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Balboa Month in the Northeast

It seems that October is shaping up to be a great month for Balboa here in the Northeast. There are lots of great Balboa opportunities this month, so I figured I’d mention them while I should be packing for CBC…

First up… CBC! Yep, the Canadian Balboa Championships are happening in Montreal this coming weekend, Oct 1-3!
And if you can’t make the drive up to Montreal, maybe check out Minor Swing in Lincoln, RI — live gypsy jazz at Swing Cafe!
Thursday Oct 7 we’ll be DJing for the Balboa night at the Stomp at 21 Marathon St, Arlington, MA from 9-11pm (FREE!)
Perhaps you’re thinking about a trip to NY? Why not head down the following weekend? And then you can check out the Balboa Crash Course with Carol Fraser on Sunday Oct 10 from 1-4pm.
Saturday Oct 16 Balboa Workshops with Steve & Rebecca Drzewiczewski from 12-5:30pm at the Providence Tango Mill followed by the Harvest Moon Dance from 8pm-midnight. (Special early registration rates end Friday, Oct 1!)
Saturday Oct 23 Blues Cafe is hosting another Lindy and Balboa night , with a beginner lesson by guest instructors Adam Speen & Nelle Cherry from Philadelphia!
Sunday October 24th we’re having a special Balboa on a Sunday Afternoon with workshops with Adam & Nelle from 12-4:30pm followed by our practice session from 4:30-7pm (special early registration rate ends Friday, Oct 15!)

I hope I’ll see you at some of these great events!
(Now I gotta go pack!)

Balboa Workshops with Adam Speen & Nelle Cherry (on a Sunday Afternoon)

In collaboration with Blues Cafe and Boston Swing Central, our first workshop weekend brings the awesome Nelle Cherry & Adam Speen up from Philadelphia to teach 3 workshops on Sunday, October 24! Adam & Nelle are some of the most exciting Bal dancers we’ve seen, mixing stunning musicality and innovation with beautiful pure Bal technique, and we’re thrilled to have them here in Boston!

The first workshop will start at noon, with each workshop running 75 minutes. These workshops will have something for everyone, including both new Balboa dancers and hardcore Balboa lovers. Workshops will be followed by our usual practice session/dance at 4:30 so you can try out your new skills in the wild.

Check out one of our favorite videos of Adam & Nelle:

Adam & Nelle will also be available on Saturday, October 23 from 1-6pm for private lessons (for individuals, couples or groups up to 4). If you’re interested, contact Nelle directly for more information and scheduling: thedancingcherri (at) gmail (dot) com or 216-559-2929.

(They’ll also be teaching a beginner Balboa lesson Saturday night at the Blues Cafe dance at Springstep.)

We’ll have more details soon on what they’re planning to teach and how to register, so stay tuned for updates. And mark your calendars!

About Adam & Nelle:

Adam has been dancing Balboa since 2006, studying under many of the prominent instructors worldwide. He challenges himself to improve by competition but mainly enjoys social dancing. In the classroom, Adam offers his own experiences and knowledge in order to foster a creative and comfortable learning environment. He believes that social dancing and individual innovation are paramount in a dancer’s education.

Nelle has been dancing since she was 3 years old. With a background in tap, jazz, and ballet, she was not introduced to partner dancing until 2006. Balboa came into her life as the first predominant style of swing dancing she focused on. She found Balboa to be the dance that fit due to its elegance and refined technique which complimented her dancing background. She stresses comfort and teamwork in the classroom and continually strives to pursue a constant goal of perpetual awesomeness through social and competitive dancing. She currently resides in Philadelphia where she teaches in hopes of spreading her love of Balboa.

Together Adam and Nelle have competed and won competitions in Balboa throughout the United States since beginning to compete together in 2006.

