Ballroom Marfa DJ camp begins Monday

MARFA – It’s no mistake that one of the most oft-cited references to DJ culture is from the 1983 Indeep song “Last Night a DJ Saved My Life.” It’s easy to forget in the age of readymade iTunes playlists that real DJing is an art form that goes beyond the ability to put together a list of randomly-shuffled MP3s, and that a DJ with true skills can make all the difference in the world.

Ballroom Marfa DJ camp

With that understanding in mind, Ballroom Marfa presents the third in its series of DJ Camps, an opportunity for area youth to acquire essential, lifelong party-rocking skills on the ones and twos, the dance floor, in flyer design and beyond.

Ballroom’s 2012 DJ Camp counselors are DJ Bigface and Faith Gay. Bigface served as instructor at the inaugural Ballroom DJ Camp in 2010, bringing knowledge gained through his years as a teacher at Austin’s DJ Dojo to the high desert grasslands. In addition to his experience spreading the DJ gospel with hands-on training, Bigface is known for ambitious parties helmed by DJs and funk bands, also featuring breakdancers, “fire tamers” and acrobats.

Faith Gay was 2011′s DJ Camp instructor, and also works as a visual artist (BFA University of Texas), having exhibited work at D Berman Gallery, Austin, TX; Austin Museum of Art/Laguna Gloria, Austin, TX; McClain Gallery, Houston, TX; and Arlington Museum of Art, Arlington, TX. Her experience results in a uniquely powerful perspective on the art of DJing, as she easily draws comparisons between the practice of cultivating an event’s aesthetic and setting a dance floor into ecstatic motion with the act of site-specific installation.

This five-day program is a hands-on experience, with students learning directly on DJ equipment and experimenting with mixing songs and sampling music. The classes are designed to engage the imagination of students from all musical backgrounds, and throughout the week our instructors will highlight other aspects of DJ culture, such as dance and art. While getting practical experience on the equipment is a core component of the camp, each instructor will also present DJing as an art form with a rich culture and history, with portions of each class covering the history of the DJ and basic music theory. During the week, students will create DJ personas and design posters for display at the final event.

Classes will take place at the Capri (across from Thunderbird Hotel) Monday, July 16^th through Friday, July 20^th from 11 – 2pm. The camp concludes with a free public performance by the student DJs also at the Capri on Saturday, July 21, 2012 beginning at 6pm.

DJ camp is open to children 10-18, and there is no fee to attend. Class size will be limited so please email djcamp@ballroommarfa.org, or call 432-729-3600 to register or for more information.