Join the Kansas City Canaries for a new quarterly workshop!

As a team we believe that cost should never be a barrier to dance. That's why these new quarterly workshops will be Pay What You Can at the door.

This workshop we will be getting groovy with some rhythm and blues. We will be exploring one of the Black originators of jazz dancing Miss Mabel Lee.

A little bit about Mabel Lee:

Mabel Lee was an American jazz tap dancer, singer, and entertainer. She began her career as a child prodigy, doing her first performance at the age of 4, and by the time she was 12 years old she was performing at the Top Hat nightclub in Georgia. She moved to New York City with her mother in 1940 to pursue a career as a singer and dancer, and soon joined the chorus of the Apollo Theater in Harlem. Mabel was also known for performing acrobatics with a chair, which was her novelty act!

During World War II, Mabel toured with the USO as a member of their first all-black unit. She travelled and did shows for the Navy, Air Force, and at different camps, as well as performing for wounded veterans after the war in hospitals.

She was known for her dancing in more than 100 soundies in the 1940s, thus becoming known as "Queen of the Soundies". Soundies are three-minute American musical films, each displaying a performance, and are generally thought of as "precursors to music videos. Played on a Panoram similar to a Jukebox".

Fun fact you can see several soundies played on a Panoram at the American Jazz Museum on 18th & Vine! 

----- WHO IS INVITED -----

Anyone who loves to dance, jazz music, history, and anyone who is excited to just have fun dancing with other fabulous folx.

----- WHEN -----

Sunday June 25, 2023 1:30pm - 3:30pm

----- WHERE -----

The class will be held at Dance Fit Flow located at 1700 Locust St. Suite 300.

----- COST ------

Pay What You Can

----- WHAT WILL I WEAR? -----

Wear anything comfy that you can move and sweat in. We recommend that you wear a pair of low heels (preferable 1"-2" heel).