PNW Blues Dance Training w/ Heather Kraft & Lila Faria

A PNW Blues dance training presented by Blues Underground. 

Whether you a new to the dance or a seasoned dancer this training will help build our PNW Blues community. 
We’d love to bring together BC, Washington, and Oregon dance folks to train together. 

This training will be donation based, $0-60, the proceeds will go towards space rental along with donations made to Wa Na Wari. Supporting the Black arts community and neighbors. 

More information about schedule to come. 

About the instructors-

Heather:
Heather Kraft believes dance expression is inherent to the human experience and the highest form of self-care. She wants to share that movement with those around her through her passion for dance history and by seeking to be an ambassador for cultural knowledge seeped in the dances we all love.

A Portland Oregon native, Heather began taking dance lessons at the age of three and never stopped. She was introduced to social dancing in her late teens and started teaching Blues in 2005 which took her throughout the US and Canada before returning to the Northwest where she taught for organizations such as Burn Blue, Northwest Dance Network, and Nocturnal. She has choreographed and managed performance groups for Jet City Jank, See Jane Dance, and Blues Underground, which she also ran from 2014-2016.

Heather’s dance studies include Blues, Swing, Tango, Salsa, Jazz, and various African and Hip-Hop styles. She performed with Gansango Dance Company for several years before moving back to Portland in 2019. She has been fortunate to study under many dance legends including Barry Douglas, Amy O’Neal, and Etienne Cakpo. Most nights you can find her in class at Portland Dance Exchange.

Lila:
Lila first encountered blues dancing in 2015, hidden in the back rooms of New York City bars. After 8 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. She finally settled down in Seattle (2018), where she launched Lila's Living Room Lessons, took a day job as a Montessori educator, and spent her nights supporting the local blues dance scene.

Lila approaches blues dancing as an opportunity to connect body, emotion, and history. Through her teaching, she hopes to create environments where her students feel safe, supported, and empowered to be their true, authentic selves.