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Ogden Sawyer and Amanda Gruhl - (Boston)
Ogden's experience with movement began studying martial arts at age nine. In 1997, he walked into a swing dance and was hooked. Over the last 8 years, he has studied various swing dances, ballroom dancing, African dance, Argentine tango, lindy hop, and blues dancing, and has been teaching lindy hop, connection, and musicality classes in the Boston area for the past 7 years.
Amanda has been dancing since age five. Experienced in dance instruction, choreography, performance, and show production, she has studied blues dance, lindy hop, jazz, ballet, tap, lyrical dance, sacred dance, and hip hop. She has also had instruction in other dance forms such as popping/breaking, flamenco, modern dance, and ballroom dance. Amanda has been swing dancing for 8 years and has had the opportunity to teach lindy hop in Boston with several national instructors.
Ogden and Amanda have been dancing, choreographing, and competing together in blues dance since 2000. Their style of modern blues combines historic blues dance with modern concepts of strong connection, partnered improvisation, and elements from many of the different dance styles they have studied. This unique blend has given them a national reputation for inspiring and emotional partnered blues dancing. Since 2003, they have been teaching at dances and events in the Northeast and around the country, encouraging and supporting the recent growth and popularity of blues dance. Their teaching style communicates their passion for blues dancing, and encourages dancers of all levels to take chances and push their personal boundaries.
Currently, Ogden and Amanda teach with a collective of Boston dance instructors at the Its All Swing! Dance Studio in Watertown, MA (www.itsallswing.com ) and have recently founded independently Blue Studios, (www.ibluestudios.com) to focus on teaching and supporting blues dance.
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Mike Faltesek - (The World)
Mike brings to the dance floor an incredibly diverse social and performance dance talent that includes not only Lindy Hop but also Cakewalk, Black Bottom, Traditional Jazz, Tap, Charleston, Breakaway, Balboa, Big Apple, Blues and many other Authentic American Jazz dances.
Mike has been dancing for over 8 years, in that time he has traveled to instruct, compete, and perform internationally. From Harlem to Los Angeles and all throughout Europe. Mike is well known for his charismatic personality, approachability and passion for the essence of Authentic Jazz dance and music. He possesses an enthusiastic ability to convey ideas and movements explicitly, making him a popular instructor wherever he goes. He teaches workshops internationally, each time leaving a lasting impression on his students.
Mike's main source of inspiration are the greats of yesteryear, including Whitey's Lindy Hoppers and The Nicholas Brothers. Mike has returned from Sweden were he was performing with the world's foremost Jazz Dance Company, The Harlem Hot Shots.
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Kelly Porter - (Detroit)
A review of Kelly’s last workshop from dtownstomp.com read: “Not only were my legs broken, but my world was rocked and my brain was 'sploded.” 97 pounds of caffeine-fueled attack-dance, Kelly is a fool for everything to do with the music and dances of the jazz era. She has been DJ’ing and jamming out to jazz and blues for around 6 years, and has taught to acclaim both locally and nationally. She spends a lot of time geeking out over B&W dance clips, collecting lo-fi recordings and ruining her joints imitating ‘Snakehips’ Tucker. Her classes stress the joy of improvisation, dancing with guts (metaphorically speaking, of course), and the humanity of a long and soulful vernacular dance tradition. In Detroit she has also been a mover and shaker with a grassroots vintage jazz dance group Lindy Revolution, which sponsors trad jazz dance workshops, performances, dances and rent parties with live jazz and blues. Her cat, Django, plays the washboard and kazoo.
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Don West - (Dallas)
Don West has been dancing for nine years and teaching for the last five in Dallas. He’s been in a number of dance troupes including Smiley’s Lindy Hoppers, Uptown Swing and began his own troupe called the Madcap Maniacs. He was also the 2000 American Lindy Hop Jack and Jill Champion in Connecticut as well as first place winner in several local competitions in Austin and Houston. He has performed locally here in Dallas at the Dance for the Planet Festival was featured as dancer and swing choreographer for the Cedar Valley College Christmas Musical in 2003.
Don has for years worked tirelessly at building the Dallas-Ft. Worth swing dance community where everyone is welcome and having fun. He is now focusing his attention and his love for the dance in teaching. Including dedicating his time as the principle instructor for the DSDS Swing Dance Team.
Last year at RWnB, Don was one of our favorite instructors, and he only taught the warm up classes. This year we added some more to his plate.
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Jerry and Kathy Warwick - (Dallas)
Jerry and Kathy Warwick have been dancing for decades and started swing dancing over 7 years ago. Swing and Lindy Hop are a natural part of their Blues Dancing style. They were contributing members of the development of Swing Rueda. For several years they have been active in teaching swing, Lindy Hop and Blues in the Dallas area as well as across the country, including St. Louis, San Francisco, Portland, Austin, and Raleigh.
Kathy and Jerry are the driving force in the development of Blues dancing in the Dallas Area and the organizers of this event, the annual Red, White and Blues weekend Blues workshop.
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