Who we are and what we’re trying to do

 

Myself (Mark Carpenter) and a few peers are starting the Bay Area's (and world's) first "fusion" and "baystyle fusion" dance school.

 

Fusion is a relatively new partnered social dance, starting in 2008 as a combination of various dance styles. Today it is a popular social dance in the USA, Europe, and other parts of the world. It philosophically feels like Contact Improv, though looks much more like salsa, swing, tango, etc.

 

Baystyle is a specific regional dance that has come out of Fusion actively being developed in the SF Bay. Drawing its influences from lindy hop, blues, tango, and hip hop, Baystyle is extremely popular in the SF partnered dancing community.

Unfortunately fusion has a reputation for being a low-skill or low-quality dance, and that's the thing we're trying to shift both within the community and to other communities.
 

We are a small group of friends with various dance, social, and ethnic backgrounds. We have been teaching this or similar dances for a combined 20+ years, and have a significant following within the community. Our goal with this school is to elevate the overall fusion dance skill level in the SF Bay, as well as produce quality video and written content for the worldwide scene.

 

Here are some videos to help show off ourselves and the style:

 

Myself and a partner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glFkzCU1Nm8
Sarah, one of the school’s other organizers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVR5G_abIkY