Introduction to blues dancing

There's no right way to dance to the blues, no official blues moves or blues syllabus. Blues dancing isn't based on moves. There's not even a basic footwork pattern to start from; you make up your own blues dance as you go. Instead of executing moves and patterns, in blues dancing you improvise, and your partner improvises, and the music rules supreme; both partners follow the music. Blues dancing is a 3-way connection: 2 partners meeting in the music to play as creative equals. You connect with your partner, and the two of you play together in the music. You want moves? Knock yourself out: use the moves you already know, making up new ones as you go. Just dance, and watch what happens: "Wow! What was that move we just did?"

In some partner dances (which shall remain nameless) dancers and dance teachers seem to ignore the music. They listen just enough to say, “Aha, this is a [fill the blank].” Then they dance their routines for [fill the blank] and the music be damned. Blues dancers dance inside the music; the music's the third partner, the one both of you are dancing with. The music shapes and textures your movement. Blues follows stay with the music whether their partner does or not, and blues leads keep up and learn to follow. Blues dancers are subverting and redefining the lead-follow relationship, looking for active, creative partners who'll improvise and play with them in the music. This isn't just switching roles, lead and follow back and forth; this is blending the roles into something new.

There's really no such dance as blues dance, because blues dancers make it up as they go along. Ignore blowhards who say their way is the right way, blues dancing isn't about rules; rules and rulers are irrelevant. You make it up as you go.

The Class

I love blues dancing and I want to get as many people doing it as I can, so we can have more blues dances. You don't have to learn blues dancing, you just have to let yourself give it a try. Jump in. Blues dancing is intense, and that intensity can be intimidating at first; this class is an easygoing introduction, just some time with good blues tunes on and a couple of experienced blues dancers, a few sessions aimed at making it easier for you to jump in. Because blues dancing is improvised, this class is not about learning new moves or technique; it's about listening to the song that's playing, tuning into its rhythm, mood and feel, and then playing with your partner inside that song, using the dance vocabulary and technique you already have.

I have music going pretty much the whole time in this class; nothing worse than standing around in a circle listening to some idiot yammering on about blues dancing while you get bored and cranky. Been there done that, yo. No, you'll start moving right away in this class, and I'll keep you moving, moving to music, moving with your partner. Blues dancing is nothing without the music.

My only goal in this class is to get you to give blues dancing a try. I don't want to teach you moves or technique, I don't want to make you a better dancer; I just want to get you to go to a blues dance. I'll do anything I can think of to help make that happen: you at a real blues dance. Right now I'm not hosting any blues dances myself, but I plan to this fall. In the meantime, I can introduce you to blues dancing and tell you where the current blues dances are.

For more on blues dancing, check out my TeachStreet articles:
- Blues dancing is different
- No such thing as blues dance

see less