT)
Let’s explore movement inspired by the Laminu (a dance that was contemporary with balboa). Try new ways of moving to slow music!
Cocktails and Clips – Kelly/Mickey (3:45pm CDT)
Watch and discuss some inspirational balboa clips in a laid back atmosphere with Champion Balboa Dancers Kelly Arsenault and Mickey Fortenasce. BYOB!
Musicality: A Tool for Self Expression – Jennifer/Luis (3:45pm CDT)
Learn how to improve your Balboa by using our love of jazz music
How to teach a virtual dance class – Laura/Jeremy (3:45pm CDT)
Discuss tech tools and learn some tips on how to teach a virtual dance class. Instructors of all dance styles are welcome!
BalBoozled: The Zany Hour of Bal Games – DJ Mimi (5:00pm CDT)
Join Head DJ Mimi Liu-Leyco for an hour of Balboa games and hijinks! Set up a team of up to 5 people and send all email addresses to mliuleyco@gmail.com to join. If you’re looking to join a team, you can email as well.
Outs and Ins Fundamentals (All levels!) – Luis (6:00pm CDT)
Learn and refine this classic and versatile bal-swing movement. Beginners welcome!
Sunday Class Descriptions:
Body Care – Ruth Evelyn (9:00am CDT)
As dancers we use our bodies all of the time, but we often don’t stop during dance weekends to take care of them. Take some time during this class to take care of your body so you have a better weekend of dancing. You will also learn practices you can employ in the future for a healthier body.
Creativity in Slow Balboa (All Levels!) – Olga/Andreas (9:00am CDT)
This class will examine ways to incorporate your own creativity into Slow Balboa movement. Olga and Anderas will provide some inspiration for making the dance your own. It is recommended, but not required that you have taken at least one Slow Balboa course before taking this class.
African Dance – Chisomo Selemani (9:00am CDT)
So much of what we do as Swing dancers originates from Africa —being grounded in our movements, call and response, the use of circle structure, etc. So why not take a moment to spend some time learning about African style movement? Come move and learn in a new way! Join Chisomo Selemani and explore African and Afropop movement. During this class, we will take a tour of the continent; but settle our movements in neo-traditional Zambian movement styles. We will dance to a variety of music, popular on the continent right now. Our exploration will also incorporate call and response singing and dancing. Come ready to dance, learn, and have fun!
Follower Power Hour (Int and above) – Jennifer/Kelly/Laura/Olga (10:15am CDT)
Join us as we dedicate a powerful hour to highlighting the role and voice of the follower in balboa. Hear from a spectrum of influential followers in the scene and learn drills and exercises to improve your connection and aesthetics.
Int/Adv Footwork for Leaders – Mickey (10:15am CDT)
Add some pizzazz to your dance with some cool footwork for leaders.
Beg/Int Footwork Fun (Beginner and Intermediate) – Luis (10:15am CDT)
Learn some easy balboa footwork to make your balboa more fun and playful.
Old Timer Focus – Laura/Jeremy (11:30am CDT)
Explore movement inspired by original balboa and bal-swing dancers!
Guided Practice and Questions (All Levels) – Olga/Andreas (11:30am CDT)
Bring your questions! Olga and Andreas will be ready to discuss any balboa-related questions you might have. They will also lead you through some fun warm up and practice exercises.
Great Lakes DJ Escape – Mimi Lieu-Leyco, Kate Hedin, Shelby L. Johnson, Michael Quisao, Travis Whetman (11:30am CDT)
Join your GLBE staff DJs for a Q&A panel on all questions related to music and DJing. Submit any questions in advance on Facebook or to mliuleyco@gmail.com.
COVID for Organizers (12:45pm CDT) – Corrie Holliday, July Belber, Jennifer Reed, Valerie Salstrom, Jason Swihart, Stan Yen
We’ve invited organizers who run both local scenes and regional/national events to discuss their sustainability plans for their scenes and their thoughts and ideas about 2021 events. Come to this moderated community discussion with your own questions and ideas to contribute. We want to hear from you!
Weird Stuff – Kelly/Mickey (Int/Adv) (2:00pm CDT)
Come and explore Kelly and Mickey’s favorite “weird stuff” in balboa and bal-swing!
Dean Collin’s Shim Sham (All levels) – Luis
Part 1: 2:00pm and Part 2: 3:15pm
Learn this classic and intricate line dance developed by Dean Collins. There will be an opportunity to perform at the evening dance.
Competition Feedback and Tips (All Levels) – Andreas/Jeremy/Jennifer (2:00pm CDT)
Learn competition tips from three championship balboa dancers. Attendees will also have the opportunity to submit a competition clip to receive feedback during the class. Email roffers.1@gmail.com if you would like individualized feedback.
Triples and Syncopations – Jennifer Lee (3:15pm CDT)
Play with triple steps and fun syncopations with the incredible Jennifer Lee.
Shag Taster (All levels) – Laura/Jeremy (3:15pm CDT)
Learn the fundamentals of another fun swing-era dance, Collegiate Shag.
Trivia Contest – Corrie Holliday and Valerie Salstrom (4:45pm CDT)
Join balboa legend Valerie Salstrom and the clever and hilarious Corrie Holliday for one silly hour of balboa trivia. They will keep you smiling and laughing while learning some interesting and random balboa knowledge. You do not need to form a team to participate. Teams will be randomly assigned during the session.
Twisting Fundamentals (Beginner and Intermediate) – Kelly/Mickey (6:00pm CDT)
Learn some fun twisting exercises and learn the classic move “Lollies.” Beginners welcome!