Rocky Mountain Balboa Blowout Dance Weekend February 22, 2013

Community-Minded Dance presents

Rocky Mountain Balboa Blowout

Event Features Competitions, Classes, Dances and Live Music Showcasing

World-Famous Balboa Dancers, Instructors and Jazz Musicians

Denver, the local nonprofit Community-Minded Dance (cmDance) presents the sixth annual Rocky Mountain Balboa Blowout (RMBB), Feb. 22-24. This weekend festival features 12 award-winning and internationally acclaimed Balboa dance performers, instructors, and the world renowned vintage jazz band, Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five.

Thursday, Feb. 21 from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m., at the Mercury Cafe in Denver marks the kick-off dance for the weekend, which officially starts on Feb 22 at 1 p.m. The festival includes Balboa dance workshops, performances, competitions and brief lectures, with the goal of keeping Balboa dancing and its music accessible to all while preserving its rich history. All events are open to the general public, regardless of your level of dance experience, attendees are also welcome simply to observe the dances and listen to the band.

Classes are available everyday of the festival for all levels from beginner to advanced. To help provide the very best dance experience for all dancers, there are four different levels of classes offered to meet various needs. Along with these levels, new this year, are various elective classes, all inspired by the spectacular dance moves of famous dancers from the silver screen. Auditions are required to qualify to participate in the most advanced classes. Visit the website for details: www.balboablowout.com

The guest artists, who hail from all over the world, reside locally, nationally and internationally will teach classes and judge competitions throughout the weekend. Most of them have won major international and national awards and recognitions for their extraordinary talent at the most prestigious dance events in the world.

Two of these guest artists are dance partners Bobby White and Kate Hedin. Between them, they have championship titles in almost every major Balboa and many major Lindy Hop competitions, including the American Classic Balboa Championships, the International Lindy Hop Championships, the Euro Balboa Cup, the American Lindy Hop Championships, and the Eastern Balboa Championships. They are recognized for their engaging teaching —Kate instructs with a thorough, mechanics-based method, while Bobby prefers unique analogies and irk-irk noises. They are both sought after as judges throughout the international swing dance community.

“The music is always divine, the fellow instructors are some of the best in the world, and of course Denver's altitude makes for a great workout. Aside from these, RMBB has a special place in my heart as it's when I get to celebrate my birthday alongside Sylvia, one of the greatest Balboa dancers of all time ever,” states White.

Sylvia Sykes is another guest instructor for the weekend. She is well recognized in the Swing and Balboa dance scene for being credited as a key person in preserving and popularizing Balboa dance in today’s dance world. Sykes began dancing in 1966, competing in 1970, and teaching in 1979. She has studied with many of dance greats, including Frankie Manning, Dean Collins, Maxie Dorf, and Willie Desatoff.

“I’ve taught at Rocky Mountain Balboa Blowout for many years, it’s always such a fun and supportive atmosphere! I also can’t forget mention just how great the music is,” shares Sykes.

The vintage jazz band, Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five’s has performed at Rocky Mountain Balboa Blowout every year since its inception. Recognized as the nation’s premier swing dance band, they showcase the most danceable jazz music from the 1930’s and 40’s. The seven piece Campus Five prides themselves on creating the most authentic true sound from the Swing-era while also providing all the energy and excitement that inspired millions to dance in the first place. Influences include the Benny Goodman Sextet, Artie Shaw's Grammercy Five, and Count Basie's Kansas City Six.

“We’ve had the honor of performing at many amazing venues throughout the world and Denver’s Turnverein is one of our favorites. Its character, great acoustics and intimate feel makes for a perfect space for musicians like us. The space allows us to easily feed off the dancers’ energy while still being large enough so dancers don’t feel cramped,” states Stout.

“We at cmDance are so excited to bring Denver the world’s best Balboa dancers as well as the famous Jonathan Stout and his Campus Five to share their knowledge and talent. We welcome everyone in the community to come experience and understand why dancing and its music is powerful and so enjoyable.” shares Caryn Carrasco, the founder of cmDance.

Rocky Mountain Balboa Blowout Event Details

Date & Time : Feb. 22-24, 2013 Full details for all activities including competitions available on the website.

Friday, Feb. 22 at Denver Turnverein Dance & Cultural Center

1:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Various classes offered

7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Intro to Balboa class

8:00 p.m. – 4:00 a.m. Dancing to DJ’d & live music by Jonathan Stout & his Campus Five

Saturday, Feb. 23

10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Various classes offered at Auraria Campus

7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Intro to Balboa class at Turnverein Dance & Cultural Center

8:00 p.m. - 4:00 a.m. Dancing to both DJ’d & live music at Turnverein Dance & Cultural Center

Sunday, Feb. 24

11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Classes offered at Auraria Campus

8:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m. Farewell Dance & Award Ceremony at TBA

Event Locations: Turnverein Dance & Cultural Center- 1570 Clarkson St. Denver, CO 80218

Auraria Campus, 900 Auraria Pkwy. Denver, CO 80204

Price: $10 - $165, depends on how many events attending, see website for full details.

To Buy Tickets: www.balboablowout.com/register

More Info: www.balboablowout.com or www.cmdance.org or call 303-883-6691 or email info@cmdance.org

About Us

Community-Minded Dance (cmDance) is a Denver-based 501(c)3 non-profit organization which provides educational dance programs taught by expert local and guest instructors to prekindergarten through 12th grade students within Colorado schools. cmDance's mission is to promote and preserve vintage dances of the Americas from the early 20th century through education to foster the next generation of dancers and musicians. In addition to our school-based programs, cmDance hosts dance and music festivals that bring

world-champion instructors, musicians, and dancers to educate audiences of all ages. These programs feature dances such as: Lindy Hop, Argentine Tango, and other vintage and folkloric dances such as Cueca, Salsa, Swing, Charleston, Balboa, Jitterbug, and Tap. CmDance is dedicated to promoting and entertaining Colorado audiences with unique and historical dance experiences.

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For photographs, b-roll, more information or to schedule an interview, please contact Ashley Burns at 303-549-1907 or e-mail ashley@cmdance.org - www.cmdance.org