Category: News

This week, join online or in-person for a class, followed by open practice time for folks in-person.

Let’s explore another fun, relaxed way of learning to dance – learning on the social floor! Teachers Katrina Rogers (Denver) & Jenn Martinez (Boston) will talk about ways of learning on the social floor that are helpful and feel great, how that functions in each of their personal experiences in Black and other cultures’ social dance spaces, and then help us put some of these ideas into practice.

-7:30-8:30pm ET – Class (online & in-person)
-8:30-10:30pm ET – Open practice/social time

Sliding scale $5-15 online, $10-25 in-person – admission covers the whole night

Pre-sale tickets available here: https://withfriends.co/…/online_and_in_person_class…
^^WithFriends supporters, get pre-sale tickets to use your discount.

As usual, if the price is a barrier, please reach out to BostonBluesUnion(at)gmail(dot)com and we can work something out.

We’re still rebuilding and re-envisioning, so this is still a Union Foundations event, and not an official reopening.

COVID SAFETY – In-person
-Proof of vaccination required (including booster if J&J or 2nd dose was 6+ months ago). If you have a medical exception or if you have questions, please reach out to the Union email address.
-N95, KN95, or KF95 masks required (we’ll have some if you don’t).
-HEPA filter in the venue.
-If you test positive within 10 days of attending, email BostonBluesUnion(at) gmail(dot)com, so other attendees can be informed.
**If you have questions or think you’ll be unable to meet these guidelines, email us before you decide to attend**

More on covid policies: https://bluesunionboston.com/code-of-conduct/#covid-policies

ACCESSIBILITY – In-person
-Gender-neutral single stall bathrooms
-Soft chairs for sitting/resting
-Not wheelchair accessible – the venue is up a flight of stairs
-As much as possible for you, please refrain from wearing/using synthetically fragranced products such as perfume, cologne, and body spray (such as Axe) and fragranced hand sanitizers to help keep the space accessible to chemical-allergy & migraine sufferers. Most deodorants and naturally scented hair products are fine for the community members we’re aware of.

Come for a casual night to dance & socialize in person after this latest wave!

7:30pm-10:00pm

Pay-what-you-can $5-15 – cash, or Venmo at the door, or pre-sale tickets here: https://withfriends.co/event/13827938/social_dance
^WithFriends members, get pre-sale tickets to use your discount.

We’re still rebuilding and re-envisioning, so this is still a Union Foundations event, and not an official reopening.

*Covid safety*
-Proof of vaccination required (including booster if J&J or 2nd dose was 6+ months ago). If this requirement creates a barrier or if you have questions, please reach out to the Union email address.
-N95, KN95, or KF95 masks required (we’ll have some if you don’t).
-HEPA filter in the venue.
-*If you test positive within 10 days of attending, email BostonBluesUnion (at) gmail (dot) com, so other folks can be informed.

*More on covid policies: https://bluesunionboston.com/code-of-conduct/#covid-policies

*Accessibility*
-Gender-neutral, single stall bathrooms
-Soft chairs for sitting/resting
-Not wheelchair accessible – up a flight of stairs

This week, visiting instructor Jamica Zion will teach some classes, followed by open practice time.

7pm Beginner/refresher class
8pm Beyond-beginner class
Open practice time ’til 10:30pm

Jamica Zion is a national instructor, choreographer, and performer who specializes in black vernacular dances, including but not limited to: Jazz, Lindy Hop, and many Blues idioms. With over ten years of experience, she identifies as an academic-activist-artist. Jamica has dedicated her life to these dances for many reasons. Some of her favorite reasons are their historical and cultural significance (community building and creative acts of resistance!), and their prioritization of creative individuality. Her students can expect flexible guidance through the class material, fun facts, and usually a good laugh or two. Her classes are less focused on moves and more so on refining technique that allows for the most comfortable connection between partners and their expression to the music.

Sliding scale $10-25 – admission covers the whole night

Pre-sale tickets available here: https://withfriends.co/…/classes_with_jamica_zion_plus…
^^WithFriends supporters, get pre-sale tickets to use your discount.

We’re still rebuilding and re-envisioning, so this is still a Union Foundations event, and not an official reopening.

COVID SAFETY
-Proof of vaccination required (including booster if J&J or 2nd dose was 6+ months ago). If this requirement creates a barrier or if you have questions, please reach out to the Union email address.
-N95, KN95, or KF95 masks required (we’ll have some if you don’t).
-HEPA filter in the venue.
-If you test positive within 10 days of attending, email BostonBluesUnion (at) gmail (dot) com, so other folks can be informed.

