The Band Consists of: Karen Maria Capo w/ The Greg Earl Band featuring Robert Moore and Pete Petersen

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Andrew Smith, Portland, OR

Andrew picked up blues in 2005 and has never set it down since. He recognizes a great potential for experimentation in blues dancing and blues music. A playful attitude has turned Andrew into one of Portland's more "alternative" DJs. He seeks out contemporary music that is also danceable, hoping to make blues more accessible to the younger generation of non-dancers. While Andrew has a penchant for eclectic music, you can rest assured knowing that he will deliver a wide variety of music in an effort to satisfy different musical tastes.

Andrew Sutton, Sacramento, CA

Whether you are a beginner struggling to understand the basics of a dance, an intermediate working on the details of making it feel better, an advanced dancer that needs that next inspiration to jump start his dancing, or a teacher looking for new & fresh ideas... Andrew's classes have provided all of that and much more to thousands of dancers around the world, taking them to their next levels, which is exactly what he will do for you.

Andrew stands out as a teacher that teaches for both the leads AND the follows. He stands out as a teacher that teaches Advanced material for Beginners in a way that they get it and don't feel it is too advanced. He stands out as a teacher that continuously blows open stereotypes and brings new developments and concepts to the dance and as someone who will open your eyes to see the world of dance in a new way. He will describe & break down your habits that you didn't realize were there and help guide you to build your style of dance based on what you want it to look/feel like, rather than what you are used to it looking and feeling like.

Throughout his classes, you might notice Andrew using physics, philosophy, specially-trained teaching techniques, socratic methods, group activities, special rotations, and/or any other variety of teaching techniques he has found to help develop your dancing. From his instant musicality technique of how to be ONE with the music, to his multi-layered concept of the layers of a lead, you can be sure his classes will be a unique experience for you to enjoy. www.smoothsavoy.com/

Ben Long, Portland, OR

Ben Long has been dancing Lindy Hop since 1999 (he is in disbelief that it really has been ten years). His first two years of dancing were with the Swingin' Hep Cats, a dance troupe from Bainbridge Island, Washington. In 2005 he was persuaded to try Blues and Tango. Since then he has been working to reconcile the three dance forces that are within him. Accordingly, he is known for his eccentric dance style, musical tastes, and socks. Among the many awards he has won, he is most proud of winning "Best Hell Costume" at Portland's Tuesday Blues Halloween contest in 2006. His other qualifications include a public speaking course and a degree in marketing. He emphasizes improvisation, musicality, and "..." in his dancing and teaching. www.lostmouse.com

Bill Borgida, Austin, TX

Over the past 14 years, Bill's workshops have helped all levels of dancers become more aware of how their body works, how to use it to communicate and more fully express music and connect to another person. In his classes, you will not just learn "the rules", but you will understand how technique really applies to your dancing, and how to differentiate between "styling" and "technique."

Bill's passion for Blues dancing dates back two decades when he used to attend house parties in Washington DC. As he developed his interest in Lindy Hop, one began to influence the other. And now he sees them as complementary dances, two ends of a continuum which blend and borrow from one another, always inspired by the music. Long before Blues was a household word, he would sneak a Blues lesson in to his Lindy workshops - both to share his passion for it, as well as to teach the technique common to both. www.billborgida.com

Chris Ransdell, Tulsa, OK

Chris Ransdell has been DJ'n Blues since 2000. His nationally debut was the first Cheap Thrills in St. Louis. Ever since, he has enjoyed playing a blend of traditional, ballroomin', modern, and fusion blues music. Due to his musician background, he looks for music with subtleties dancers can exploit on the dance floor.

Cid Galicia, Chico, CA

Cid Galicia has been DJing for 2 years now; beginning with house parties and then, under the tutelage of Scott Kaufman and Ron Thompson, DJing lindy nights at Midtown Stomp. The genres Cid DJs are lindy and blues, spending time in the study of their music, artists, and history. Cid is always searching for new versions of classic songs. He has djed such events as the Utah Lindy Exchange, Reno Dance Sensation, Friday Night Blues, Blues Rising, Come Rain or Come Shine, Blues Shout, and Down Home Blues.

Drew Robinson, Portland, OR — Organizer & DJ

Drew began partnered dancing 3 years ago with Argentine Tango, and soon after Blues. She became instantly addicted. Drew organizes, teaches, DJ's, and dances at her local blues and tango venues in Portland, OR an average of 5 times a week. When she isn't dancing, Drew attends Portland State University in the Graduate Teachers Education Program.

Dustin Henwood, Portland, OR — Instructor & DJ

There once was a man with confusion
He shook his hips but his feet were for blues'n
He tangoed the floor and waltzed with a roar
And then danced out the door
Yelling "Fusion!"

