Down2Dance: Funkin Freakquinox Disco

Sliding scale tickets with no fees by 9/17 if paid by venmo

$20-30 to @TamaraBliss with email in the comments

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/down-2-dance-tickets-2001027777950?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true

Let's go retro....

For SEPTEMBER, let's bring it back to the 70's for this Funkin' Frequinox Disco Celebration!

Soulful music filled the air at the Disco clubs. Funk music was everywhere, and people started the partner dance known as "The Hustle"

Here's an example of Hustle dance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAqojLbrkaA

Down 2 Dance is a Monthly Themed Fusion Dance

*******PARTNER DANCE FORWARD*******

*******SOLO DANCE CELEBRATED ********

Lovingly held @Sweets Historic Ballroom in Oakland

While Fusion Dance can be broadly described as a partner dance that focuses on frame and musicality over defined set of footwork timing, the various partner dance styles that we add to our dances is what brings the dance form to glory.

Dip into structure by studying a new form, or let your fusion flair out from the style you study. We all come to play and are Down 2 Dance.

Doors @2:45

Dance Class "Hustle" @ #3pm with Marque and Brandon

Dance Social with DJ Bae Bay & Maryzelle @ 4pm

Massage 🙌🏽 Tea Service 🫖 Cacao ☕️

Daytime Dave Vibes ☀️

DJ Maryzelle

Hailing from the vibrant streets of San Francisco, Maryzelle emerges as a musical force, weaving her own tapestry of sounds through live music. As a drummer, maryzelle’s passion for good rhythm grew into djing- blossoming into a Disco Funk and Soul Sound Sorceress. Being a full time sound healer, Maryzelle's musical journey takes on a holistic approach. She creates an immersive experience that goes beyond the auditory, touching the very soul of her Audience. Picking the sexiest & nastiest grooves from the golden era, Her selections are carefully curated to blend nostalgia with contemporary beats, creating an irresistible fusion that keeps the spirit Groovin and Sexy.

DJ Bae Bay will be bringing beats from the bay and beyond, blending slow and sensual grooves with upbeat, bass-driven beats.

She is a lifelong dancer and the creative force behind Down 2 Dance. With over 20 years of experience as a fusion dancer, she brings a rich tapestry of partner dance and solo dances to her movement art.

Based in the heart of Oakland, DJ Bae Bay is all about bliss, booty shaking, connection and celebrating life, bringing together dancers of all backgrounds. Get ready to experience the soundtrack for shaking what your mama gave you, where every beat invites you to express yourself, connect your partner and the dance floor. Let’s

GO!

Marquee — Hustle Dancer & Instructor

A househead turned Hustler, Marquee has been dancing Hustle for 9 years and teaching for over 6 years. Based in San Jose, California, he developed his style and foundation under Bay Area Hustle pioneers Stephen Ward, Joy Ro, and Bobby Concepcion.

As both a dancer and community builder, Marquee is the creator of Marquee Madness, a House and Hustle dance competition created to bring dancers and communities together through music, movement, and competition.

Marquee currently teaches weekly in the Bay Area, bringing his approach to Hustle to both San Jose and Oakland. He teaches at The Get Down in Downtown San Jose’s Japantown on Wednesdays and Home Bass Community Space in Oakland on Sundays.

His classes focus on strong Hustle foundations while encouraging musicality, connection, individuality, and personal expression on the dance floor.

Brandon is a former collegiate Dancesport competitor specializing in International Latin who competed at various competitions throughout California. He is also a social dance instructor and performer for FanimeCon's Black & White Ball, North America's largest anime convention ball event, and has volunteered with them since 2013. He is experienced in most ballroom and nightclub partner dances and loves to share what he knows. Currently, he is working to grow the Latin Hustle community in the Bay Area with Hustle By The Lake and has participated in various global Latin Hustle events representing the Bay Area. His love for house, funk, and R&B drives his love all things Latin Hustle!

Outside of dance, Brandon is a full-time Engineer and part-time professional photographer specializing in weddings, portraiture, and events.

IG: @brandhoang

Photography Website: www.brandhoang.com

Sweets Historic Ballroom is a historic music and dance venue in downtown Oakland, California, known for its grand Art Deco-era charm and lively past. This spacious ballroom dates back to the Roaring Twenties, when it first opened as a dance hall and quickly became one of the Bay Area’s premier entertainment spots . With a capacity of roughly 900 people standing, it offers an intimate yet energetic atmosphere for concerts, dances, and community events. The building itself is a 12,000-square-foot Baroque Revival-style hall, featuring high ceilings, ornate details, and a large hardwood dance floor that has seen generations of revelers . Sweets Ballroom’s rich history and vintage elegance make it not just a venue, but a local landmark that continues to thrive nearly a century after its debut.

Opened by entrepreneur William “Bill” Sweet in the early 1920s as a dance school, Sweets Ballroom became enormously popular in the 1930's and 1940's and was called “The East Bay Home of the Big Bands,” and was the venue of choice for thousands who enjoyed dancing to swing music and Latin jazz.

Seven nights a week up to 900 dancers would pay 35 cents to see legendary perfomers such as Ella Fitsgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Sinatra, Tito Puente and Willie Bobo, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey, and many more. Frank Sinatra made his Bay Area debut on the Sweets stage in 1941!

Historic Sweet’s Ballroom was also a very important gathering place for Oakland’s Mexican and Latino community. Starting in the 1930s, local Mexican promoter Guadalupe Carlos began organizing Sunday night Mexican and Latino dances known as “Tardeadas.” The house band was Orquesta Merced Gallegos. Latinos in Zoot Suits would dance to the latest Latin musical styles, like Mambo, Cha-Cha, and Mariachi music. Great Latin performers like Perez Prado, Pedro Infante, Lalo Guerrero, Xavier Cugat, and many others played up a Latin storm at Historic Sweet’s Ballroom.

Over the decades, the venue went through various names and management, it was known as McFadden’s, Linn’s, Tropicana and later Sands Ballroom in the mid-20th century, yet it remained a beloved gathering place for music and dancing.

Today, Sweets Ballroom retains its unique character while serving modern audiences. After a period of dormancy in the late 20th century, the venue was restored and revitalized, and it’s now actively used for both public events and educational purposes. In 2014, the neighboring Oakland School for the Arts (OSA) adopted the historic ballroom as part of its campus, becoming the master tenant to utilize the space for student performances, arts showcases, and community events . This partnership helped ensure that Sweets Ballroom remains alive and accessible, integrating youthful energy into its old walls. The venue’s renaissance under OSA and local event promoters means that Sweets continues to be a “beacon of entertainment” in Oakland – a place where history, culture, and live performance come together for new generations .

It is currently one of the motherships of Ecstatic Dance, which started on Big Island Hawaii and then came to Ballroom originally as a Sunday morning dance and then expanded to both Sunday morning and Wednesday evening. This has become a hub for dancers that are looking for a sober dance floor focused on the music and holds a "word-free dance floor, where a dance journey becomes possible.

Few venues in the region can match the vintage ambiance or cultural legacy of Sweets Ballroom, which is why it holds a special place in the heart of Oakland’s arts and nightlife scene.