Experience Level: Beginner

Get an introduction to Afro-Brazilian movement at Capoeira Angola and Samba Percussion Ensemble on Tuesdays, April 15 through May 13 in the Music Barn.

Instructor Mark Becker will introduce students to the richness of Afro-Brazilian movement, music, language and culture through the traditions of Capoeira Angola — a martial art that combines fluid and low-impact movements with music to encourage self-expression, mastery and community.

This course is designed for all ages, skill levels and physical abilities.

$120/person or $35/class. Register here by April 8 for the series or one week prior to each class. All sales are final.

Individual class links:

— April 15

— April 22

— April 29

— May 6

— May 13

Learn more about the space where your course will take place here. If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia Bunting at owarren@illinois.edu.

By attending, you consent to your image being used in Allerton marketing, social media and publications. Please alert the photographer or videographer if you do not want your image taken.

About the instructor

Mark Becker, a student of Capoeira Angola in the tradition of Mestre João Grande, has studied under Contramestre Denis Chiaramonte for 8 years, with 19 years of experience in the art of Capoeira. He is also a student of traditional Samba Chula, an art form from the Recôncavo region of Bahia, Brazil while also serving as the Director of the Bloco Gavião, a community drum ensemble focused on Afro-Brazilian drumming traditions such as samba-reggae, maracatu and afoxé.

Mark has a master’s degree in education from the University of Illinois and enjoys designing learning experiences for all ages to feel belonging in the exploration of Brazilian culture.

About The Farms

The Farms: An Allerton Folk School, offers classes, workshops, and gatherings focusing on art, health & wellness, history, nature & outdoor education, or science. All experiences value hands-on, experiential teaching and learning, and are facilitated by and for the members of the community.

See the complete Spring Session schedule here. 

Experience Level: All Levels

Learn the skills of improvisation, including scene creation and team dynamics at Improve Your Improv on Thursdays, April 17 through May 29 in the Music Barn.

Kyle Tasch returns to The Farms to teach this popular course, which will be jam-packed with improvisational fun that will use both short-form games and long-form scenes in its sessions.

This will not be a place to sit down, hear lectures, and take notes, as students will be performing as much as possible! It will be a get-up-and-perform kind of class. The class will emphasize the mechanics needed to act out an entertaining and meaningful scene on the spot with no script.

Students who have already completed this class are welcome to join again. Beginners and those experienced in improv are all encouraged to join! 

$100/person for the series or $25/class. Register for the entire series by April 10 or one week before each subsequent class. All sales are final.

If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia Bunting at owarren@illinois.edu.

About the instructor

Kyle Tasch is an improvisor, improv teacher, filmmaker, writer, actor, comedian and musician from the Chicago suburbs. He started performing improv in 2004 and has been improvising in front of audiences regularly since 2015.

He has also taught classes both in-person and remotely at Westside Improv in Wheaton, Illinois. He performs live across the state in various comedy and music acts and has produced hundreds of videos and songs.

Experience Level: Beginner

No barn? No problem! Join the barn quilt movement by creating your own painted quilt block to use at your own home at Barn Quilt Painting on Saturday, May 17 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Auditorium.

The workshop will start with a pre-primed board with a design already drafted (choose one of the 2 options). Students will tape and paint at their own pace, choosing from a wide variety of colors.

Instructor Jane Cade will also share history of barn quilts, techniques, tips, and discuss how to properly seal your finished piece after the paint has dried for 48 hours. Leave with a 20×20″ wooden ‘quilt block’ to keep for yourself or share your talents and give someone a handmade gift.

$90/person. Register by May 9. All sales are final.

If you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate, please email owarren@illinois.edu.

About the Instructor

Jane Cade is a retired teacher from Clinton Junior High School. She has been painting barn quilts for eight years and sells her work online and at craft festivals. She teaches classes at Parkland Community College and will be teaching classes at her workshop beginning next year.

Experience Level: Beginner

Experience camera-less photography and the joy of recording the beauty of nature at Springtime Cyanotype & the Magic of Light on Saturday, May 17 from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Greenhouse Auditorium.

Instructor Crystal Hartman will guide students through a fun, straightforward process of creating beautiful prints with the magic of light. She will share a bit of history on cyanotype, one of the oldest known photo processes that was originally used to document botanical specimens by treating a surface – paper or cloth – with iron salts which then react to ultraviolet light. (Paper will be pre-coated with the cyanotype chemistry prior to the workshop.)

Each student will practice observing nature and creating compositions inspired by what they see, creating several prints as they experiment with various timings and placements.

$85/person. Register by May 9. All sales are final.

Learn more about the space where your course will take place here. If you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate, please email owarren@illinois.edu.

By attending, you consent to your image being used in Allerton marketing, social media and publications. Please alert the photographer or videographer if you do not want your image taken.

