Boston Blues News: March
Julie Brown
Hey blues dancers!
Here's what's up this month in the Boston blues dance scene, and beyond!
- Jan Marie teaches at Tuesy!
- All-levels series this month at Blues Union: Intro to Chicago-style Steppin' with guest instructor James Brown!
- Living room workshops with Mike G on March 12, and with Ruth on March 13th!
- New monthly Fusion dance, starting March 13!
- Blues classes and competitions at Boston Tea Party this year on Sat Mar 19th, with Ruth, Mike, & Julie! Beginner and advanced blues classes included!
- Global fusion houseparty fundraiser also on Mar 19th!
- Boston Blend--a soul event for blues, swing, and steppin' dancers--April 9th!
- Amazing free lecture series with Toni Morrison this month and next at Harvard!
- Jan Marie & the Mean Reds play at Taco Mondays Mar 14th!
- Travel to dance in Pittsburgh, Austin, Asheville, Chicago, Montreal, and more!
Stuff around town
March at Bluesy Tuesy - Topic(s) to be announced
with Jan Marie
Check the Facebook group each week for topics! https://www.facebook.com/groups/102014349907754/
March at Blues Union - OPEN TO ALL LEVELS: Intro to Chicago-Style Steppin’
with guest instructor James Brown
This month, Blues Union is doing a trade with the local Steppin’ community! During the intermediate-plus class time, guest instructor James Brown from the Red Velvet Steppers will teach an intro to Steppin’ series all month! On the last week, James & other local steppers will come help out at a Steppin’ clinic 7:30-8:30pm. Beginner blues lesson still happens at 8:30pm, that week and other weeks.
Chicago-style Steppin’ is a chill partnered dance style descended from Lindy Hop, danced to smooth R&B music.
Some steppin' videos to get you excited: https://www.facebook.com/StepChi/videos/10202609963036645/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBw-rBpTH1E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BaVWMcQOxk
Living Room Workshop with Mike - March Edition
Saturday, March 12, 94 W Walnut Pk, Boston, MA
This is a small group workshop, limited to eight students. More info here -
https://www.facebook.com/events/239223989745034/
Living Room Workshop with Ruth - March Edition
Saturday, March 13, 94 W Walnut Pk, Boston, MA
This is a small group workshop, limited to eight students. More info here - https://www.facebook.com/events/235845843421870/
Second Sun - Boston’s first fusion monthly debuts!
Sunday, March 13, Extreme Dancesport, Cambridge, MA
After countless house parties and over two years of successful fusion nights at Bluesy Tuesy, fusion is finally getting its own event, on the second Sunday of each month. Ruth Evelyn and Mike Grosser will be headlining the debut with an all-levels lessons at 7 p.m. followed by their DJ stylings from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Boston Tea Party: West Coast Swing, Lindy, Balboa, and now Blues!
March 17-21 (Blues on Sat Mar 19) - Boston, MA
Boston Tea Party is an annual event in Boston that typically has West Coast Swing and Lindy Hop. But this year, they’ve also added 6 blues classes, blues social dancing, and a blues competition or two on Saturday night!
Blues classes will be taught by Ruth Evelyn, Mike Grosser, and Julie Brown, and will include classes for beginners as well as dancers who are experienced in blues or other dances. The blues social dancing will be DJed by Julie Brown. Class & competition schedule should be posted here soon: http://www.teapartyswings.com/workshop.html
If you like other dances too, there are some fun other competitions like a West Coast & Lindy Crossover Jack&Jill (you dance both) and lots of social dancing in all 4 dance styles (plus a little late-night Soul).
Register here: http://www.teapartyswings.com/index.html
Recess Global House Party Scholarship Fundraiser
Saturday, March 19th, 9 p.m.–6 a.m. - Somerville, MA
Recess is an organization that puts on fusion dance events around the world and offers no-questions-asked scholarships to make those events accessible to anyone who wants to attend them. For the first time in their eight years, they need some help to fund these scholarships, so we’re having a global house party. Recess will coordinate a live stream of their favorite DJs and live acts from around the globe with an Indiegogo campaign and a secret cafè / punk bar at each home where people can bring food and drink donations to sell. Contact Claire Davis at claire...@gmail.com for the address. This is an alternative for those who can’t afford to attend Boston Tea Party that night and who enjoy fusion.
