What is blues dancing?

By Heidi Fite and Charlie Fuller, blues instructors and founders of Blues-Dance.com

Blues dance, like Lindy Hop and Swing, originated and evolved from African rhythms and movements. However, Blues dance was never widely practiced as a "social" or performance dance in the United States; so it developed and thrived in smoky juke joints and at Blues house parties, giving it a more intimate feel.

Because Blues dance lacked wider social approval and appeal, it remained strongly entrenched in African principles of movement, not only in the motion of the hips, but in the characteristic creation of, and dancing within, a boundary.

In addition, Blues dance is strongly tied to Blues music, and many aspects of Blues dance (for example, call and response, emotional intensity, and tension and release) are directly related to the music to which it is danced. There are many types of blues music (rural, urban, up-tempo, slow, electric, delta, modern), and therefore many types of Blues dance, all with very different nuances and emotions.

Some observers and dancers who have not studied modern slow Blues dance other than simply by observation overlook the nuances of the dance beyond its "sexy" side. To their eyes, the sensual appearance of the dance may overshadow its basis and structure. Blues dance at its best is rooted in subtle physical communication and connection with your partner and is almost impossible to learn to execute well simply by watching.

Blues dance enables intense individuality in expressing the music, emphasizing that the music, not the dancer, leads the dance; the dancer is simply the interpreter. Blues dance demonstrates the passion of the entire range of human emotions - from sadness to joy - not just sensuality. If you don't have a visceral reaction to the music, your partner, and the environment, then you are missing the true beauty of Blues dance.

Learning Blues dance enables the dancer to more fully understand dance concepts such as simplicity, clarity, creativity, expression, intensity, and musical and emotional interpretation that are critical to advanced social dancing of any kind.

Brought to you by the Washington Blues Society
and some of your favorite blues dancers.