Boston Blues News: March
Julie Brown
- Jukin dances, old-school-style at Bluesy Tuesy, with lots o' people!
- Intermediate "Flow" series at Blues Union, with Julie Brown & Dan Legenthal!
- MIT Fusion dance on Mar 6, with DJed & live music from Amy K!
- Amy K plays in a place with wood floors & dance space on Mar 22!
- Cool dance events in Pittsburgh, Austin, Chicago, & Montreal!
Stuff around town
March at Bluesy Tuesy - Jukin, old-school style
with Paul Loschak, Jenn Martinez, Margaret Ptak, & Julie Brown
Jukin' dances were the original club dances--hip shakin', groovy, let-loose dances--and this month we're doing it like the original blues dancers did. Each week, we'll learn a different jukin dance, then we'll do like they did back in the day, and learn how to have fun using only that dance for a whole song! Learn how to move your hips, play with the rhythm, turn it around, and more.March at Blues Union - Flow: from Moves to Dancing
with Julie Brown & Dan Legenthal
How do you decide what to do next in a dance? How do you go from just doing “moves” to really dancing? This month, we’ll work on how leaders & followers create “flow” together in a dance--a state where moves and movements progress naturally from one to the other. We’ll explore some connection techniques, how leaders set up flow, and how followers can shape and direct that flow.
*If you’ve taken 6 months or more of blues classes at Blues Union or Bluesy Tuesy, you can take the intermediate classes at Blues Union. Alternately, you can do a blues interview with Jenn or Julie at the Blues Clinic.
Register now & get the month’s Blues Clinic for free! http://bluesunionboston.com/classes/register-for-classes/
Help spread the love of blues, while earning free dances!
When you dance at a blues bar, music event, or other blues bomb (or if you teach at a local college), bring some blues ambassador business cards to hand out! If people come to dances for their first time with your card, you get in that night for free! Talk to Julie Brown or Jenn Martinez at Blues Union to get yourself some cards.
Longer beginner classes at Blues Union!
To give you more material each class, we’ve extended the class time for beginners at Blues Union!
Classes will now be 8:30-9:15(45min), with the beginner clinic 9:15-9:30(15min).
Fusion Dance at MIT - March 6
MIT is hosting a fusion dance with live music by Amy Kucharik and DJ sets by Danner!
More deets here: https://www.facebook.com/events/667169003393351/
Live music where you can go dance!
March 22: Amy Kucharik trio @ Sally O'Brien's | 7:30-10:30 - no cover!
Wood floors, space to dance or hang out & talk, affordable drinks & food
Stay up-to-date on where people are blues dancing to live music:
Join the Boston Blues Bombers group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/28357446101/
Weekly/ongoing:
-Mondays at Toad to the White Owls
-Americana Mondays at PA's Lounge
-Friday at Atwood's to Tim Gearan
-Sundays late afternoons at Johnny D's blues jam
-Sunday evenings after 9, there’s a jam at the Cantab Lounge in Central Square.
-Sunday blues jam at Players sports bar in Rockland MA, 4- 8pm
-Sunday blues jam at Pete’s Grill in Quincy 9-12 on Sunday
*Dancers don’t always go to all of these every week; check Facebook (Boston Blues Bombers group) and ask around to see where folks will be.
Traveling for Dance
Want a learning- and/or competition-focused event?
These events usually have multiple tracks or levels of classes during the day. At night, there’ll be tons of dancing and one or more competitions or performances.
Steel City Blues
Pittsburgh, PA - March 6-8
Boston always sends a large group to this great workshop and party weekend. Plus, cheap flights.
http://steelcitybluesfestival.com/
Austin Blues Party
Austin, TX - Mar 27-29
As the tagline says, it's a big damn party! Live music, venues with a bar, cool & casual classes, as well a truly social dance competition.
http://www.austinbluesparty.com/
BluesSHOUT!
Chicago, IL - April 17-19
This is the largest and most established blues dance weekend going. If you want to see instructors putting out their new ideas, competitors at the top of their form, and dance with people from all over the country, this is the place to go.
Montreal Bagel and Blues
Montreal, QC - April 23-26
Come to Montreal’s biggest blues dancing event for 4 nights of social dancing, 2 amazing bands, and 5 tracks of lessons (including a track for people who want to learn how to teach).
https://montrealbagelandblues.wordpress.com/
Looking for more chill, hangin’ out exchanges?
These events don’t have classes during the day; instead they have either dances or non-dancing events around the city that they’re hosted in. The evenings have tons of dancing again, and may or may not include competitions.
CUBE (Chicago Underground Blues Experience)
Chicago, IL - June 12-15
Chicago is the Home of the Blues, and fittingly has a giant city-wide blues festival every summer. Go there and hang out with dancers at the festival during the day and go to late night dances afterward!
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Chicago-Underground-Blues-Experience/10150127979125573
Other events to travel to:
-Check out http://bluescal.com/
Have ideas for us? Let us know how we’re doing!
Blues Union feedback link (you can also leave general blues ideas there too): http://bluesunionboston.com/home/feedback/