Mike Legenthal
Mike Legenthal became a full-time blues dancer in 2007. She has taught at events all over the world, from Boston to Milan, and Seoul to Sidney. A teacher’s teacher, she often serves as head judge, teaches the instructor-training tracks, and pushes dancers to learn more about the roots of the dances and music we love so much. Yet while her resume may look intimidating, her classes are full of creativity, warmth, and laughter. Her classes are incredibly welcoming, and are a perfect place for those with a natural groove or with two left feet. In her dancing, she seeks to be distinctive and creative, and to always drive towards the heart of blues aesthetic and culture. She immerses herself in the music and in playful, dynamic partnership. As an instructor, she offers both detailed technical descriptions and imaginative metaphors, to reach a wide range of minds. She is clever and respectful, and hopes to leave her students engaged in nuanced critical thought- and to get them out onto the dance floor!
Dan Lengethal
Dan Legenthal is a blues idiom, vernacular jazz, and swing dancer living in Atlanta, GA. He specializes in early-to-mid 1900’s era African American improvised partner dances done to Blues and Jazz-Blues music. Dan’s approach to dancing and teaching dance are informed by a degree in classical guitar, and from lessons and conversations with Blues historians and legendary Blues players like Phil Wiggins, Gaye Adegbalola, Elijah Wald, Daryl Davis, and Rich Delgrosso, just to name a few. Since 2012 Dan has taught, DJed, and performed around the world at events like The Blues Experiment (USA), Seoul Blues Dance Festival (South Korea), and Spoonful of Blues (Scotland).
If you are passionate about African-American dances and would like to give your support, please consider donating to a charitable organization such as the Ujima Foundation (https://ujimablues.org/) or the International Association of Blacks in Dance (https://www.iabdassociation.org/).
Lila Faria (she/her)
Lila (she/her) first encountered blues dancing in 2015, hidden in the back rooms of New York City bars. After eight years of training in synchronized skating and ice dancing (2004-2012), she fell in love with the partner dance, pursuing learning opportunities across the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
In 2018, she settled down in Seattle, where she took a day job as a Montessori educator and spent her nights supporting the local blues dance scene. After the pandemic, she transitioned to remote work and launched Lila Faria Dance (along with her blues news resource, the “Seattle Blues Dance Collective”). Now, she spends her evenings promoting blues dancing in Seattle. She also travels the world in her free time, learning and teaching wherever she can
In addition to her movement background, Lila studied alternative education at NYU – a degree that she incorporates into her lessons today. If you look closely, you may find influences from Montessori education, non-violent communication, CMX community strategy, positive discipline and more. Through her pedagogy, she works to provide her students with informative dance history and increased body awareness. She hopes to create an environment where they feel safe, supported, and empowered to be their true, authentic selves.
Dillon Arevalo
Dillon (he/him) has been partner dancing since 2007, when his friends bribed him to attend Swing dance classes with cookies, and has been teaching since 2009. He started dancing Blues in 2010 as a way to better understand connection and closeness within partner dance. He fell in love with the way two partners in a Blues dance can feel like a single form but still retain so much individual agency and expression. As a teacher, Dillon tries to understand dance both from a cultural and historical lens and as a means of artistic co-creation and connection. His chief joys in teaching are discussing and experiencing dance theory and helping others find what they love about dance.
Grey Armstrong
Grey is a highly sought after international teacher who is proud to share his culture and love of dance with the world. Bringing opportunities for growth and confidence building Grey’s loves to help dancers find their style within the foundations. He is known for innovative classes, deep cultural context, and an intuitive learning style. By challenging students physically, intellectually, and emotionally Grey leaves students with a feeling they have been changed beyond just dance.
Grey loves to follow, help dancers find their voice, and find new music. You can find him dancing a variety of styles and yet, he returns to blues again and again.
Robin Chow
Being a dancer who started later in life, and owing so much to the discovery of a hip hop tutorial video at the back of a You Got Served DVD (shout out to and rest in peace Dave Scott), Robin truly believes that dance is inside every one of us. Whether it’s a fully realized passion, or a whisper of curiosity, he feels that dance should always be available to our selves, whatever one’s dance experience or familiarity. His dance repertoire is based on solo movement learned from a studio hip hop background, with the journey into social dancing starting with lindy hop, and over time including blues, balboa & fusion. And ever since his introduction to blues dancing in 2018, he has become a passionate practitioner and advocate of the form, and is dedicated to a continued journey of learning and sharing of blues dance and culture.
Cynthia Menos
Cynthia has been active in the dance community since 2016, balancing roles as a teacher, DJ, and organizer. Over the years, she has helped found two blues dance scenes, the most recent being in her home scene Pittsburgh, PA.
Cynthia enjoys teaching and has recently been featured at regional blues workshops and the national festivals Steel City Blues and Blues Muse. In her classes, she blends historical and modern context, helping dancers to have a deeper understanding and connection with the dance as well as the community surrounding it.
Competitively, Cynthia has finaled or titled at Cats Corner Exchange, Montreal Bagels and Blues, Flying Home, Bean Town, and Blues Muse. Outside of Blues, you’ll often find Cynthia at Solo Jazz, Lindy Hop, Salsa, Bachata, and Urban Kizomba events.