(Message Nikki for any other details or inquire)

Advanced Mini Workshops w/ Mikey & Nikki
Hour & Half Lessons
Thursdays Starting January 31 – February 7, 14, 21, 28, 2013
7:45pm-9:15pm

Feb. 7th – Becoming a Better Dancer P.1
Feb. 14th – Becoming a Better Dancer P.2
Feb. 21st – Taking it to the Next Level P.1
Feb. 28th – Taking it to the Next Level P.2

Series Description:
These hour and a half lessons are designed for the Advanced dancer who is looking to take their social dancing to another level. You will be introduced to techniques, exercises, and movements that will help you to take the next step in your dancing. Learn to incorporate international trends to create new and unique concepts while you dance.

Mikey & Nikki Bio:
Mikey Pedroza and Nikki Marvin are a powerhouse couple in the world of swing. Having competed, performed and taught American Jazz dances: Lindy Hop, Charleston, Balboa, Slow Drag (Blues) and Authentic Jazz throughout the United States and the world. They have earned international acclaim for their impeccable style and technical precision. With classes focusing on developing individual style and a confident connection through proper lead/follow techniques and body awareness. And as instructors, their vigor can only be overshadowed by the joy and self-confidence they inspire in their students.

Suggested that students know basic Lindy Hop.

Class Schedule (12:00 PM – 4:00 PM)

• 12:00 PM  Registration / Check-in
• 12:15 PM  Walking, Circling, & Using the Floor: Learn to use the floor as you walk with your partner and take them in any direction in closed position. This acts as the basis of our style of Blues.
• 1:00 PM  Connecting Through Momentum: Make your dancing feel like a seamless ride, rather then a stop and go mess, using the connection you create between you and your partner.
• 1:45 PM  Lunch / Pizza Party
• 2:30 PM  Musicality & Ending the Song: Let’s break the music down and listen to all the parts of the     songs so when the ending of song comes you’ll be ready with some great material!
• 3:15 PM  Lindy Hop & Blues Go Together: Now that you have learned to move slowly and through your body, let’s connect the dots between Lindy Hop and Blues to take your dancing to another level for you and your partner.

The whole workshop is $50 or 5 punches from your Punch Card if you pre-register by 2/22/13. Or $60 at the door. Punch Cards can only be used if you pre-register. Register in person or online now!

As traveling international instructors we are exposed to many different types of Lindy Hop events, dance scenes, competitions, performances, and even venues. Many dancers in LA/OC don’t travel to events for various reasons. We throw IW in an attempt to share what we see around the world with our community. We want you to feel what we feel. We want you to care about your dancing as much as we care about your dancing. And we want you to be inspired and inspire others.

Why I compete and perform and why you should give it a try:

I compete and perform because I love sharing what I do with my students and peers. Performing or preparing for a competition is a great way to work on your dancing and push yourself to new heights. Not to mention that the process of creating something with your dance partner is amazing. Through practice or choreography you learn more about the dance, yourself as a dancer, and how to choreograph. It’s not always about winning. Sometimes it’s about sharing your passion. Everyone is a critic and I believe that it’s important to make sure that you are dancing for yourself first and foremost.

Inspiring Teachers:

We are so excited to bring you Skye Humphries, Jo Hoffberg, Kevin St. Laurent, Mike Faltesek, and Carla Heiney. These are some of the top pros in Lindy Hop and some of the most inspiring teachers out there today. They are all creative, innovative, and forever pushing the dance to places that we have not been before. If you are feeling stagnate in your dancing come out and learn a thing or two from our instructors. Each one of these instructors has a completely different view of the dance. The best things for you is to learn from everyone whether that means taking their class or asking them to dance. Try it all then figure out what works for you. Form your own opinions about what Lindy Hop is to you. We are so spoiled with talent here in So Cal that we forget that there is more out there to learn. Take advantage.

Not a sales pitch:

I believe that each and every dancer from beginning to advanced has something to gain from this weekend. I wrote this blog because I am inspired and excited about IW and I hope that you will join me!