About the instructor

Crystal Hartman is an artist and jewelry designer whose work explores interconnectivity through lines and layers. Utilizing traditional and experimental practices in metalsmithing, drawing and artists books, she explores possibilities of harmonious living to advocate for the natural world.

Hartman shows her work in galleries and public art spaces across the United States and abroad. As an artist-in-residence at Delight Flower Farm in Champaign, she developed a series of cyanotypes celebrating the native plants and flowers of Eastern Illinois. She works on ecological principles through local land-based sources and through community.

Her work is featured in publications like Ponder Review, La Piccoletta Barca and CutBank Literary Journal. Crystal maintains a studio in Urbana.

Delight Flower Farm welcomes you to Allerton to learn how to arrange flowers like a pro. Gather with friends & friendly folks to learn about a variety of spring flowers and the bouquet-making elements, including tulips, ranunculus, snap dragons and more. Participants will get to play with fresh cut flowers grown on Delight Flower Farm. Vases are included so participants can design their own bouquet to take home or gift to someone.

Experience Level: Beginner

Learn the basic mechanics of using a spinning wheel to make your own yarn at Learn to Spin Yarn on Tuesday, May 20th from 5 to 8 p.m. in The Studio. 

After a brief introduction from instructor Stephanie Block, students will have time for hands-on spinning practice and the opportunity to spin alpaca fiber into yarn using Ashford scotch tension Traditional or Traveler wheels. Discussion of fiber production and preparation methods will also be included.

$130/person. Register by May 16. All sales are final.

If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia Bunting at owarren@illinois.edu.

About the instructor

Stephanie Block is the co-owner of Sundrop Alpacas near Bement. She has been producing popular yarn from her own alpacas for more than eight years. Stephanie’s spinning style is self-taught, and she is continuously learning so that she can share that knowledge with others.

Experience Level: Beginner

Expand your musical horizons at Afro-Brazilian Traditions: Samba-Reggae on Tuesdays, May 20 through June 17 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the Music Barn.

Instructor Mark Becker will introduce students to the fundamentals of Samba-Reggae, a vibrant musical genre that blends traditional samba rhythms with reggae, creating an energetic and distinct sound. Students will get hands-on exposure to the diversity of percussion instruments that give this tradition its swing and beauty.

Samba-Reggae originated in Salvador, Bahia, in the 1980s, from the work of Mestre Neguinho do Samba and the musical groups Ilê Aiyê and Olodum.

$120 for the entire season or $35 per class. Register by June 13 or one week prior to subsequent classes*. All sales are final.

*Students should wear pants and a shirt that allows for comfortable movement as well as exercise shoes.

If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email owarren@illinois.edu.

About the instructor

Lead instructor Mark Becker, a student of Capoeira Angola in the tradition of Mestre João Grande who has studied under Contramestre Denis Chiaramonte for 8 years, with 19 years of experience in the art of Capoeira. He is also a student of traditional Samba Chula, an art form from the Recôncavo region of Bahia, Brazil while also serving as the Director of the Bloco Gavião, a community drum ensemble focused on Afro-Brazilian drumming traditions such as samba-reggae, maracatu and afoxé. Mark has a master’s degree in education from the University of Illinois and enjoys designing learning experiences for all ages to feel belonging in the exploration of Brazilian culture.

Experience Level: Beginner

Expand your musical horizons at Afro-Brazilian Traditions: Samba-Reggae on Tuesdays, May 20 through June 17 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the Music Barn.

Instructor Mark Becker will introduce students to the fundamentals of Samba-Reggae, a vibrant musical genre that blends traditional samba rhythms with reggae, creating an energetic and distinct sound. Students will get hands-on exposure to the diversity of percussion instruments that give this tradition its swing and beauty.

Samba-Reggae originated in Salvador, Bahia, in the 1980s, from the work of Mestre Neguinho do Samba and the musical groups Ilê Aiyê and Olodum.

$120 for the entire season or $35 per class. Register by June 13 or one week prior to subsequent classes*. All sales are final.

*Students should wear pants and a shirt that allows for comfortable movement as well as exercise shoes.

If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email owarren@illinois.edu.

About the instructor

Lead instructor Mark Becker, a student of Capoeira Angola in the tradition of Mestre João Grande who has studied under Contramestre Denis Chiaramonte for 8 years, with 19 years of experience in the art of Capoeira. He is also a student of traditional Samba Chula, an art form from the Recôncavo region of Bahia, Brazil while also serving as the Director of the Bloco Gavião, a community drum ensemble focused on Afro-Brazilian drumming traditions such as samba-reggae, maracatu and afoxé. Mark has a master’s degree in education from the University of Illinois and enjoys designing learning experiences for all ages to feel belonging in the exploration of Brazilian culture.