Emiliano Estevez, Philadelphia, PA — DJ

Emiliano figured out quickly that he is driven by music with heart and soul, it must have groove. Music has to have a certain groove or feeling to feel good to play. This includes vintage to pop and everything in between. With the discovery of House Music and all of the flavors it comes in it quickly led to the love of fusion.

Groups that have influenced my music are: (House) Daft Punk, St. Germain, Gotan Project, Quantic, (Jazz) Nina Simone, Ray Charles, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Gene Harris, Junior Mance, (Blues) B.B. King, Big Joe Turner, Etta James, Frank Frost, Gordon Webster, Jimmy Whitherspoon, Keb' Mo', Robert Nighthawk, and Tiny Grimes.

Without the influence of Greg Avakian, he would have never gotten started on this dangerous addiction to music.

Greg Avakian, Philadelphia, PA — DJ

Greg Avakian has been teaching swing since 1992. He and his partner, Laurie Zimmerman have been dancing together for over 10 years. They specialize in Lindy Hop, West Coast Swing, and Blues Dancing traveling the country and teaching 3 nights a week at home.

Greg is also a popular DJ, having spun music for dancers at exchanges, competitions, and other events across the USA, in Canada and Europe. For a long list of events, see Greg's website

Locally, Greg hosts Philadelphia's Kaffa Cafe Blues dances and is a house DJ at Philadelphia's most popular weekly dance: Lindy and Blues (LaB).

Greg's DJ style mixes classic swing with very groovy blues and other sweet & funky stuff.

Ivy Grey, Portland, OR

Ivy considers herself "just a girl with a lot of good music". Both a dance addict and a music buff -- it's no surprise that Ivy is always seeking out new music to share with blues, lindy, fusion, and west coast swing communities. It's arguable whether it was Ivy's inability to follow the rules in music or dance that was the catalyst for this event. She's very excited to play for you on Thursday and Sunday nights!

Josh McLaughlin, Portland, OR

Josh has been DJing at local dances in the Portland area for the past few years. His feelings on DJing is to try and have a diverse set while maintaining a high level of enerygy. He has Djed at such event as Oregon Dance Fair, Come Rain Come Shine 2007 & 2008. Josh has also ran a local dance called Second Saturday Soul, where he began his love for playing Soul music.

Karen Maria Capo, Portland, OR (by way of Florida and Texas)

Karen Maria Capo, Lead Vocalist and Songwriter for Midnight Siren, began her career on Broadway at the age of 11 in the musical DUDE by the authors of HAIR. She performed in various plays and cabarets until she completed her studies at the prestigious School of Performing Arts in New York. Karen Maria is a staple in the swing and blues community as a dancer, DJ, singer, and all-around entertainer. She has performed at Cheap Thrills, Sacramento Lindy Exchange, Austin Lindy Exchange, Emerald City Blues, Red White and Blues, and countless others. You can catch her performing regularly in her hometwon of Portland with her new band Porkpie.

Mihai Banulescu, San Francisco, CA — Instructor & DJ

Mihai's teaching is defined by curiosity, creativity and compassion. He constantly grows and improves his pedagogy and curriculum, comes up with many unique exercises and loves giving individual feedback in a gentle, useful manner. Mihai started dancing in 1997 and has been teaching blues full time since 2005. He has taught workshops and festivals in over 20 states and has been invited back in almost every town. He has also been DJing blues, swing and tango since 2003 and organizes San Francisco's Friday Night Blues - the world's first and largest blues-only weekly dance. www.beyondblues.com/mihai

Patrick Warren

Patrick began dancing in 2002 after being dragged kicking and screaming to a Swing class. He was instantly hooked. Introduced to Blues dancing in 2004, Patrick began attending several Blues weekends. After taking Blues musicality through a Jerry & Kathy class at Cheap Thrills, he became hooked on music. He began collecting a wide variety of music that he felt was ideal for Swing and Blues dancing. The next logical step was for Patrick to begin sharing his music with others. When not travelling, he is now a house DJ for Kick Butt Blues and a board member of the Blues Association of Austin.

Rachel "BluRay" Jordan

Rachel was introduced to blues music shortly after her birth in Austin, Texas. In 2007 (less than half of your age plus seven years later) she became addicted to dancing swing and blues. After the Blue Friday dances began, she became a regular on the DJ rotation in Austin. She has spun tunes at the Austin Blues Fusion Academy, Austin Blues Party, and is a house DJ for Kick Butt Blues.

Trina Siebert, Portland, OR — Instructor & DJ

Trina has been dancing since '95 and teaching since '98. Her favorite styles are the contemporary social dances (west coast swing, nightclub two-step, and hustle) as well as blues and Argentine tango. An active competitor on the west coast swing circuit, Trina has been an invited instructor, performer and DJ at workshop weekends and dance conventions throughout the Northwest. Students appreciate her clear and relaxed instructional style; her philosophy is that dancing should be fun and accessible for everyone. As a DJ, her taste is eclectic, but she has a soft spot for dirty blues and anything that has a great groove.