Bridging The Blues

Bridging the Blues is a FREE one-time event aimed at bringing a historical and contextual view of blues dancing and music to the city of Urbana, IL. Instructors Kenneth Shipp (St. Louis, MO) and Maurice Fields (Twin Cities, MN; UIUC alum) bring a refreshing outlook on how the Black American experience has shaped blues music and dance.

Requirements

No partner or dance experience necessary!

Instructor Spotlight

Kenneth Shipp

Kenneth Shipp hails from St. Louis, MO as an instructor who grew up dancing hip hop and breakdancing before jumping into blues. He has spent the past few years passionately studying the family of blues idioms, incorporating his nerdy personality along the way. Kenneth’s life experiences inform his dancing and wants his students to walk away with a better historical and contextual understanding to exhibit it in their dances. With every class and practice, he’ll encourage you to approach social dancing with coolness, relaxation, or in other words “Chill The F$%& Out.” When he’s not dancing, you can likely find him ranting about the latest blockbuster movie, game, or nerd convention.

Instructor Spotlight

Maurice Fields

Maurice is a DJ/Instructor from the Twin Cities in MN. They have been dancing Lindy Hop, Blues, and other Vernacular Jazz dances since 2017. Maurice has a goofy, yet clear, communication style and unique voice that they love to share through DJing, laughs, and care for the dances there are so gracious to teach. They are also an alum of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and they are excited to be back on campus!

SATURDAY SCHEDULE

Schedule:
Saturday, March 29:
Lessons: 1-4pm
Dance: 8-10:30pm

Sunday, March 30:
Lessons: 1-4pm

Funding

This event is funded entirely through the generous donations of our sponsors:
The City of Urbana Art and Culture Program
The Independent Media Center
The Illini Swing Society