Instructors
Damon Stone
Damon has been dancing his entire life, starting with vernacular Jazz/Blues first taught to him at the tender age of six by his grandmother. After nearly a decade of learning at the heels of his elders, he went on and eventually studied a numerous dance forms until coming full circle in 1995 to focus primarily on the history and styles of Swing and Blues as his family danced them with a special focus on the Southern styles from the Mississippi Delta region. He has studied the development of vernacular Jazz/Blues dance across the United States learning from a number of the original dancers.
He is largely regarded as one of the foremost authorities on Blues idiom dance and has been interviewed as a dance historian in documentary, radio, and newspaper. Damon has been a featured instructor at camps, festivals, and workshops across five continents.
Kelsy Stone
Kelsy brings her lifetime of dance training, a passion for vernacular dance, and a sharp eye for technique to the Blues dance world. She has brought her joy and knowledge of blues idiom dances to some of the most important and high-profile events in the US and abroad, including but not limited to: bluesSHOUT!, The Experiment, Muse, Hearken the Blues, Black Label Blues, and BluesGeek--serving as faculty, mentor, competition coordinator, and judge.
Kelsy's critical eye and love of deep technique are tempered by her love of "dad jokes," getting lost in the music and embracing the ridiculous. She shows her appreciation of African American culture by speaking of the history of Blues idiom dance and taking her craft seriously, but never herself.
She believes every mistake is an opportunity to learn, every class an opportunity to challenge, and every dance an opportunity to pay respect to those who came before.
Dan Repsch
"PERSONIFIES THE JOY OF DANCE WITH EVERY STEP HE TAKES ON THE DANCE FLOOR AND EVERY WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT IN HIS CLASSES" - BRAD WOODWORTH I began my dance obsession in late 2007. Since then I've immersed myself in the Swing and Blues communities: traveling, learning, performing, competing, and sharing what I've discovered. I'm a teacher today because I love spreading the joy of dance. I'm happiest seeing people pick up new ideas and grow themselves as dancers.
Dan is immersed in the music and the movement. As a teacher, his enthusiastic approach brings a focus on innovation, connection, and attention to your partner. As a veteran instructor and DJ, he's worked for events across 4 continents, for everything from international events to local dances. He’s also organized both locally and for international events, including a Head DJ role in BluesSHOUT! and The Balboa/Blues Experiment. In the end, Dan is most excited to work hard at improving the dance and to see people break through their boundaries.
Julie Brown
Julie Brown (any/all pronouns) is a Boston-based blues dance teacher, DJ, choreographer, competitor, organizer, and enthusiastic student. She has been participating in blues dance since 2004 and has since gone on to teach blues dancing around the globe and won many national competitions.
As a teacher, Julie aims to help students connect with and understand blues dance’s deep roots, find their own voice, and connect to themselves & others authentically, joyfully, and respectfully. Julie has taught blues dancing in Austin, Boston, San Francisco, Seoul, London, Chicago, Zurich, and many places in between. They are grateful to have won or placed in many solo & partnered blues competitions, including at bluesSHOUT!, Blues Muse, Mile High Blues, Steel City Blues, Northstar Blues, and more.
Julie is continually reconnecting to their love of solo blues dancing, working on Chicago-style Stepping, headstands, & leading blues, as well as continuing to learn about blues history and its connections to later and present-day Black social dances & music.
Catherine Palmier
Catherine Palmier assists individuals to unleash one’s own authentic movement offering guided explorations to refine one’s dance using grounded organic movement, effortless power and fluid grace.
With over 10 years of professional dance experience, academic dance training in Paris, and knowledge of multiple styles of dance, Catherine skillfully and with a keen movement sensibility helps dancers discover the origin and understanding of their own personal movement. She draws from performance concepts, emotions, visualizations, memories, body mechanics, sensations and alignment to support a constantly flourishing understanding of dance for her students.
Catherine hopes her students receive insight, playfulness and enthusiasm from her work enabling them to develop their own signature style within their dance.
Because of Catherine’s ability to interpret various dance styles coupled with her proficiency in revealing the unlimited nature of African dance an body mechanics, this makes her appealing to dancers of any genre or experience level.