Boston Blend - a Blues, Steppin’, and Swing event featuring West End Blend soul band!
Saturday, April 9th - Boston, MA
This month we’ve announced a new day-long dance gala with classes by an out-of-town instructor, performances, dinner, and a dance to a live Soul band. Blend’s goal is to get dancers from various communities around town to get to know each other - including Swing, Chicago Steppin’, and Blues!
https://www.facebook.com/events/195479740787422/
Lecture series: Toni Morrison "The Origin of Others: The Literature of Belonging"
4 p.m. on the dates below -- Sanders Theatre at 45 Quincy Street (Harvard Sq), Cambridge, MA
Highly-acclaimed African-American author, Toni Morrison, will be delivering a lecture series in March & April, right in Harvard Square! Events are free, but tickets are required. Tickets will be available starting at noon on the day of each lecture. Tickets will be available in person at Sanders Theatre or online(handling fees apply). If you want to go but won't be able to pick up tickets, reply to this email because we have some people at Harvard who can get tickets the day of.
As blues dancers, we participate in an African American tradition, and learning more about the people and culture that created this dance gives respect to those roots and the people who originated the art form that we love so much.
http://mahindrahumanities.fas.harvard.edu/content/norton-lectures
Lecture One: Romancing Slavery - Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Lecture Two: Being and Becoming the Stranger - Tuesday, March 8, 2016
Lecture Three: The Color Fetish - Wednesday, March 9, 2016
Lecture Four: Configurations of Blackness - Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Lecture Five: Narrating the Other - Monday, April 11, 2016
Lecture Six: The Foreigner's Home - Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Earn free dances while spreading the love of blues!
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 Andrew at Bluesy Tuesy or Julie Brown or Jenn Martinez at Blues Union to get yourself some cards.
Blues+Swing Dancing in Western MA!
Hogan Student Center, College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, MA
Practice every Sunday - regular meetings of the blues & swing dancing group that meets every Sunday at 8pm. There will be a sign pointing out the exact room.
Live music where you can go dance!
Jan Marie & the Mean Reds at Taco Mondays - Mar 14th -
No cover, yes tacos, lots of beers, and room to dance!
https://www.facebook.com/events/1136148399729182/
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
-(Starting Mar 20th) Sunday blues jam at Johnny D’s has moved to: upstairs at the Causeway Restaurant & Bar at 65 Causeway St., Boston 6-9pm
-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 maybe one or more competitions or performances.
Steel City Blues
Pittsburgh, PA - March 4-6
Boston always sends a large group to this great workshop and party weekend. Plus, cheap flights!
http://steelcitybluesfestival.com/
https://www.facebook.com/events/874774039245822/
Austin Blues Party
Austin, TX - April 1-3
Come on home to Texas and enjoy Austin in the springtime. Experience the biggest damn party around!
http://www.austinbluesparty.com/
Appalachia Recess
just outside Asheville, NC - Apr 8-11
Blues Recess’ only East Coast event during 2016, set in fifty acres of woods, with dance and skill-share workshops during the day, local organic food, and dancing late into the night. Recess events are pay-what-you-can, and while usually camping events, this venue has plenty of bed capacity if people feel like sleeping indoors.
http://www.bluesrecess.com/appalachia-recess-april-8th---11th-asheville-nc.html
BluesSHOUT!
Chicago, IL - April 14-18
Check out the biggest Blues exchange going! People come from around the world, there are tons of great classes, bands, performances, and competitions!
https://www.facebook.com/events/1504266406539470/
Montreal Bagel and Blues
Montreal, QC - April 21-24
Come to Montreal for the bagels, the blues dancing, and more! 5 tracks of workshops (including a teacher track), 4 social dance nights, and all the bagels you can handle.
https://montrealbagelandblues.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/events/381546925365364/
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.
Other events to travel to:
-Check out http://bluescal.com/
The Boston Blues Scene is dedicated to creating a fun, welcoming, & safe environment for everyone:
If you have concerns or want to tell us something, our anonymous feedback form is here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/6JBRRK6