Upcoming events in August and beyond

Here’s a couple of things to keep in mind if you’re looking for places to dance some balboa in the upcoming months:

August
5 Thursday	Cat’s Corner at the Stomp Originally started as a balboa dance in Boston. And, it’s Free!
7-8 Sat-Sun	Balboa workshops with Zack & Maryse at Dance Manhattan Spend a weekend in New York City and catch some quality balboa workshops while you’re at it! There’s also a dance and competition Friday night! (August 6) [flier]
15 Sunday	Balboa on a Sunday Afternoon at the Crosby Whistle Stop That’s us! Come dance!
28 Saturday	Blues Cafe In August, Blues Cafe is hosting a Lindy and Balboa night with DJ Jay Provost and another DJ TBA.

September
2 Thursday	Cat’s Corner at the Stomp Originally started as a balboa dance in Boston. And, it’s Free!
11 Friday	Cangelosi Cards w/ Gordon Webster at the German Club A great venue in Pawtucket, RI hosted by Daryl Begin and Jennifer Stout
19 Sunday	Balboa on a Sunday Afternoon at the Crosby Whistle Stop

October
1-3	Canadian Balboa Championships Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec
16 Saturday	Balboa Workshops with Steve & Rebecca Hosted by Providence Swings
23 Saturday	Blues Cafe Another Balboa dance (Whoo-hoo!) with a beginner Balboa lesson from guest instructors Adam Speen and Nelle Cherry!
24 Sunday	a special Balboa on a Sunday Afternoon at the Crosby Whistle Stop Featuring workshops with Adam Speen and Nelle Cherry followed by the regular dance. More info TBA.

November
4 Thursday	Cat’s Corner at the Stomp Originally started as a balboa dance in Boston. And, it’s Free!
4-7 Thu-Sun	Eastern Balboa Championships An awesome long weekend event with workshops, dances and competitions in Raleigh, NC.
20-21 Sat-Sun	Balboa workshops with Jeremy & Laura at Dance Manhattan More info TBA.

A few notes before heading up to Beantown

Like the title says, I just had a few things to mention before heading up to Beantown for the weekend.

First, if you’re at Beantown, let’s dance some bal! The Cangelosi Cards are playing Friday night, plus, Bal mini-tracks!
Second, if you want to dance some bal around Boston, considering checking out Cat’s Corner at the Stomp in Arlington this coming Thursday, July 1st. The Stomp was originally started as a weekly bal dance but now mostly caters to Charleston and fast lindy dancers. (And hey, it’s free!) Can we reverse the trend?
Third, if you’re headed down to NYC for the long weekend, Bobby & Kate are doing a 2-hour workshop on Friday, July 2nd at Dance Manhattan, followed by a dance and Jack & Jill competition. Check out the Facebook or Dance Manhattan event pages for more info.
Finally, if you haven’t already, can you take THE SURVEY?

Hope to see you on the dance floor… dancing bal!

The first dance, and a survey

Well, the ball is rolling.

We’ve gotten official clearance to use the Boston Swing Central’s Crosby Whistle Stop in Charlestown, MA for a dance in the afternoon on Sunday, July 25th.

So, a few things:

First and foremost: plan to come and get your bal on!
Second, get the word out! Let’s find all those bal dancers who sadly hung up their dance shoes because there was nowhere to dance bal and get them to come out again and see that balboa is alive and well in Boston, if maybe a little dusty.
Volunteer! We need a little help — in particular, we need people to man the door and people with some experience DJing would be greatly appreciated! (And yes, the main site sucks, let me know if you want to do something about it) Comment or send an email to stany at bostonbalboa dot org.
Fill out the survey! We still need to nail down when to start, then there are a few other details we’d like to work out. Make this YOUR dance — tell us what you want it to be.
Send us feedback! Something not covered in the survey? Opinions about the site (yes, I know it sucks), the dance, how to build the community, brilliant ideas for world domination? Let us know! (Again, comments or email!)

We’re hoping to make this a monthly dance. We’re also hoping to set up occasional workshops with national instructors.

Anyway, for now: save the date (July 25th!), take the survey, and we hope to see you soon.

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