This week at Blues Union

Thursday, February 3

This week we kick off Beginner Blues series at Blues Union! We have the fabulous Joshua Boroff and Devona Cartier bringing us the Slow Drag this month:

Slow Drag (Beginner Series, 7:30-8:30)
Slow Drag is by far the most useful of all the vintage blues dances; you can use it for any blues song, any tempo. The simplicity of the basic step allows you to focus on body movement and connection in class, and musicality and improvisation out on the dance floor. We will also be teaching a number of moves to round out your vocabulary and make any dance a fun time! Like lindy hop, blues dance originated and evolved from African rhythms and movements, though some of the particulars of frame, rhythm, and connection can be different.

Beginner Crash Course (8:30-9)
This will be a weekly feature designed to introduce novices to Blues dancing. It will provide enough vocabulary to have fun on the dance floor. Plus, when students feel comfortable with this material, they’ll be ready for the Beginner Series classes.

During the dance we’ll have Christine Moser and Tim Lewandowski taking care of all your Blues needs.

You can register for the entire series on New School Swing’s website (http://www.newschoolswing.com/classes/) or pay per class at the door. Registering includes admission to the Blues Clinic on the last week of the month. At the door it is $7 for students, $10 general admission. The Crash Course is $5.

As always, the dance is $5.

Thursday, January 27

Blues Union is proud and excited to be joining forces with New School Swing to bring you Blues class series! Starting next month, Blues Union will hold Beginner series classes from 7:30 to 8:30 and a Beginner crash course from 8:30 to 9. New School Swing will host an Intermediate series from 7:30 to 8:30 and shuttle folks to Blues Union afterward. The Blues Clinics will be held the last week of the month for both levels.

To bid the old class format good-bye with style we have Julie Brown teaming up with Paul Mandel to bring you:

Blues with a Twist (Intermediate 7:30-8:15)
Learn a short sequence and a simple lift, as a way to work on the concepts of active following, frame matching, and body leading.

Jazzy Blues (Beginner 8:15-9:00)
Learn (or refresh yourself on) some blues basics for dancing to jazz! We’ll cover some traveling moves, turns, and more. If you’re new to blues, this class will be enough to get you out on the floor, dancing, and having fun!

Afterward Julie will be heading straight for the DJ booth with Stephen York to satisfy your Blues cravings.

As always, the lesson is $5, and the dance an additional $5.

Thursday, January 20

This awful weather should clear up on Thursday, so come celebrate with some Blues! This week we have Joshua and Devona bringing us some, dare we say it, awesome lessons:

Intermediate Awesomeness (7:30-8:15)
In this class they will focus on crystal-clear leading and following like a ninja. These skills will be utilized in a good practice pattern or two, plus they’ll throw in some rad moves to boot!

Beginner Awesomeness (8:15-9:00)
The beginner class will focus on turns and passes, great basic moves for any dance. They’ll be throwing in a lot of Blues technique to make your dancing look and feel good.

Afterward, John Brooks and Micki Balder will team up to serve up some damn fine Blues.

As always, the lesson is $5, and the dance an additional $5.

Thursday, January 13

First off, thank you to everyone who came and made our BFX kick-off at the Whistle Stop such a smashing success! This week we’ll be returning to our Dance Union home with a Blues Clinic.

During Blues Clinics we gather as many instructors as we can for 1.5 hours of personalized instruction. Students dance with instructors and get individual feedback on their dancing. Music plays continuously in the background, and students are encouraged to social dance and give each other feedback while not dancing with instructors. There is also a long beginner lesson running throughout, making the Clinic perfect for introducing newcomers to Blues Dancing.

DJs this week are Amy, Khrysti, and special guest Mark Carpenter from California.

As always, the clinic is $5 and the dance an additional $5.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Blues Union is back for the new year and we’re starting it off big! We’re proud to be the unofficial Thursday venue of the Boston Fusion Exchange. This is so big, in fact, that we’re gonna need a bigger venue! For this night only, we’ll be at the Crosby Whistle Stop. And to contain it all, we’re going till midnight.

The Whistle Stop is located at 24 Roland St in Charlestown, MA.

To kick it off in style we have 2 instructors from the exchange: Ruby Red and John Joven of Chicago. You can check out their bios at:
http://www.bostonfusionexchange.com/bios/instructors.php

Juke Joint Styling and Conversation (Intermediate, 7:30-8:15)
Beef up your basics with torso and hip styling. Learn the difference between isolation and connected movement and discover new ways to interpret the music and add complexity to your dance. With a flexible, attuned frame, you’ll practice adding to the conversation as a follow and listening as a lead.

Juke Joint Blues (Beginner, 8:15-9:00)
Learn the fundamentals of dancing at the Juke Joint from these BluesShout finalists! The connection is relaxed, the moves are pulsy, and there’s lots of room for improvisation play.

DJs will be John Joven, Devona Cartier, and Christine Moser.

And as always, the lesson is $5, and the dance an additional $5.