Friday
Disciples Church
3663 Mayfield Rd, Cleveland Hts, OH
7 pm | Beginner Lesson
8 pm | Dance
9 pm | Live Band w/Moko Bovo
10: 15 pm | Instructor Showcase
Midnight - 2 am | Late Night w/Moko Bovo
Sunday
The Elliot (Lessons & Brunch)
1415 Kenilworth Avenue, Cleveland, OH
10:30 am | Brunch Opens
11 am | Culture Talk
12:30 pm | Lesson Block 1
1:45 pm | Lesson Block 2
----- 3 pm Dinner Break -----
4 pm | Beach Hang @ Edgewater Beach
8pm | Goodbye Dance @ Disciples Church
9pm | Jackie Shane Tribute Performance
10pm | After Party Jam
Saturday
Disciples Church
3663 Mayfield Rd, Cleveland Hts, OH
10 am | Lesson Block 1
11:15 am | Lesson Block 2
12:15 pm | Lunch Break
2:30 pm | Lesson Block 3
3:45 pm | Lesson Block 4
--------- 5 pm Dinner Break ---------
8 pm | Beginner Crash Course
9 pm | Live Band w/The Boilermakers
10:45 pm | Blakk Jakk Performance
Midnight - 3 am | Late Night w/The Boilermakers
Private Lessons
Private lessons may be booked through the instructors themselves when they have times between classes or during the dance at their discretion.
Class Descriptions
(JJ) Julie & Jamica | (DC) Dan & Cynthia | (RonDale or Delores)
Jukin' Track
Jukin' comes from the south and its name comes from the fact that it was danced in "juke joints" the type of bars that early blues musicians would have played in. Because of the limited space in such bars, jukin' evolved as primarily a dance on the spot and, reflecting the music it's danced to, tends to be sharper and more punctuated with more focus on hip movement.
Chicago Triple (DC)
Hard rocking rhythms on electrified guitars define Chicago Blues. We'll use that music as a baseline to triple step with a partner. We'll explore how we move within our own body to this energetic music and integrate those movements into a really fun partnership.
Funky Butt (JJ)
Learn some Funky Butt basics, then get more funky ideas with variations on the movement and connection.
Piedmont & Hill Country (DC)
Let's explore connected, chill dancing to the country blues music from the hill country of MS to the Piedmont of Virginia and the Carolinas. We'll go over partner mechanics, the chill groove, and even dig in on some fancy footwork!
Struttin' Part I (JJ)
Struttin’ is a comfy and fun bar dance from Memphis! Danced in a specific type of close embrace, struttin’ combines comfy connection with cool footwork for followers and leaders. This class will give you the basics and some footwork, so you can get to struttin’ on the dance floor.
Classic Juke Joint Dances (JJ)
In this taster class, we’ll learn some dances that came from juke joints, honky-tonks, and house parties. Learn to have a great dance in a small space, move your hips, and get down to some guitar, harmonica, and piano-based blues.
Jukin' Slow Drag (JJ)
Slow Drag is one of the oldest and still-living partnered Black American dances we know of. It has been danced to many types of blues music (and other genres) throughout time.
This class will give you some basics of slow drag taught from a Juke Joint perspective, and tools to find a comfortable and organic connection with your partner & the music.
Ballroomin' Track
Ballroomin' blues comes from the ballrooms in the Northeast. When the big bands slowed it down to play a song that could be waltzed or foxtrotted, the dancers came up with their own style of dance based on a fusion of swing, vernacular jazz, and ballroom dance movement. Due to the having more space in ballrooms, this style of blues tends to travel more with elegant lines and momentum based movements.
Solo Jazz Blues (JJ)
This class will work on dancing in your own body before bringing that into partnership. Focusing on jazz-blues music, we’ll work on connecting to the music and building basic movement vocabulary.
The Stride Part II (DC)
Let's continue to develop our Stride technique as we work to find a joint axis with any partner to enable swift, smooth rotation and textured holds throughout the dance, and even march through moving turns and promenades!
The Strut (JJ)
Come learn some Strut basics! Work on shared shaping in close embrace and the flow of momentum in line of dance.
Savoy Walk (DC)
When the music slowed at the Savoy, dancers switched from Lindy Hop to Slow Dancing in a way that we now call Savoy Walk. We'll lay down the basics, then break out of the box step to explore traveling and develop swing-
inspired spins and passes following the melody of this iconic music.