See you on the dance floor. Make sure to grab me for a dance!

Nikki Marvin

http://atomicballroom.com/calendar/special-events/end-of-summer-student-showcase-and-atomic-family-bbq.php

The day after our first meeting with Greg I blocked out the entire routine in a notebook on my flight to the Mid-West where I was teaching at a Liberty Blues. All while at the event I was able to get the word out there to the Cherry Bombs and friends that we would be starting rehearsals for a music video the following week. It’s rare but for three weeks I was able to set aside Monday’s and Thursday’s and arrange my schedule so that I was back in town for all of these dates. This opportunity came at a crazy time. I had so much choreography in my head for one routine or another that it required a lot of extra focus for each routine that I was involved in. These Mon/Thurs rehearsals were in addition to regular Cherry Bomb rehearsals where the girls and ! were working on other new routines for various gigs as well as all of my Lindy Hop stuff. Needless to say everyone was very busy dancing at the time.

The most difficult task was gathering the girls. At the time the ACB roster consisted of about 15 girls and out of that 15 only 10-12 were available for rehearsals and shoot dates. We were hoping to acquire at least 30 girls. Not an easy task. We put the word out there to friends/family/strangers anyone who was available for 3 weeks of rehearsal and 2 shoot dates during the week. At the end of it all we ended up with 18 wonderful ladies and they were the most fun, talented, respectful and patient group that I could ask for.
Evonne and I tried to be as organized as possible. Coordinating 18 girls with lots of formation changes would be impossible otherwise. Evonne had experience with Drill Team field choreography and a program that produces visual charts so that every step of the way each girl knew exactly where to go. We also used numbered name badges so that we knew if everyone was in the correct spot. Evonne typed up these charts before every single rehearsal so they were always up to date. Amazing.

Like I mentioned before these were very busy times. Between my traveling/teaching/performing/mom/wife schedule and Evonne’s High School teaching/grading/wife schedule we would squeeze in any time that we could to choreograph the movement between the formations. An hour here thirty minutes there and you would be amazed what we could accomplish in a Starbucks drive through!
After the first couple of rehearsals we invited Greg to come down and take a look. He was happy with what he saw and inspired with new ideas. Greg was great to collaborate with and his visits were very helpful for us to understand the camera perspective as well as his vision for the band members. We spent quite a bit of time going back and forth with the beginning phrase choreography but in the end we went back to our original ideas. Because we spent so much time focusing on the beginning of the routine we never really had a chance to set the ending formations.

Day 1 on set was exciting and stressful but also very productive. Our call time was 10am at the Charlie Chaplin soundstage at the Jim Henson Studios in Hollywood. We got right to work rehearsing and blocking out the routine as the crew set place markers and lighting. I think that we were blocking the routine until 9/10:00pm. My experience of that day is very different from the rest of the girls. Most of my time was spent running back and forth from the monitor to the girls on the floor shouting changes based on the camera view. It’s quite different choreographing for a moving camera than for a live audience. The camera has more limitations than the dancers so changes have to be made accordingly. Choreography and dancers have to be very flexible as there were tons of little choreo changes on the spot. The poor girls had to run each part of the routine several times trying new ideas almost every time. They also spent a lot of time standing, kneeling and waiting for direction on a cement floor which is difficult on it’s own. The crew and the band were great and the girls seemed to have a good time interacting with all involved.

After a long day with a call time of 7am (6am for breakfast) some of the girls drove back to Orange County and a group of us stayed in Hollywood. We split a room at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on Hollywood Blvd across from the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and of course we couldn’t resist a late night visit to the theatre for a photo op.

Day 2 was crazy. During one of our last rehearsals a girl had to drop out so on day 2 it was time for me to jump in and fill her spot. Even though I knew the routine I had not danced it in formation yet. Also, something that I haven’t mentioned is that our prop for the routine was umbrellas. By the end of day 2 we were scrambling to find working unbroken umbrellas. Brand new umbrellas work great but the more you use them the more unpredictable they become. When you are hidden behind an umbrella you have to rely on muscle memory, markings on the ground, your relationship to the girls around you and the puzzle pieces that you are fitting together. The back end of the routine was crazy and intense. There was lots of shouting and stressful looks but I give the girls so much credit because putting it all together was much more difficult than I imagined. Behind an umbrella you literally have no idea what anything looks like from the front.

