Boston Blues News: April
Julie Brown
Hey blues dancers!
We're thawing out from under all that snow, and there's a ton of fun coming your way this month in the Boston Blues scene, and beyond!
- The return of Jan Marie at Bluesy Tuesy!
- Intermediate solo performance series with Jenn Martinez at Blues Union!
- Jan Marie and the Mean Reds live at Bluesy Tuesy 4/14!
- Live music at Blues Union 4/23!
- New Wednesday blues class at the Dance Complex!
- Registration for Sweet Molasses Blues is open!
- Travel to cool dance events in Chicago, Albany, and Montreal!
Stuff around town
April at Bluesy Tuesy - TBD
with Jan Marie
Jan Marie returns from her sabbatical and will teach all-month-long at Bluesy Tuesy! Check the Bluesy Tuesy Facebook group each week for class topics:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/102014349907754/
Also in April at Bluesy Tuesy - live band on April 14!
with Jan Marie & The Mean Reds
They packed the house last August, and they’re back to do it again! Join dancer-led band Jan Marie & The Mean Reds for a night of gritty, sultry, raw blues favorites all dance long. Jesse will be coming up from NYC, 28” bass drum in tow. (Same great $5 price tag, but be sure to donate to the band if you can!)
April at Blues Union - Solo Blues Performance!
with Jenn Martinez
Level up your dancing with a fun and challenging solo blues choreography! This series will teach you some cool new solo blues moves, as well as help you explore your personal expression of those moves to music. During the month, we'll learn choreography, form it into a group routine, and work on personal expression and performance. After the series, we'll perform the piece at a Blues Union dance*!
*Performing is not mandatory, however, if you do want to perform, perfect attendance is strongly encouraged. If you want to perform but need to miss a class, it is your responsibility to learn what you missed (ask a friend, etc.).
**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/
Also in April at Blues Union - live band on April 23!
Get a sneak preview of one of our Sweet Molasses Blues bands, as they provide your dance soundtrack for Thursday night!
New Wednesday blues classes at the Dance Complex, starting April 15th!
All levels, Wednesdays 8:30-9:30pm, April 15-June 6
with Julie Brown
If you're looking for a focused learning experience, come check out the new all-levels blues class at the Dance Complex! These classes will be something a little different, in that they’ll be studio-style (think like the format of a ballet class, but for blues dancing!). Open to all levels of dancer, these classes will start each week with an isolations and solo blues warm-up to work our technique, followed by different drills, choreographies, and techniques for expressing the beautiful range of feelings present in blues & early jazz music.
If you took Mike Legenthal’s intermediate Blues Union series in February, there will be some similarities in the style of the class.
This class is a pilot program to see if the time & format work for people. So come check it out; let me know if you like it!
April 15, 22, 29, and May 6 will focus on solo blues forms. May 13, 22, 27, and June 3 will focus on partnered blues forms.
Pre-registered $10 / At-the-door $15
Sweet Molasses Blues
Boston, MA - July 24-26
Boston’s Original Blues Dance Exchange is back for another year, July 24th - 26th. It’s going to be a great weekend, filled with the best dance classes and music we can bring into our city, so you should definitely sign up! Registration opens March 26th at noon, and look for the early bird passes.
https://sweetmolassesblues.wordpress.com/
https://www.facebook.com/events/309059859279519/
Also, as part of the Major League Blues week long event with NYC, you also get a discount for Nocturne Blues when you register for Sweet Mo’!
https://majorleagueblues.wordpress.com/
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 Julie Brown or Jenn Martinez at Blues Union to get yourself some cards.
Live music where you can go dance!
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.
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).
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!
ALBS (Albany Lindy Blues and Swimming)
Albany, NY - July 10-12
It's back! Albany Lindy, and Blues, and Swimming, and... Soul! (Possibly renamed to just, "Albany Swimming and Soul," because, hey -- who doesn't like a little ASS?)
Enjoy the picnic, dancing, and swimming in the lake by day and dancing all night.
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