We’re excited to announce that the Port Townsend Acoustic Blues Workshop has invited Junious “House” Brickhouse to teach Early African American Dance at the July 28-August 4, 2019 gathering.

An internationally established choreographer and cultural preservationist with over 30 years of experience in urban dance culture as well as being the Founding Executive Director of Urban Artistry Inc., Junious “House” Brickhouse has inspired and created a movement of artists dedicated to preservation of urban dance culture, specifically within communities of practice. A citizen folklorist, it’s the understanding the nature and meaning of these art forms and their influences that motivates Junious, from ring shouts and acoustic country blues to hip hop.

“These styles are innately American. They’re connected to music genres, and music and movement go together. If we can elevate the music, we can elevate the movement…and we can elevate people that are involved in that.”
Junious Brickhouse in an interview with AFC folklife specialist Michelle Stefano

As a scholar/practitioner, Junious teaches at colleges and universities, using an experiential approach to teaching subjects such as Movement of the African American South, Hip Hop Culture as well as classes on urban dance movement and the cultural context from which it evolves. As the director of Next Level, an initiative sponsored by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs in association with the Department of Music at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Meridian International Center for Cultural Diplomacy, Junious works tirelessly to promote conflict transformation, international cultural exchange in underserved communities, and entrepreneurial skill building through hip hop music and dance.

Junious “House” Brickhouse joins over thirty of the country’s best acoustic musicians to help lead the Port Townsend Acoustic Blues Workshop at Fort Worden July 28th–August 4th. This workshop guides participants through the history and terrain of this music with classes designed to honor tradition, build skills, and inspire new admiration. With a downhome, back-porch vibe, this early acoustic blues program invites you to sit on the steps of the School House or under the madrone, joining in jam sessions that stretch from sunset to sunrise.