By the time we began shooting we only did about 4 or 5 takes. The entire video is one shot so that means no cuts. The camera moves throughout the entire routine as it’s happening. We were down to the wire and running out of time. I was shouting ending sequence changes up until the last take and each ending that we did was different and unrehearsed. We knew that it was the last shot as we were frozen waiting for “cut!” we saw Jake the drummer streak by with nothing but an umbrella. Job well done.

As we were all sitting there stunned and emotional after two grueling days on set Menno, the lead singer, presented us with flowers and pizza and cupcakes with umbrella’s in the top. The band was really great to work with and most of the girls had crushes on all of them and Greg. We all stuck around and talked and ate. The band gave out CD’s which were the most cleverly wrapped CD’s I’ve ever seen: plastic baggies filled with confetti and stickers. The girls took home umbrellas that the guys all signed and hopefully happy positive memories. At some point during the shoot Menno talked with Evonne and I about our little band and just before we left the set Menno gave me the guitar that he used in the video. A brand new Eastwood Airline guitar. It’s too bad I’m horrible and can’t play a thing but I’m trying!

I’m so thankful to Greg for giving us this opportunity and I’m especially thankful to the Atomic Cherry Bombs and friends for all of their hard work! So again THANK YOU: Greg Jardin, Evonne Marvin, Adrienne Weidert, Ana Santillan, Claire Pedroza, Jenny Sicard, Vanessa Gerard, Alaina Jacobs, Chelsea McFarland, Crystal Salaz, Heather Eide, Julie Rupp Moffett, Allison Tan, Cheryl Smith Gardner, Jennifer Holmstrom, Holly Thomas Yang, Kristi Ward, Jo Jo Paolo, Stephanie Albao, and Mikey Pedroza.

The day after our first meeting with Greg I blocked out the entire routine in a notebook on my flight to the Mid-West where I was teaching at a Liberty Blues. All while at the event I was able to get the word out there to the Cherry Bombs and friends that we would be starting rehearsals for a music video the following week. It’s rare but for three weeks I was able to set aside Monday’s and Thursday’s and arrange my schedule so that I was back in town for all of these dates. This opportunity came at a crazy time. I had so much choreography in my head for one routine or another that it required a lot of extra focus for each routine that I was involved in. These Mon/Thurs rehearsals were in addition to regular Cherry Bomb rehearsals where the girls and ! were working on other new routines for various gigs as well as all of my Lindy Hop stuff. Needless to say everyone was very busy dancing at the time.

The most difficult task was gathering the girls. At the time the ACB roster consisted of about 15 girls and out of that 15 only 10-12 were available for rehearsals and shoot dates. We were hoping to acquire at least 30 girls. Not an easy task. We put the word out there to friends/family/strangers anyone who was available for 3 weeks of rehearsal and 2 shoot dates during the week. At the end of it all we ended up with 18 wonderful ladies and they were the most fun, talented, respectful and patient group that I could ask for.
Evonne and I tried to be as organized as possible. Coordinating 18 girls with lots of formation changes would be impossible otherwise. Evonne had experience with Drill Team field choreography and a program that produces visual charts so that every step of the way each girl knew exactly where to go. We also used numbered name badges so that we knew if everyone was in the correct spot. Evonne typed up these charts before every single rehearsal so they were always up to date. Amazing.

