It was important to us that we have a place where we can make our music as well as one that allows us to rehearse for shows and work on dancing. Shows and dancing will be really important to everything we are about in the near future. There are a lot of wheels in motion but soon, it will all amount to us being able to deliver our music to you all in exciting and entertaining ways.
-m
Busy week for The Blackout Beat with the relaunch of The Beat Shop and this Friday’s Dance Party. If you want more info about the event check it out on the FB page here.
Ashley Crawford is The Blackout Beat Dance Studio’s Zumba and Flamenco instructor. Come check out her Mon, Wed and Fri Zumba classes at 5:30 P.M. and her Flamenco class Saturday’s at 12:15 P.M. Next month she will also begin teaching a Beginners Belly Dancing class. The Blackout Beat Recording and Dance Studio is located at 3459 Ringsby CT. #115 Denver, CO 80216.
Ashley’s Classes:
Zumba:
Zumba at Blackout Beat Dance Studio is a fun and easy way to learn various dance routines while getting a great workout. Ashley Crawford’s instruction will help you learn basic steps to Salsa, Bachata, Merengue, Samba, Belly Dancing, Bollywood, the Charleston, Pop, and other world music types. As the Zumba craze grows, more dance styles will be brought into the studio from around the world. Zumba is an excellent complement to any workout regimen, as it promotes agility and movement that are oftentimes hard to achieve through cardio or weight training alone. Zumba has helped America get excited about making a gym routine that is fun and creative, so drop the weights and join the party!
Flamenco:
Flamenco at Blackout Beat’s Dance Studio is a great way to learn the fundamentals of this beautiful dance. Ashley Crawford’s instruction will help you develop an understanding of the different styles and techniques of Flamenco. Ashley has been dancing Flamenco for years, and she has recently begun performing regularly at Local 46 in the Highland neighborhood. The art form of palmas (clapping), zapateado (foot work), castanets, fan work, and shawl work will be incorporated into the choreographies. Since Blackout Beat’s encourages contemporary creativity, come and learn the gypsy style of Flamenco, with an urban twist!
About Ashley:
Ashley Crawford was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. She is of Peruvian descent and grew up with a strong connection to her Latin roots. Ashley began to discover her flare for creativity at a young age, and was able to develop and foster it through a variety of outlets, most notably dance. She became fluent in the techniques of Mexican Folklore, Belly dance, Peruvian Folklore, and Flamenco. She learned Peruvian Folkloric dances when she would visit Peru. She started dancing Flamenco at age fourteen with Lisa Trujillo. Her love for it has grown over time, and she has been awarded the opportunity to perform on numerous occasions. Recently, Ashley began holding regular performances at Local 46 with Flamenco guitarist Chris Vazqueze. Ashley has performed Flamenco, Mexican, and Peruvian folklore at numerous cultural events including The Rodeo and the Cinco De Mayo celebration in Denver.
Ashley attended the University of Colorado, where she was able to further her creative endeavors through her studies of English Literature. As she pursued her degree, she continued to develop her dancing abilities. She took Flamenco classes with Pablo Rodarte. She also took Belly dancing classes and frequented salsa clubs. Ashley became interested in Zumba because it infuses dance styles from across the globe. She became certified to teach it with the desire to instill a passion for dance into others. In her spare time, Ashley enjoys reading, discovering new music, and studying art. Ashley is an avid traveler and is fascinated by other cultures. She enjoys being creative with dance and encourages others to incorporate their own dance styles and creativity into her classes.
Its also worth mentioning that the first class is FREE! Call or stop by today to get more info or check out a class. Stay tuned for more info on our other classes, schedule and instructors.
Check out some of this awesome work Riki Takaoka contributed to the new Blackout Beat Dance Studio. The characters include inspirational pop and dance icons and some unnamed buy yet very passionate dancers.
Artwork by Riki Takaoka
-TBB
After months of construction (and hype) Marcos and Armando are finally ready to open the doors to their brand new recording and dance studio. The space is located in the brand new Drive building in Denver’s fast expanding TAXI development. In addition to an upgraded recording studio and new vocal booth, there is now a full size dance studio that will host a wide variety of classes (a few of which include: Zumba, Hip Hop, Salsa, Guided Meditation, Bachata, Flamenco & Heels) and private rehearsal space for artists who need prep space for live performances.
The party is open to the public and is an all ages event (you will need an ID if you want to drink). For more information on the party please contact The Blackout Beat at 917-455-3577.
-TBB
The progress hasn’t stopped even though the news has been slow to come in! The new Blackout Beat recording and dance studio is now about a month away from opening! Here are some recent pics showing the progress that’s been made:
Recording Studio Update:
The new recording studio’s biggest feature is the brand new vocal booth (hand built by the Garibay’s), complete with new Beats by Dr. Dre Studio headphones and three widows that have a view of the recording studio, dance studio and the mountains. New production equipment & furniture are also coming, allowing for new beats, new sounds and great new songs. 
Dance Studio Update:
As the instructor roster and class list fills up the construction continues on the unique dance studio. So far the studio will offer Zumba, Beginners Hip Hop, Intermediate Hip Hop, Flamenco, Salsa, Bachata and Swag. There are a few more classes to be cemented before a complete schedule can be finalized This should happen in the next week or so.
Beat Shop Update:
The Beat Shop was formerly a page on the Blackout Beat Website where artists could purchase or lease Blackout Beat produced instrumentals at affordable prices. Now its that more. There will be a small physical Beat Shop located in the new recording/dance studio space. In addition to Blackout Beats, the public can now purchase hard and digital copies of all Blackout albums and EPs, original clothing & Marcos’ A is for Authentic comic book . The Beat Shop will be stocked and ready in time for the grand opening party in March…
Grand opening Party:
With all this going on you didn’t think we wouldn’t stop to celebrate the giant leap forward for Blackout and the Garibay’s? Of course not. In March (likely the third or fourth week) there will be a fantastic party and your all invited. The event will be classy (remember the Grammy’s dress code?), full of great food, potent drinks and dancing to great music with a live demo by all of the dance studios instructors! More info TBA.
Projects:
It looks as if Marcos and Armando will have their hands full as soon as they are up and running in the new recording studio. So far the work load consists of: The new Circus House album, Marcos’ A is for Authentic soundtrack, new beats for The Beat Shop, Marie Robertson’s Code Red EP, Reflecshaun’s LoveHate album and and mixtape for a Reaggaton artist and several local hip hop projects.
Also…
You might also remember that right before we announced the move to our new space we posted a blog announcement about a new format we were to start using for this blog. It included new features each day of the week with categories like Free Song Friday, Art Appreciation Music Monday’s and more. Well, moving into a new space then building it out has wreaked havoc on most of the daily blogging and progress of projects. But fear not! In the next few weeks we should finally be at a point to where we can deliver on our crazy promise of awesome daily blog postings!
Thanks for all the support and patience during this exciting transition time!
-TBB
The Blackout Blog 