Kizomba Special for Follows & Leads

Lady Maren, Ashby Laine & Christina Lesego offer quality, detailed instruction focused on the equally important roles of follow and lead, both separately, and together.

SCHEDULE:
11:45am – Register & Check-in
12:00pm – 2hr Follows Special (For follows only)
BREAK
2:30pm – 1.5hr Kizomba & Semba
4:00pm – 1.5hr Leads Semi Private
8:00pm to midnight – Social

ONLINE PASSES:
Follows Only :$40
Kizomba Only: $35
Lead Semi Private: Contact for price

BUY PASSES HERE:
TINYURL.COM/KIZOMBASPECIAL

All sessions may be combined.
> Follow + Kizomba
> Lead + Kizomba
> Follow + Kizomba + Lead

SOCIAL – Included with any session purchase above or pay for Social Only option $20

I’M GOING FRAME:
twb.nz/kizombaspecial

LOCATION:
OMNI Studios Oakland
FNK as Flying Studios

4834 Telegraph Ave, Oakland, CA

*Parking is tricky so please build that into your travel time.
If driving do not leave anything visible in the car. There are cubbies in the studio for personal belongings.

BART:
MacArthur Station is 8-10 min walk

12:00pm – 2:00pm
> 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄’𝘀 𝗧𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁: 𝗚𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗮, 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲 & 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲!
– 2 hours of instruction created specifically for Follows.
**Open to ALL

During these two hours together, renowned instructors will cover the art of active and playful following, highlighting how to express individually while also working on technique to follow with the grace to move as one with a partner.

From technique, ginga, personal style, body movements, to bringing out your confidence to empower you on the dance floor. We all know from experience that instruction for follows is often minimal at best. This workshop is designed to address things often left out of lead-focused lessons to improve your following in Kizomba, Semba. While the session is focused on Kizomba you will find that it will also help your following in Urbankiz, Fusion and other partner dance styles (like Bachata & Salsa), as if will help you connect more with your partner and be a more sensitive follow.

– 2:30pm – 4:00pm
> 𝗞𝗶𝘇𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗮 & 𝗦𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗮 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹: 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴
– 1.5 hours covering both Kizomba and Semba movements, steps and technique.

This workshop is designed to help kizomba dancers continue to better understand and execute their roles as follows and leads, and hone their ability to communicate with one another in the dance. Focusing on key techniques and elevating lead and follow communication and flow, we will practice these concepts with interesting steps and combinations that all follows and leads will enjoy.
***basic knowledge of foundations, virgula, retrocesso, and saidas necessary

NEW TO KIZOMBA??? Ask us about the Fundamentals Track option!

> 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝗦𝗲𝗺𝗶 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁
– 1.5 hour session w/ Maren, Ashby & Christina
(Very Limit Capacity)

Unlock your leading potential in a special semi private aimed at smoothing out your lead. Focusing on technique, quality of movement, connection, smoothness and style. Get detailed instruction from three top follows (who also lead) for both Kizomba and Semba. Solidify your basics, work on tricks and complex steps and take your dance to the next level.

Private instruction from a follow is crucial to your development as a lead. Being able to know how it feels to dance with you will help you stop wondering things like…Is my lead clear? Are my movements smooth? Am I fun to dance with? You will finally get to hear the things that no one will tell you on the dance floor, along with helpful guidance on how to continue improving.

***MUST BOOK DIRECTLY THROUGH INSTRUCTORS – EMAIL: [email protected]

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INSTRUCTOR BIOS:
> Lady Maren is an award-winning Kizomba and Semba artist who has achieved national and international success in competition, instruction, and choreography. She is a co-founder of the much-loved Fam Jam Kizomba Festival and duo MSKIZ in collaboration with Steve Ciki since 2014.

Known for her musicality, fluidity, and vibrant energy, dance has always been as essential to her as breathing. Lady Maren comes from a background rich in Afro/Latin music and dance studies. She uses Kizomba & Semba education, performance, and events to celebrate the richness of the African Diaspora from which she descends.

> Ashby Laine’s contagious smile will have you feeling comfortable dancing in no time! Whether it is semba, kizomba, movement or beyond, Ashby brings strong teaching ability and unique exercises and explanations to any class she instructs.
Ashby’s kizomba journey began in Boston in 2014, and has since then taken her around the world. She has been fortunate to train with, learn from and teach with many talented dancers from Europe and the USA.
Ashby has a professional background in training and teaching, which adds a unique perspective to her teaching methods. Ashby is inspired by the beautiful women she encounters in the kizomba world, and seeks to connect with and guide other women to grow. She is known for her passion for sharing valuable and relevant tools to follows in class – an important piece so often neglected.

> Christina Lesego stumbled across her first Kizomba class, by chance, in 2014, just as it was gaining more popularity in the Bay Area. She immediately fell in love with the music and the dance and has not looked back since. She has dance backgrounds in Salsa, Bachata, Jamaican Dancehall, Samba, as well as other dance styles.

Her Kizomba journey has taken her around the world dancing; attending festivals, taking workshops, and many private lessons with top international instructors to learn Kizomba and Semba. Her most memorable and transformative experience was traveling to Angola where she studied with many of the Angolan Kizomba Champions. She immersed herself in Angolan culture and witnessed Kizomba in its most natural form. She has danced in Paris, Mozambique, and South Africa. She has also taught at various festivals and events in the US and overseas.

As a teacher, her attention to detail, patience and understanding of dance and how people move create an optimal learning environment for her students. She is all about feeling and fun, while still paying attention to accuracy and technique. Her ability to accommodate her teaching allows each student the opportunity to find out what works for them and how their own unique body likes to move.

Her priority is for students to walk away from class feeling accomplished and knowing they have gained more knowledge, technique, skill, as well as unlocking their own creativity and dance personality. This guiding philosophy has helped students learn faster and be more confident because her classes accommodate the students rather than the students having to accommodate to class. With a sense of fun and playfulness she aims to create a warm, relaxed atmosphere that maximizes and honors her student’s learning. She’s been known to tell her students, “I’ll have you dancing Kizomba by the end of class!”.

Not only is Christina an advocate for Kizomba and Semba, she is also a long time organizer of events in the Bay Area, has hosted her own monthly party, “KizomBay Fridays”, which was the Bay Area’s top standalone party for Kizomba, bringing all the dancers from various schools together, before the shut down. She also organizes and collaborates on many other parties and workshops for Afro-Caribbean dances.

Social Media Handles:
FB: KizomBay United & Christina Lesego
IG: KizomBay_United & AfroCali_SF