Queer Rhythm Dance Workshop with Bergen Street Blues and Grey Armstrong

Name: Queer Rhythm Dance Workshop with Bergen Street Blues and Grey Armstrong
Start: 2025-04-04T19:30:00+02:00
Location: Ny-Krohnborg Senter

Schedule

Fri, 04 Apr, 2025 at 07:30 pm

UTC+02:00

Location

Ny-Krohnborg Senter | Bergen, HO

Welcome to the kick-off event for Queer Rhythm!
A new monthly dance partnership between Skeiv Verden Vest and Bergen Street Blues to bring a fun and inclusive LGBTQ+ focused dancing night to Bergen.
For the first session we are very lucky to have travelling blues and swing dance educator and culture writer Grey Armstrong (he/him) from the USA facilitating the workshop who will take us through some basics of finding our own groove, getting comfortable with dancing to blues and associated 20th-century black music genres, expressing ourselves to the music and explore active ideas and creativity with non-heteronormative dancing.
After the workshop, local DJs from Bergen Street Blues will play varied music for everyone to dance to as they wish to explore solo and partnered dancing. The music played will also feature a variety of known queer blues artists from past to the present day.
Find more information about Bergen Street Blues here
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1286372419110180
Sign-up form: sign-up by sending an email to [email protected] to give us an idea of advance interest.
Date: Friday 04th of April 2025
Time: 19.30 - 22.00
Place: 1st etasje (musikk 1+2) Ny Krohnborg Senter, Rogagaten 9, 5055 Bergen
Language: English with the possibility of Norwegian translation
Accessibility: The dance space is on the 1st floor of Ny Krohnborg Senter, For disability access there is step free access to the room.
Sound: The sound levels will be kept within reasonable limits but for anyone with hearing concerns or sound sensitivity issues we recommend earplugs, and will have some single use available.
Supplies and access: for name tags/pronoun info if desired will be available at the workshop. The 1st floor has multiple accessible unisex toilets available. Sanitary and hygiene product selection will be available in the bathrooms closest to the room. Due to potential scent allergies of participants, please avoid perfumes and scented deodorants for the event.
Refreshments: There will be water, coffee, tea, and some snacks including vegan and gluten free. Please reach out with additional dietary requirements
Dress code: Comfortable. Bring comfortable dance or general indoor shoes - eg leather soled or not too grippy rubber soles are both good.
A bit of history
As a culture, dancing to blues music is historically more gender equal in comparison to other more well known lead & follow dances (eg ballroom genre dances), and also has a long overlap with queer history. Early blues and jazz originators such as Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Big Mama Thornton, Ethel Waters, Gladys Bentley, Billie Holiday were also sexually and/or genderqueer (a common term at the time was ‘in the life’). There is also strong overlap between the Harlem Renaissance in 1920s New York (a black cultural revolution around music, dance, art, fashion, literature, theatre and politics) famous live music ballrooms like The Savoy, and adjacent queer movements like the early drag balls that took place in New York’s Harlem’s Hamilton Lodge.
Visual example of improv dancing to blues music in practice, mixing partnered, solo and switch/non heteronormative dancing. Credit - Blues Fever VIenna 2024 - Blues Fever 2024 - Teachers Presentation
Link to Bergen Street Blues Community Guidelines and Values: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vNuqDdIJxrFpd4z6bzsH-gQoJBdsec-HvOEFee0SARw/edit?usp=sharing
Want to grow the community?: We would love people to want to get more involved with the Queer Rhythm event and if inspired with Bergen Street Blues also. So if you enjoy the event and want to volunteer to be more hands on in the future or if you have a suggestion or feedback please reach out to Dinara, Steph or Ell by message or by speaking to us directly at an event.