Like I mentioned before these were very busy times. Between my traveling/teaching/performing/mom/wife schedule and Evonne’s High School teaching/grading/wife schedule we would squeeze in any time that we could to choreograph the movement between the formations. An hour here thirty minutes there and you would be amazed what we could accomplish in a Starbucks drive through!
After the first couple of rehearsals we invited Greg to come down and take a look. He was happy with what he saw and inspired with new ideas. Greg was great to collaborate with and his visits were very helpful for us to understand the camera perspective as well as his vision for the band members. We spent quite a bit of time going back and forth with the beginning phrase choreography but in the end we went back to our original ideas. Because we spent so much time focusing on the beginning of the routine we never really had a chance to set the ending formations.

Day 1 on set was exciting and stressful but also very productive. Our call time was 10am at the Charlie Chaplin soundstage at the Jim Henson Studios in Hollywood. We got right to work rehearsing and blocking out the routine as the crew set place markers and lighting. I think that we were blocking the routine until 9/10:00pm. My experience of that day is very different from the rest of the girls. Most of my time was spent running back and forth from the monitor to the girls on the floor shouting changes based on the camera view. It’s quite different choreographing for a moving camera than for a live audience. The camera has more limitations than the dancers so changes have to be made accordingly. Choreography and dancers have to be very flexible as there were tons of little choreo changes on the spot. The poor girls had to run each part of the routine several times trying new ideas almost every time. They also spent a lot of time standing, kneeling and waiting for direction on a cement floor which is difficult on it’s own. The crew and the band were great and the girls seemed to have a good time interacting with all involved.

After a long day with a call time of 7am (6am for breakfast) some of the girls drove back to Orange County and a group of us stayed in Hollywood. We split a room at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on Hollywood Blvd across from the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and of course we couldn’t resist a late night visit to the theatre for a photo op.

Day 2 was crazy. During one of our last rehearsals a girl had to drop out so on day 2 it was time for me to jump in and fill her spot. Even though I knew the routine I had not danced it in formation yet. Also, something that I haven’t mentioned is that our prop for the routine was umbrellas. By the end of day 2 we were scrambling to find working unbroken umbrellas. Brand new umbrellas work great but the more you use them the more unpredictable they become. When you are hidden behind an umbrella you have to rely on muscle memory, markings on the ground, your relationship to the girls around you and the puzzle pieces that you are fitting together. The back end of the routine was crazy and intense. There was lots of shouting and stressful looks but I give the girls so much credit because putting it all together was much more difficult than I imagined. Behind an umbrella you literally have no idea what anything looks like from the front.

By the time we began shooting we only did about 4 or 5 takes. The entire video is one shot so that means no cuts. The camera moves throughout the entire routine as it’s happening. We were down to the wire and running out of time. I was shouting ending sequence changes up until the last take and each ending that we did was different and unrehearsed. We knew that it was the last shot as we were frozen waiting for “cut!” we saw Jake the drummer streak by with nothing but an umbrella. Job well done.

As we were all sitting there stunned and emotional after two grueling days on set Menno, the lead singer, presented us with flowers and pizza and cupcakes with umbrella’s in the top. The band was really great to work with and most of the girls had crushes on all of them and Greg. We all stuck around and talked and ate. The band gave out CD’s which were the most cleverly wrapped CD’s I’ve ever seen: plastic baggies filled with confetti and stickers. The girls took home umbrellas that the guys all signed and hopefully happy positive memories. At some point during the shoot Menno talked with Evonne and I about our little band and just before we left the set Menno gave me the guitar that he used in the video. A brand new Eastwood Airline guitar. It’s too bad I’m horrible and can’t play a thing but I’m trying!

I’m so thankful to Greg for giving us this opportunity and I’m especially thankful to the Atomic Cherry Bombs and friends for all of their hard work! So again THANK YOU: Greg Jardin, Evonne Marvin, Adrienne Weidert, Ana Santillan, Claire Pedroza, Jenny Sicard, Vanessa Gerard, Alaina Jacobs, Chelsea McFarland, Crystal Salaz, Heather Eide, Julie Rupp Moffett, Allison Tan, Cheryl Smith Gardner, Jennifer Holmstrom, Holly Thomas Yang, Kristi Ward, Jo Jo Paolo, Stephanie Albao, and Mikey Pedroza.