The Stride Part I (DC)
Stride is a swift, driving Ballroomin' Blues idiom that really moves around line of dance. In this class we'll get your hips swinging and marching to the beat with a partner, milking the unique close embrace to drive and savor every step.
Ballroomin' Slow Drag (DC)
Slow Drag is one of the oldest and still-living partnered Black American dances we know of. It has been danced to many types of blues music (and other genres) throughout time.
This class will give you some basics of slow drag taught from a ballroomin’ perspective and tools to find a comfortable and organic connection with your partner & the music.
Afro-Fusion Track
Afro-fusion dance is an eclectic and dynamic style that blends traditional and contemporary African dance forms with global genres like hip-hop, jazz, dancehall, and contemporary. Rooted in rhythmic expression and cultural storytelling, it fuses movements from across the African continent and the diaspora into a hybrid dance experience.
Afro-Fusion (RD)
This course will explore specific techniques, vocabulary, creative processes, dynamics, and musicality of the afro-fusion technique. This includes experiencing a variety of movement styles and techniques. Warm-up exercises such as body toning and stretching. Students will learn diagonal and center step combinations leading to choreography.
Creative Movement (RD)
This class will consist of touches of modern and hip hop as a way to express movement creatively.
Stepping (RD)
Described as “one of the most exciting dance forms created in the 21st century,” Stepping is a percussive, highly-energetic art form first developed through the song and dance rituals performed by African-American fraternities and sororities. In stepping, the body becomes an instrument, using footsteps, claps and spoken word to produce complex poly-rhythms.
In the early 1900s, as more African-Americans entered college, they formed their own Greek-letter organizations — known today as the Divine Nine — and stepping became a powerful expression of love, pride and community.
This class will explore Stepping & body percussion techniques, vocabulary, musicality, and movement styles, progressing from warm-up exercises to full choreography.
Culture Talk: Roots in Motion
"How Culture, Community, and the Pandemic Shaped My Voice" - RonDale Simpson (Blakk Jakk)
A story-led reflection on how cultural exploration and community responsibility shaped my dance expression - and how the apndemic pushed that purpose into building Blakk Jakk.
Attendee Resources
Looking to Volunteer?
Volunteer and earn a dance pass or full pass! Volunteer slots are limited for the weekend, and we will assign volunteers who apply on a first-come, first-served basis. Volunteering 5 hours earns you a weekend dance pass, and volunteering 10 hours earns you a full weekend pass!
Questions? Email us at brbgrants@gmail.com
Apply For A Scholarship
For those seeking financial aid who cannot volunteer the full set of hours or who are unable to volunteer all together, we anticipate having limited funds for scholarships.
Scholarships will be given out on a first come, first served basis based on donations that we receive.
Questions? Email us at brbgrants@gmail.com
Meet The Teachers
Julie Brown (Any/All)
Blues Dancer | Teacher | DJ | Organizer | Choreographer
Julie Brown is a Boston-based blues dance teacher, DJ, choreographer, competitor, organizer, and enthusiastic student. She has been participating in blues dance since 2004 and has since gone on to teach blues dancing around the globe and won many national competitions.
As a teacher, Julie aims to help students connect with and understand blues dance’s deep roots, find their own voice, and connect to themselves & others authentically, joyfully, and respectfully. Julie has taught blues dancing in Austin, Boston, San Francisco, Seoul, London, Chicago, Zurich, and many places in between. They are grateful to have won or placed in many solo & partnered blues competitions, including at bluesSHOUT!, Blues Muse, Mile High Blues, Steel City Blues, Northstar Blues, and more.
Julie is continually reconnecting to their love of solo blues dancing, working on Chicago-style Stepping, headstands, & leading blues, as well as continuing to learn about blues history and its connections to later and present-day Black social dances & music.
For dance videos, pictures, and more info, check out https://www.julie-brown-blues-dance.com/
photo credit: Jerry Almonte
The Music
Meet the Bands
Friday Night
Dan Bode & MoKo BoVo
MoKo BoVo has deep roots in blues, making the music accessible, and can push interesting rhythms and extended improvisation. Well known for 30s/40s jump and swing, Blues repertoire runs from early traditional folk and gospel blues to postwar classics and modern styles.
Guitarist Al Moses and Bassist Rick Kodramaz played together for many years in funk, soul, and jazz groups before meeting up with vocalist and harmonica player Dan Bode. They brought in Kip Volans on drums, and the band name was formed from the first two letters of the last names. Pete Dell was on drums through the 90s. John Stebal joined as drummer in the 2000s.
