About Sarah and Ross

Sarah Lokay

Sarah has always been on the move--from soccer and martial arts to a love of dance that came later in life. Sarah found blues dancing in 2010, and it has since captivated and held a dear place in her heart. Known for her passion and comfy close embrace connection, her focus on partnership and self expression creates the core of her dancing and forms the way she approaches practice and learning. Packing dry humor with clear analysis and visual breakdowns, her teaching aims to share the joy of movement, and to encourage strong, fun dances out on the floor. Sarah has competed in events such as the Northstar Blues 2018 Invitational Idiom Strictly, the bluesSHOUT! 2018 All Star M&M, and the Sweet Molasses 2017 M&M, and has performed choreography at both Sweet Molasses Blues and bluesSHOUT! as well. When she's not traveling for dance, she can be found organizing on the Bluetopia, bluesSHOUT!, and CUBE boards in Chicago, giving back to the events that helped shape her own love of dance.

Photograph courtesy of Ben Hejkal Photography.

Photograph courtesy of Ben Hejkal Photography.

Ross Blythe

A favorite on the social floor for his rhythmic play and clear lead allowing for effortless follow expression, Ross inspires his partners and onlookers alike. His movement background in martial arts and sport fencing affords him a grounded strength and athletic balance, giving rise to precise, secure changes between shapes and directions. Ross was drawn to the blues idiom because of its emphasis on personal expression in relation to a partner and the breadth of tempo and style within blues music. As a teacher Ross builds layered classes to challenge all levels, balances technique with application, and chooses appropriate music to support each exercise. Met with overwhelming competitive success, Ross has placed 1st at a number of contests within the last three years: BluesSHOUT 2015 Open Strictly (Chicago, IL), Southbound Invitational MnM (2017), Snowbound Blues 2016 All-Star JnJ (Rochester NY), Austin Blues Party 2017 BYOP (Austin, TX), and Sweet Molasses Blues 2016 Advanced JnJ (Boston, MA).