Dance Workshops
All classes are held at Millennium Dance Complex Saturday & Sunday Afternoon
All classes are intended to be accessible to broad levels of experience.
Please read each description carefully, as some presume knowledge of specific dance concepts
Carpenter
Saturday 1:00-2:15
Practical Momentum
Blow your mind and unlock this foundational partner dance mechanic. Present in practically every partner dance, we’ll explore how momentum (and its cousins FIMSIM, stretch + compression, and frame) unlocks a huge amount of potential movements, expression, and play. We’ll bounce between the concrete and the abstract to allow you to learn at your own pace and prepare you for a lifetime of dancing.
Students should feel comfortable maintaining open partnered movement while staying connected to the music. Be ready for a faster-paced class!
Saturday 2:30-3:45
Micro
Get small and nuanced with Micro Dancing. Learn to effortlessly flow with your partner and the music with concrete micro techniques, moves, and concepts built on the foundations of other dances. Move beyond “isolations” and “body rolls” to a wider, more expressive, micro.
No micro experience required, but we will be moving at a quick pace, with less of a focus on the “warm fuzzies” and more on “content”
Saturday 4:00-5:00
Practica
Open dance time to review and engage with instructors one-on-one
Sunday 1:00-2:15
Lyrical
Combining contemporary/studio dancing and abstracted partner dance techniques this unlikely fusion invites expressive performative movement and emotive play. Not only will you learn this emerging fusion dialect as a self-contained style, but you’ll also train important and reusable concepts like dancing between the beats, refining and abstracting momentum, and partnered solo dancing. Come get flowy… but with structure!
Students should feel comfortable generating and redirecting momentum with a partner, working with stretch and compression, and traveling rotational movement. If you’re unsure of your skill, attending the “Practical Momentum” class would provide the necessary foundation for this class!
Sunday 2:30-3:45
Build-a-Dance
Every song is different, so why isn’t your dancing? What if you used a different movement style for each song, and what if they were ones that haven’t been invented yet? What if you could create a dance on-the-fly – an emergent dance that exists only for the moment, for your specific partner and that specific song? Learn how in these series of guided exercises! You will practice concrete tools to shift your movements quickly and collaboratively, working with your partner to build a dance from the ground up.
Sunday 4:00-5:00
Practica
Open dance time to review and engage with instructors one-on-one
Webb
Saturday 1:00-2:15
Blindfolded Body Mapping
A person’s body map is their perception, understanding and experience of their own body, how and where their joints move and how their body functions (from the Alexander Technique).
We will apply this concept to take a deep dive into your partner’s body, building a sixth sense of where your partner is in space and how their body moves. The result: An unbelievable connection that will enable you to be one with your partner as if they were the other half of your four-legged self.
Saturday 2:30-3:45
Ochos Inside-Out
Who says all turns have to happen on one foot? In this class, we’ll flip the script on traditional turns by exploring split-weight and single axis turns, and unexpected transitions. Starting with the foundation of tango ochos, we’ll break down the technique behind pivots, steps, and the spaces in between — then stretch that foundation into a rich vocabulary of circular, fluid, and connected turning. Whether you’re leading or following, you’ll discover how to create turns that are both grounded and sensuous, playful and precise.
Students should feel comfortable with shared momentum and can explore turning movements that center on their own balance and axis.
Saturday 4:00-5:00
Practica
Open dance time to review and engage with instructors one-on-one
Sunday 1:00-2:15
The Power of Pause
Slow down to spark magic. Explore how stillness can create some of the most captivating moments in your dance. You’ll learn to use pauses (including the four distinct types I teach), suspensions, and intentional contrast to build drama and contrast to your dance.
Whether you’re newer to fusion or a seasoned dancer, this class will give you tools to make your dancing more expressive, grounded, and connected to your partner and the music. Come explore the quiet spaces in between – the places where the real magic happens.
Sunday 2:30-3:45
The Divine Dance Connection
As the saying goes, it takes two to Tango (or Fusion!). It takes two, but how do two voices translate into one seamless, connected, juicy dance? – with supreme listening, curiosity, appreciation, musicality, and connection. This class will explore lead and follow voice through a variety of fun and insightful games that will definitely improve your dance and may also have positive side effects in life too.
Sunday 4:00-5:00
Practica
Open dance time to review and engage with instructors one-on-one
Meet our Instructors
Emily helps dancers unlock effortless connection, powerful technique, and a deeper understanding of how their bodies move. With nearly three decades of experience in Tango, Fusion, Swing, Salsa, and Blues, she weaves technique, biomechanics, and embodied connection into a teaching style that makes dances feel both grounded and electric.
Since 2011, thousands of students across the U.S. and Canada have benefited from Emily’s dynamic, interactive teaching style. Her adaptability to student needs and targeted drills create meaningful, high-impact learning for dancers of all levels. Her years of teaching have given her a gift for making even the most complex moves simple and building skills from the ground up—helping students learn faster, move with confidence, and create dances that leave their partners wanting more.
Beyond dance, Emily is a certified Holistic Health Coach, biomechanics specialist and certified instructor of Krav Maga (street fighting and self-defense), Yoga, Gravity Yoga and has a BS in Equine Science with a specialty in teaching. She has been seen teaching at nationally recognized events such as Hi-Fi Fusion Festival, Austin Fusion Festival, BAmF, Barefoot Fusion, Seattle Fusion Festival, Recess Events, Portland Alt Tango Festival, Denver Fusion Exchange , Las Vegas Fusion Exchange and more.
Mark (he/they) is an international Fusion instructor, DJ, and organizer hailing from California. When he is not traveling he is based out of the SF Bay Area where founded the Fusion Dance Academy. He has been teaching since 2006, much of that focused on the Fusion scene with its emerging forms and conventions, teaching workshops all over the world (and in two languages). He is at the forefront of shaping what Fusion is and what it can become, continually striving to make the impossible look easy and the easy look impossible.