Baltimore, MD

Baltimore, MD : "Somewhere....over the Beltway (Dreams come True)."

This past weekend, I was in Baltimore, MD teaching a lindy and balboa workshop with Bobby White (of Bobby and Kate). My involvement was sporadic and last minute, as I was substituting for Kate Hedin, who had a death in the family and needed to go home Atlanta. Dorry and Summer set up the event, which went very smoothly. Students were on time, classes ran on schedule, the venue was spacious, audio equipment easy to use, and we had a great time. I hope to be able to teach and dance in Baltimore again in the near future.

The most interesting thing about the workshop was the location. "The Creative Alliance" is in an old movie theater and is comprised of a large versatile gallery space and 8 lofts for residential artists. Bobby and I got a glimpse of one of the artist's residences, and it was pretty sweet.

From the Creative Alliance website:

"The Residency Program accommodates 8 resident artists or artist groups, one in each of the studios, for terms of one to three years. It is intended for emerging artists as well as mid-career artists whose goal is to reinvigorate their work in an intensive atmosphere. Artists are encouraged (but not required) to use the studios as their primary residence."

The dance following the workshop was in the CA's old movie theater, with Sac Au Lait, an energetic all-male dixieland band. Despite my burrito-stuffed stomach, I enjoyed dancing to "Dinah," "Sweet Sue," "Tiger Rag," and "Honeysuckle Rose." I DJed in between their three sets. The band tended towards either slow, medium slow, or super fast tempo songs. When we weren't too tired to stand up, Bobby and I managed to get a few Peabody dances in amongst Lindy and Bal.

After this weekend, I was exhausted, but happy to be able to dance so much with such a talented and hilarious lead. Thanks Bobby!

Yay dancing!
:) Aba