This week at Blues Union

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.

As you probably know, this weekend is the big Mike and Reuel Workshop Weekend (http://www.thirdwavedance.com/mikeandreuel for those who don’t know). We here at Blues Union are giving you a taste of what’s to come by bringing in Mike and Reuel to teach the lessons this week!

Afterward, Mike will be joining one of our own behind the DJ booth to have you dancing all night.

Plus, we have a food treat, so save your appetites. We’ll be serving up a grilled cheese night. It was a big hit before, so we’re bringing it back.

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

It’s the first Thursday of the month, and we have a huge night in store for all you lovely dancers!

First up we have our monthly Blues Clinic: 1.5 hours of personalized instruction, where 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.

We’re also bringing back the monthly raffle for a free private lesson. Pay for the Clinic and you’re automatically entered.

Then, we have live music provided by Boston’s own Fried Bananas! If you haven’t heard them before, go check out their media page: http://www.thefriedbananas.com/Media.aspx

And if that’s not enough for you, we have a special premiere performance by Amanda Gruhl and Julie Brown. They’ll be competing with it at Bambloozled this weekend in DC.

We’ll be running till midnight to contain all this excitement. The Clinic will be $5 and the dance an additional $10.

We will be closed for Thanksgiving, but we’ll be coming back with a bang! That’s because we’re bringing in the Fried Bananas to play for all you lovely dancers.  Stay tuned for more details, because you don’t want to miss this!

This week we have Jenn Martinez and Jamie Triplett teaming up to break down some of the basics to help you feel the Blues:

Feel those Turns (Intermediate, 7:30-8:15)
Like true stories, the Blues has a beginning, a middle, and an end. We’ll break down each piece of some fundamental turns so that leads can be clear and dynamic, and follows can be controlled and receptive. By the end of the class you’ll be more confident to use higher energy turns that are exciting and feel great!

Pulse It (Beginner, 8:15-9:00)
If you wanna dance the Blues, you gotta have pulse. It adds spice, it’s musical, and it’s fun! The class will cover creating a pulse to the music, using variations, and communicating clearly with your partner; everything you need for a great dance.

Afterward, Stephen York and Khrysti Smyth will be ready to give you the Blues.

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