Saturday Night
Paul Cosentino's Boilermaker Jazz Band
Paul Cosentino’s Boilermaker Jazz Band brings the sounds of the jazz age and swing era back to life. Interpreting Jazz Classics and The Great American Songbook in their own unique fashion, you’ll hear familiar tunes and rarities performed by superb instrumentalists and heartfelt vocalists. From concert halls, festival stages and dances, to elegant soirees, weddings and corporate events, listeners and dancers agree — with their infectious beat and enthusiasm this band can make any crowd move!
Leading the Boilermaker Jazz Band on clarinet, saxophone, and vocals is Paul Cosentino, a full-time bandleader/performer who founded the band in 1988 at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. He is constantly searching for more tunes to add to the band’s classic jazz repertoire — you’ll hear something different every time!
Meet The DJs
Pittsburgh, PA
Om Choudhary
Om has DJed at numerous events and workshops, specializing in Slow Drag, slow Jazz, Delta Blues, Chicago style Blues, and more. Beyond Blues, Om enjoys dancing to Bhangra and Bollywood music, and has cherished his love for folk Rajasthani music for over 22 years.
Columbus, OH
Dan Miles
Dan Miles first fell in love with the blues a the 2012 Chicago Blues Festival, overwhelmed by their tribute to Koko Taylor, the Queen of the Chicago Blues. With that as his starting point, he has been refining his understanding of Blues and exploring the rich variety of the genre ever since.
Ann Arbor, MI
Sarah Redman
Sarah is an Ann Arbor, MI local who loves dancing Blues, Lindy Hop, and Balboa. After discovering swing dance in 2018, Sarah began DJing in 2021 and discovered the further joy that is lining up the music for dancing. She is all about exploring the full range of the Blues from the DJ booth and on the dance floor, so please ask her to dance!
Cleveland, OH
Loreto "Lo" Agdinaoay
Loreto aka "Lo" is a Cleveland native and is entering his 25th season since he took his first dance steps back in 1999. Originally a swing dancer, he has taken his tools and talents and blended them into other styles of dance including Blues, Latin, West Coast Swing, Argentine Tango and Fusion.
Lo comes with over 20+ years as an experienced instructor and master DJ with a body of work that has given him the privilege of working with scenes throughout North America as well as across borders while remaining a steady contributor and collaborator in the local dance community. You can still catch him today spinning for the vintage Swing, West Coast Swing, and Blues scenes.
Denver, CO
Felicia Bode
Felicia grew up listening to her uncle’s band playing gritty Chicago blues, and the music has just been a part of her being since then. When she started social dancing, she was immediately drawn to blues music, and has since committed to honoring the people and history of blues music and dancing. She ran the blues dance scene in her hometown of Cleveland, and now heads up Denver’s monthly blues dance event, Shimmy Shakin’ Blues.
As a DJ, Felicia prides herself in finding a mix of different styles of blues music that you will make you never want to get off
the dance floor. She can’t wait to spin some tunes
for you at the Lake Effect Blues beach party!
Meet the MC & Photographer
Master of Ceremonies (MC)
Daniel Verdon
Daniel found partnered dancing in 2009 and it completely changed his life. Slowly, but steadily, the dance lured him to explore more about the music, movement, and history of American musical genres. He describes his relationship with dance as a love affair, and wants to do all that he can to share its magic with others.
After years of honing his dancing skills, he began teaching workshops, DJing, and then emceeing. Daniel is now the official emcee for five annual regional events. His work is characterized by an exuberant passion for promoting the bands and DJs that keep all of the beautiful humans on the dance floor.
Photographer
Kayo Omoyosi
Kayode Omoyosi is a traveling portrait and event photographer based in Seattle, WA. He approaches creating every photograph with technical rigor and care, all with his characteristic bold aesthetic.
His experience as a working photographer includes being the staff photographer for a burlesque troupe, work with a local newspaper to capture images for articles, and a freelance shooter for a variety of clients. These distinct jobs honed his eye for color and allowed him to create a photographic style based around a few key principles. His work focuses on honest portrayals of subjects, charming candid photos with dynamic elements, and balancing colors to render all skintones in the best way possible.
Thank You Team <3
A big thank you to our organizing team who's hard work and dedication have brought you this entire weekend.
Amalia Van Hall
Rita Weiss
Felicia Bode
Colette Zilka
Megan Yousef
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Joshua Tang
Alicia Marcentile
Dave the Seagull