Anna Washenko
Anna honed her musical chops in Chicago, where she was co-founder and house DJ for 50Fifty, a monthly blues and lindy dance. She’s also been behind the decks at national events such as bluesShout, Blues Muse, Austin Blues Party, and Steel City Blues. Anna loves and spins all genres in the blues family, but she’s a real sucker for anything with piano.
Ross Blythe
Blues has a rich history and feel with a story to tell. Whether it’s languid jazzy, chunky jukin’, or brisk struttin’, each song as a character all its own. Speaking of characters who like to talk about music over a glass of bourbon, Ross Blythe brings the tunes to keep the floor moving, no matter the tempo, and is excited to showcase a variety of blues genres to the dancers of Southbound Blues Exchange. When not traveling, he can be found in Chicago DJing for Bluetopia, Chicago Monthly Balboa Social, Fizz at DCC, and other Blues, Lindy Hop, and Balboa events.
Katie Belsky
Katie Belsky (Los Angeles) started her love affair with dance back in 2004 when she fell head over heels for Lindy Hop. After training in a number of different dance styles, including West Coast Swing, Latin, and Ballroom, she discovered Blues in 2007. Her love of Blues cannot be contained, as she can be found organizing national Blues events as well as teaching and DJ-ing throughout Southern California. Katie loves to create a good time with music and adores all genres of Blues. Though her sets tend toward more traditional styles, she can bring some soul to the dance floor when needed. Katie hopes to spread her love of Blues faster than adorable kitten videos on YouTube!
Corey Manke
Most people think of Corey Manke as a swing music DJ, scene leader, national Balboa instructor or the guy who always has dance wax on his person. Most people don’t realize that Corey loves blues music and was accused of “only being a swing DJ”. He took that as a personal challenge and responded with, “good DJing, is good DJing”, then he proved it by becoming one of Nashville’s top blues music DJs in the early years of the Nashville Blues scene, with his secret stash of artists like: Buddy Guy, Di Anne Price, Charles Brown, Billie Holiday, Brownie McGhee, Dinah Washington, and my favorite vocalist, Etta James. He is excited about the growth in the blues scene over the last few years and is eager to share his music with a whole new generation of Blues dancers.
