THE CREW

YOUR CREW FOR THIS WEEKEND’S BLUES DANCE WORKSHOP in VIRGINIA BEACH

JERRY “Shepherd” & KATHY “Mechanic” WARWICK (Dallas, TX)
Jerry and Kathy have been laughing, dancing and teaching together for over a decade. Sometimes a bit wacky, sometimes a bit serious, but always loads of fun. They will drill you with technique, blues movement and moves, make you sweat, make you think, and teach you ways to stretch yourself as a dancer. Blues Dancers all over the USA are begging for more.

Who Are They?
Jerry and Kathy have been a big part of the Dallas Blues and Swing dance scene since 2001. Hmmmm… National Blues events? Let’s just toss out a few places they have taught … Blues Shout, Down Home Blues, Denver Blues Summit, Enter the Blues, Emerald City Blues, Frankie 95, Dirt Cheap Blues, Austin Blues Party, Blues Boot Camp, MezzJelly Blues, Houston Fusion, Lone Star Championships, various regional events throughout the USA and their own Red White and Blues.

HEIDI “The Ambassador” FITE (San Francisco, CA)
Heidi began dancing and teaching the Blues in St. Louis in 1999 and has been dancing, teaching and performing ever since. An early promoter of Blues dancing, she began the first national Blues dance workshop (Cheap Thrills), which has since transformed into the nation’s largest Blues dance workshop and competition weekend (bluesSHOUT!).

She now lives in San Francisco and travels the world teaching Blues dancing as a living tradition, with a rich history and an exciting future. From private lessons and local classes to international workshops and historical research and documentation of the dance, she is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Blues dancing.

Her classes are inspiring and challenging, but her focus on the underlying principles and fundamentals allows her to break down the most difficult concepts and moves so they are easy to understand and incorporate. Heidi is able to communicate and instill in her students a love of dance and a dedication to the learning process. More important, her classes will put some serious “boom boom boom” and “aw haw haw haw” in your dancing.

DEXTER “The Doctor” SANTOS (San Francisco, CA)
Dexter Santos discovered Blues dancing in 2005 and has since been inspired by the soulful and expressive quality of Blues music. Whether he is teaching, performing, or social dancing, Dexter is very passionate in his interpretation of the Blues. One of the things that makes his dancing stand out is his musicality and the way he translates it on the dance floor.

As a teacher, Dexter’s passion comes from his desire to teach Blues dancing with respect to its roots and identity. He celebrates it as the art form it is. He wants to inspire dancers of all levels to recognize the possibilities that blues dancing has to offer. Dexter teaches classes locally in San Francisco and has taught at national exchanges and workshops such as bluesSHOUT (Chicago, IL), Austin Blues Party (Austin, TX), Down Home Blues Festival (San Francisco, CA), BamBLOOZled (Washington DC), Steel City Blues (Pittsburgh), and Mile High Blues (Denver).

When not teaching, Dexter continues to refine his skills on the dance floor as a frequent competitor. At bluesSHOUT 2010 in Austin, Texas, Dexter won all four partnered competitions: Open Jack & Jill, Strictly Jook Joint, Strictly Ballroomin’, and Champions Division. His other accomplishments include: 1st place at the 2007 & 2008 bluesSHOUT Strictly Ballroomin’, 1st place at the Emerald City Blues Festival 2008 Invitational Jack & Jill, 1st place at the Enter the Blues 2008 Jack & Jill, 1st place in the Down Home bluesSHOUT 2008 Invitational Jack & Jill Champions Division.

JOY “The Gift” ARICO (NYC, NY)
Watching Joy dance is like seeing music out on the floor. She dances like she has a gallon of moxy in her quart sized container and she knows just how to serve it.

In 25 years of dancing Joy has loved cheerleading, West Coast Swing, Country Two-Step, Lindy Hop, as well as Balboa and Blues. Her exuberant love of dance is matched only by her attentiveness to technique and detail. Her number one goal in teaching is to share the LOVE of dance. Music should be the ultimate driving force of dance and she is focused on sharing ways to enhance the natural body response to music.

Joy recently moved back to Rochester from New York City where she was heavily involved with Jook Joint Shimmy Blues and Blues Blaze. She has danced, competed and taught in virtually every major dance city in the United States. She has been honored to teach with such incredible partners as Damon Stone, Barry Douglas, Shawn Hershey, Bryan Spellman, Justin Hileman, and Steve Losh.

TIM “The Pilot” O’NEILL (Los Angeles, CA)
Tim started dancing in 1997 and never stopped. An active Lindy Hopper, he was a regular at the old Memories and Satin Ballroom until he was swept away to college in Santa Barbara. There he spent two years teaching ballroom at an Arthur Murray before quitting and studying Argentine Tango With Brian and Fay.

Once back in LA, Tim Joined the Hollywood Hornets, three time National Jitterbug Champions, where he performed and competed with the team for three years. During that time Tim began learning Blues at house parties and exchanges. Now an avid student of the Blues, he seeks to grow the community through teaching as many people as he possibly can.

WHITTON “First Mate” FRANK (Los Angeles, CA)

Whitton Frank started dancing at eight, when she was enrolled in a ballet class. As the years progressed so did her love of dance. Over the years she has studied, Ballet, Jazz, Modern, Tap, and Standard Ballroom. Whitton is originally from San Francisco, but learned to blues dance at college in Pittsburgh, PA. She moved to Los Angeles 2 years ago and became involved in the swing and blues scene. She is the house DJ at doSomethingBlue, and also guest DJs at various events in and around Los Angeles. She began teaching blues dancing with Tim in September 2008. She continues to teach blues in Los Angeles weekly at the Blues Kitchen, as well as around the states at dance events. Her love of dance is constantly growing and she looks forward to sharing it with you.

The Guys Responsible for this event:

JEFF “Captain Tightpants” & AMANDA “Saffron” MILLER (Virginia Beach, VA)
Jeff has been the-guy-behind-the-guy-behind-the-guy for almost a decade now organizing, dancing, djing & playing at swing and blues events all over the country. Originally from Chicago, it was no surprise that he got hooked into Blues dance after his first exchange’s late nite. He and his wife – Amanda (the woman behind the guy) – met dancing (go figure) and have been teaching swing & blues dance together both locally and across the country for several years. And they actually STILL enjoy teaching together. They look forward to bring their own unique entertaining classes to you.

Now onto CSTB, after finding out many dancers are also Flans (Firefly Fans), he got with fellow partner-in-crime -Bryan Spellman- to pitch the idea to create a fun workshop Blues event in Virginia Beach and based on the Firefly TV Series. Who knew he liked it - blame him for enabling.

BRYAN “The Mercenary” SPELLMAN (Denver, CO)
Bryan keeps his secrets and keeps them well: But we found out that he has a secret career as a mad scientist, finding inspiration in Doctor Horrible. And only a mere handful know of his training in the bunny martial arts. No one - still alive - knows of his dark years pirating the seven seas. Once secret, he hasn’t kept well hidden, is his love for dancing. Blues stole his heart at his first real blues class during Cheap Thrills 2006, opening the road for traveling, teaching, competing, and DJing from coast to cost.

He plans to keep your blues shiny all weekend with a variety of styles, feeling the vibe of the dancers and taking his students and listeners on a journey. His goal is to keep you happy on the dance floor, challenge you to play with the music, and most of all making sure you’re having a shiny time.

Be sure to join the Facebook Event and get the scoop!

Can’t Stop The Blues Workshop is made possible in part through sponsorship by the Crispus Attucks Cultural Center.

*instructor lineup may my be adjusted.