SPECIAL GUEST ARTIST ALERT!

Thomas Wadelton & Mako Ruan are a fantastically fun dance duo! We are so thrilled to offer this amazing opportunity and hope you can all take advantage.

LOCATION:

All classes will be hosted at The Rhythm Room: 

8713 Cambie Street

One block south of Marine drive at Kent 

STEP SOFTLY- 2 hour workshop on SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14th

with Thomas & Mako

1:30 - 3:30 PM

Level open to Lindy Hop or Tap dancers with any amount of experience 

How can we dance music?

Jazz has such a rich tradition of bodily expression that is inextricable from it’s sonic character.

We have found it very interesting to bring into conversation two distinct traditions - that of Jazz an Guinean music.  Both assume the audience be involved in the making process.  There is music and so there is dance.  Always the two together

This workshop includes:

- A traditional Guinean (West African) dance conditioning warm up to open the body and prepare our ears

- A Solo jazz portion to extend these movements musically and relate ourselves to a jazz specific context

- Lastly - tap dance as a means to explore melodic and rhythmic ideas we’ve encountered in a new manner. 

COST:

Members: $45/2hr class

Non Members: $60/2hr class

ABOUT THOMAS & MAKO

THOMAS is a vocalist–percussionist.

Before the drum, there were feet for rhythm.

Tap dance grew with jazz through all its iterations and, as the story goes (as told by Gillespie/Papa Jo Jones/Honi Coles), was a driving force in the evolution of the art form. In difficult times it was cohesive and artistically expansive. There are many ways to sing the blues.

Thomas draws on these traditions in his work as a jazz band leader and performing artist.

Early years in Australia were greatly influenced by teacher Grant Swift and his playing live with local Melbourne jazz music greats.

From 2010 until the present he has toured extensively throughout Europe, Russia and Asia; studied music and traditional dance in Guinea; led various jazz music groups; was a principal member of the (then) only full-time tap dance company in the world "Tapestry Dance"; received a Fine Arts scholarship at Monash University; lived primarily out of a suitcase; taught dance to children in countryside Hokkaido over several spring/summer seasons; had a child; is still moving.

Events/venues include: Moscow Tsaritsyno Palace; Falls Music and Arts Festival; Quebec DANSEncore; Shanghai Int. Arts Festival; Södra Teatern Stockholm; Fall for Dance North Toronto; Melbourne's Hamer Hall; Woodford Folk Fest; the Shanghai mansion Bangkok; Apollo Bay Music Festival; Iðnó (Reykjavik); Performing tours of China and Switzerland.

MAKO is a Jazz dance performer and teacher originally from China. When she visited New Orleans - the birthplace of Jazz in 2010, she was moved by how closely the musicians and dancers were connected - the music was always accompanied by dancing. This prompted her to start learning jazz dance and eventually perform with live bands - she has since performed for audiences in the UK (Royal Albert Hall, Ronnie Scott's, Wilderness Festival), Slovenia, Canada, Thailand, Denmark, Sweden, France, Spain, Egypt, South Korea, Guinea and China. Festival highlights include Herrang Dance Camp, Diga Diga Doo Bangkok, Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Paris Jazz Roots and Paris AJT battle.

Since 2020, she’s been studying Mandingue dance traditions from West Africa under the guidance of master dancer Youssouf Koumbassa and his disciple Youssouf Sylla. She’s a lifetime student of the languages and stories of Jazz and Mandingue and she hopes to share it far and wide.