Swing-dance enthusiasts of all levels will congregate at the Rocky Mountain Balboa Blowout dance fest today and Sunday at several downtown Denver locations.
Balboa festival participants can learn from some of the best professional instructors during all-day workshops, attend tonight’s main dance event, or sign up for a basic, beginner- level class to get started in swing dancing. Not only will participants learn a new trick or two, but the entire event also will help introduce youngsters to dance.
“Any proceeds we can scrape together from this go to our youth programs,” says Caryn Carrasco, director of cmDance, a Denver nonprofit founded in 1999 to promote vernacular dances through exhibitions and youth programs. The group offers classes and workshops, and regularly brings high-caliber professionals to Denver to help inspire the next generation of dancers.
During the Rocky Mountain Balboa Blowout, weekend classes and workshops in various areas of dance take place today and tomorrow, with Jonathan Stout and the Campus Five performing live swing music tonight at the Denver Turnverein ballroom.
The classes focus on the Balboa style of swing dance, made popular in the late 1920s at crowded dance halls on the Balboa Peninsula of Newport Beach, Calif.
“Balboa is a more upright style of swing dance that allows you to dance to a variety of tempos in a small amount of space,” Carrusco says.
Although the focus of this weekend’s events is Balboa, Lindy Hop and other styles of swing dance also will be featured. Four levels of dance instruction from beginner to intermediate, advanced and masters classes, taught by professionals such as Laura Keat and Jeremy Otth, whose fancy footwork was featured on ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars.”
All proceeds from the weekend will benefit cmDance. “We want to see this kind of dancing well into the future,” Carrusco says.
But as much as preserving the dance style is important, Carrusco also notes the health benefits and social aspect of swing dancing.
“We want to build community through dance,” she says. “These are versatile, lifetime dance styles.”
Workshops for the Rocky Mountain Balboa Blowout take place today at the Denver Turnverein (1570 Clarkson St.) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tonight’s dance and concert begins at 9 p.m. at the Turnverein, (tickets $25, free for children 14 and under). A late-night DJ set ($12) continues until 4 a.m. Sunday.
Sunday’s schedule includes daytime workshops and an evening dinner and awards presentation beginning at 6:30 p.m. at Mattie’s House of Mirrors (1946 Market St.) For a full schedule, or to register for classes, visit or call 303-883-6691.
