Learn To Dance Blues Or Improve What You Already Know!

History: Little written or videographed history of Blues dancing exists from its creation in the late 19th century; however, blues music's pervasiveness first in African American rural and then urban culture led to the dance's popularity in juke joints, rent parties, and city clubs.

How it works: As diverse as the music itself, Blues dancing is composed of one and two step movements, focuses on improvisation and a close connection to one's partner. Like Tango, partners generally stay in closed position or close embrace for a majority of the dance, with some space for open position and breakaways.

Traditional partnered styles such as Jookin', Ballroomin', Slow Drag vary based on music, whereas modern Blues is often a fusion of complimentary dances, borrowing from Argentine Tango, Swing, Hip Hop, and vintage Blues. In addition to the partnered dancing, Solo Blues is a style of Vernacular Jazz dancing to slow tempos and is performed by an individual.

Why you should dance Blues: Slower tempos, soul bending music, and the ability to take your time to experiment with dancing musically give Blues its addictive quality. Since there are no set patterns to remember in the basic, beginners often enjoy learning how to connect to their partner first, and ease into learning moves later.