**If you have questions or think you’ll be unable to meet these guidelines, email us before you decide to attend**

More on covid policies: https://bluesunionboston.com/code-of-conduct/#covid-policies

Come for a casual night to dance & socialize in person after this latest wave!

Pay-what-you-can $5-15 – cash, Venmo, or pre-sale tickets here: https://withfriends.co/event/13755119/social_dance
^WithFriends members, get pre-sale tickets to use your discount.

DJs Amy Blank, Paul Loschak, and Julie Brown will be trading songs.

We’re still rebuilding and re-envisioning, so this is still a Union Foundations event, and not an official reopening.

*Covid safety*
-Proof of vaccination required (including booster if J&J or 2nd dose was 6+ months ago). If this requirement creates a barrier or if you have questions, please reach out to the Union email address.
-N95, KN95, or KF95 masks required (we’ll have some if you don’t).
-HEPA filter in the venue.
-*If you test positive within 10 days of attending, email BostonBluesUnion (at) gmail (dot) com, so other folks can be informed.*

More on covid policies: https://bluesunionboston.com/code-of-conduct/#covid-policies

Another in our series of Union Foundations events: Warm Back into Blues.

Join other blues dancers for some refresher mini-classes+integrated guided practices to help us warm back into blues dancing, our bodies, the music, partnering, and more. They will be led by Mike and Dan Legenthal, on the following topics:

“You Are (Still) Creative, and We’ll Prove It To You!” One of the scariest parts of coming back to dance after a break is wondering if you’ll be able to think of stuff to do. The answer is yes- but you don’t have to take our word for it! We’ll guide you through 3 mini-classes to help you feel relaxed and creative.

1. Opposites! Whether it’s sweet-and-salty desserts or tiny kittens sleeping on giant dogs, contrast is delightful! We’re going to use opposites to help us feel more creative and musical. This mini class will have both solo- and multi-player modes, for folks joining via Zoom!

2. Choose Your Own Rhythmic Adventure. By taking simple rhythmic ideas and limiting our choices, we can tap into creativity- pun intended. You can use easy or hard rhythms, so this mini class will scale to your level! (Solo or partnered)

3. Move Morph! This creativity game is a Legenthal classic. We’ll help you generate new ways of moving, shake off the dust, and probably giggle a lot while you’re at it. And yes- we have a Zoom-friendly modification to keep everyone involved. (Solo)

-Sign up to attend in person: https://forms.gle/s7nS7giThXrJ86Ak8

-Sign up to attend virtually: https://withfriends.co/event/13162066/Online_ticket
*everything this week is solo-friendly, so if you don’t have someone to practice with at home, all good!Masks & proof of vaccination required for in person attendance. Anyone may attend online.

DETAILS FOR IN PERSON ATTENDEES
There will be 2 time slots, to help limit attendance for covid safety: 7:00-8:45pm or 9:00-10:45pm (eastern).During each time slot, there will be 3 ‘mini-classes’ with guided practice time in between. Both time slots will be the same material. You will be able to have the flexibility to be gentle with yourself, and tailor the experience to where you are at in the moment.

Cost: $15 (or more if you can help subsidize – every dollar helps)
If cost creates a barrier for you, please reach out to us on messenger or email!

Sign up to attend in person here: https://forms.gle/w1MB9tXNR5UPivQQ8

DETAILS FOR ONLINE ATTENDEES
You can also attend online via Zoom. During the guided practice time, a TA will monitor the chat for your questions. Everything this week is solo-friendly, so you can have a partner with you or not.

Cost: Sliding scale $5-$15 (or more if you can help subsidize – every dollar helps)
If cost creates a barrier for you, please reach out to us on messenger or email!

Sign up to attend online here: https://withfriends.co/event/13162066/Online_ticket

COVID SAFETY
For in-person attendees:
-Proof of vaccination is required. It’s recommended that if your last shot was more than 6 months ago, you get a booster – schedule one here: https://vaxfinder.mass.gov
-Masks are required
-There will be 10-14 people in the space at a time. There will be a 15-minute buffer in between the time slots, for cleaning the space.
-The space has a new HEPA filter system, and the windows that can open will be open.

Note: For the safety and wellbeing of the community, in advance of this event please be especially diligent in your adherence to the CDC guidelines, which recommend wearing masks in public indoor spaces and remaining masked if indoors with unvaccinated people.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact BostonBluesUnion@gmail.com.

We are excited to see you at Dance Union!