ANNOUNCING CHI BLU FOOTWORK RESIDENCY, FLAMENCO AT EL PASEO CONTINUES INTO OCTOBER, AND LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES WITH WENDY CLINARD.

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FLAMENCO AT EL PASEO CONTINUES INTO OCTOBER

It's starting to turn to Fall, at least for the next couple of days. Come and stay warm outside with our continued outdoor flamenco events as part of Flamenco At El Paseo. Events are happening Tuesdays and Fridays from October 2-23. Tuesdays are community classes, and Fridays are a mix of performance and community dance party. And for this Friday's party, we have returning violinist Steve Gibons and Son Jarocho guitarist, Camilo Rincon, joined by two Son Jarocho collaborators Emil Rojo and José Luis.

The community flamenco classes and performances are open to all members of the community, as participants or audience. No prior experience nor formal flamenco shoes necessary. Here’s a video from August’s classes that give an idea of what to expect:

The community based nature of the series extends to our fundraising efforts. Participants will be given the opportunity to make a donation which will be given to a local organization. For our August series, we were able to collect $300 in donations for Good Kids Mad City. From September to October we are collecting donations for Pilsen Food Pantry.

Classes are held on the north end of the garden between Cullerton and 21st street. Please note we will be dancing on the grass and wooden platforms.

Physical distancing will be practiced and face coverings required.

FOOTWORK ARTIST CHI BLU IN RESIDENCY AT CLINARD DANCE

Chi Blu and his "footwork" dance art form will be in residence at Clinard Dance starting in November on Sundays at 4p. There is a parallel connection to the fast footwork, division at the waist line (dropping into the earth to lift up towards the sky) to flamenco. If you want to join his class sooner, he is currently teaching outdoors Sundays at Guadalupe Reyes Park at 821 W. 19th Sundays at 4p.

Chi Blu, formally known as Keith Warfield is a 26 year old father, Chicagoan, and artist before anything. This south side native has always been influenced by creative expression on a multitude of platforms. Chi Blu has made a name for himself through spoken word poetry as a published and performance artist. As a young father, he knows the importance of mentorship through artistic outlets. This understanding has lead him to becoming a teaching artist. Chi has a background in teaching poetry/creative writing, tumbling/gymnastics, and is now spending his time teaching a unique dance style called Chicago footwork.

You can listen to Chi Blu talking about and dancing footwork in this KQED Arts video about the history of footwork in Chicago.

Contact Wendy at weny@clinardance.org for more information on how to participate in Chi Blu's residency.

LIMITED IN-PERSON CLASSES FALL 2020

Wendy Clinard is offering limited capacity in-person classes to students this Fall. Classes will take place in Clinard Dance’s new studio, located just a block up the street from our original Halsted location in Pilsen (directly next door to Kristopher’s Cafe).

1729 S. Halsted
Chicago IL 60608

The series run Sep 14 - Oct 31, and are already underway. If interested in participating, please write to Wendy at wendy@clinardance.org, to book a place in the series and discuss payment.

SCHEDULE
Monday
Multilevel Technique // 6:30-7:30pm
Alegrias // 7:45-8:45pm

Tuesday
Multilevel Technique // 10a-11a

Wednesday
Bulerias // 7:45-8:45

Saturday
Introduction to Flamenco // 10a-11am
Rondeñas // 11:15am-12:15pm^

^This class is in honor of Jose Barrios RIP. See video excerpt of Wendy’s class with Jose this past Dec 2019:

ONE-TO-ONE PRIVATE LESSONS

Wendy continues to teach one-to-one privates either in person or digitally. Privates are being taught in the following areas, and courses of study are designed with Wendy to progressively work on material in a specific way that is helpful to your current levels and questions:

▪ Flamenco Floor Barre: This class is designed to both strengthen and stretch according to good flamenco placement.
▪ Flamenco Technique: This could be specifically feet, turns, arms, palmas; one area or focus on all per session.
▪ Controlling Tempos and Subdividing Beats: This class focuses on the musicality and musicianship for footwork sections.
▪ Alegrias with Manton
▪ A Flamenco Form that you want to Learn or Revisit: Solea, Tangos, Farruca, Bulerias, Alegrias and or Rondeñas.
▪ Bulerias: Dedicated to improvisation and structure. This can be co-taught with Jose Moreno.

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Kindness, by Naomi Shihab Nye

Before you know what kindness really is
you must lose things,
feel the future dissolve in a moment
like salt in a weakened broth.
What you held in your hand,
what you counted and carefully saved,
all this must go so you know
how desolate the landscape can be
between the regions of kindness.
How you ride and ride
thinking the bus will never stop,
the passengers eating maize and chicken
will stare out the window forever.

Before you learn the tender gravity of kindness
you must travel where the Indian in a white poncho
lies dead by the side of the road.
You must see how this could be you,
how he too was someone
who journeyed through the night with plans
and the simple breath that kept him alive.

Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside,
you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing.
You must wake up with sorrow.
You must speak to it till your voice
catches the thread of all sorrows
and you see the size of the cloth.
Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore,
only kindness that ties your shoes
and sends you out into the day to gaze at bread,
only kindness that raises its head
from the crowd of the world to say
It is I you have been looking for,
and then goes with you everywhere
like a shadow or a friend.