What's Blues Dancing?

Blues dance is a group of idiom dances born of African American vernacular dance alongside Blues music. Both developed in the late 1800s to early 1900s in the Deep South of the USA and is still evolving today. Born from slavery, Blues music and dance embody African American cultural values. 

The dance is a blend of Central African dance, West African dance and European dance mixed together and influenced by an American environment.

Just as African American culture is varied as are the idiom dances. Although each are unique in themselves they all share similar aesthetic and characteristics such as “improvisation and spontaneity, propulsive rhythm, call-and-response patterns, self expression, elegance and control.”

As all vernacular dances, Blues developed naturally as a part of everyday culture „from the farms and plantations of the south, slave festivals of the north, levees, urban streets, dance halls, theatres and cabarets. It is constantly changing. The changes, however, always reflect an evolving tradition and vital process of cultural production“.

If you have ever dance blues before you will know that it is not just a dance. Black dance breaks down barriers of gender, age, sex, region and class”. It “is a source of energy, joy and inspiration” and “a way to lighten work, teach social values, and strengthen institutions” and “teaches unity of mind and body and regenerates mental and physical power”. If you have never tried dancing blues, you have all of this to look forward to.

Today Blues dancing as we know it in Europe is no longer a vernacular dance, evolving naturally, but taught formally in class settings. As visitors of this African American dance and culture we want to honour the roots but also the current culture still evolving today. Our Blues classes aim to teach you the core fundamentals of African American dance as well as the historical and current values so that you can contribute to the blues evolution whilst honouring the culture of which it was born.

Sources and further reading:
– Steppin’ on the Blues: The Visible Rhythms of African American Dance by Jacqui Malone

– Jazz Dance: The Story of American Vernacular Dance by Marshall and Jean Stearns

– Black Dance From 1619 to Today by Lynne Fauley Emery

– Jookin’: The Rise of Social Dance Formations in African American Culture