Workshops and dance party with Ari Levitt

Saturday, July 16, 2016, 1–10:30 pm

Chelmsford Center for the Arts (air-conditioned!), 1A North Road, Chelmsford, Massachusetts

The Folk Arts Center of New England and Mostly Waltz for Boston are pleased to welcome back master teacher and dancer Ari Levitt of Seattle, WA for Friday and Saturday workshops and a dance party. The Friday evening workshop in Arlington, MA for Intermediate/Advanced level dancers will explore some of Ari’s creative fusion waltz patterns, using energy and connection for smooth partnering.

For any of these workshops, it is not necessary to attend with a partner, as we will rotate partners. Help protect the hall's wooden floor by changing from street shoes to clean, soft-soled shoes for dancing. Please arrive 15 minutes before your first workshop to register and pay (fees shown below).

Saturday schedule

1-3 pm
Ari’s Fabulous Waltz Combinations
Cross-step waltz and more
After reviewing the essentials of cross-step waltz, we will quickly move on to learn some very beautiful and fluid rotating and travel waltz variations such as the double-dutch and tandem-turbine. These combinations are fairly easy to learn and impressive to do, and they use a variation of the reverse rotary spin at their core.
Level:
non-novice Beginner/Intermediate. Comfort with any turning waltz style and basic partnering skills are assumed.
Admission $25 / FAC members $23

3:15-5:15 pm
Tango’d Up in Blues!
A great class for learning both tango AND blues
Blues and tango both emphasize and build upon connection to your partner; each has a potential for wonderful, playful, sophisticated footwork that can cross over to the other dance; and each utilizes a backdrop of beautifully expressive slow and sultry music as a canvas for dancers’ innovations. While tango is a more difficult dance to master, blues provides the perfect entry level to learning the foundations of both dances as it is much more relaxed and forgiving to do, and it’s much easier to blend with other dances you may already know. This workshop is perfect both for beginning dancers and for more experienced dancers who want to work on fine-tuning their partnering, connection, and musicality skills, or who would like to try some role reversal.
Level:
non-novice Beginner/Intermediate. Basic partnering skills are assumed. Blues/tango experience is not required.
Admission $25 / FAC members $23

5:15-7:15 pm
Dinner break
Join a group at one of the nearby restaurants

7:15-8:15 pm
Lifts, Dips, and Liabilities
No one will be lifted off the floor or dropped to the floor during this class!
Learn a number of simple ways to add elegance to your dancing with lovely and socially appropriate dips, elevations, flourishes, and balance steps. The focus will be on how to safely execute and transition into these kinds of moves while best protecting yourself and your partner.
All levels.
Admission $20 / FAC members $18 for the workshop plus the dance party

8:15-10:30 pm
Mostly Waltz Dance Party
Waltzes and other couple dances, deejayed by Ari Levitt
Enjoy dancing (in a beautiful air-conditioned hall!) to waltzes of varying styles and tempos, interspersed with other couple dances such as swing, blues, tango, schottis, and hambo. Beginners, experienced dancers, singles and couples are all welcome! Mini-lessons will be given throughout the evening.
Admission $10 / FAC members $8

Package pricing for Friday and Saturday:
Any 2 workshops $45 / FAC members $40
Any 3 workshops $65 / FAC members $60
The whole shebang $85 / FAC members $75
or pay-what-you-can (for youth and as needed)

For carpooling, email Mostly Waltz for Boston or post on the Mostly Waltz Facebook event page.