This week at Blues Union

This week Julie Brown and Shawn Hershey will be teaming up to bring us a couple of awesome lessons:

Shape Shiftin’ (Intermediate, 7:30-8:15):

Usually, we dance face-to-face, but there are plenty of other ways to dance! Why not play around with some more interesting shapes? Front-to…-back, offset, side-to-front, who knows?! We’ll work on crazy connections and shape changes, while discussing what helps us stay connected, no matter how we’re facing.

Ballroomin’ for Beginners (Beginner, 8:15-9:00):

There are a two main overarching styles of Blues dancing, Jukin’ and Ballroomin’. Ballroomin’ is intended to be big and graceful, making gentle fun of traditional Ballroom style. In this lesson we’ll give you some moves to get around the floor classily when the music gets jazzy and sassy.

This week the DJ table is shared by an old favorite and some fresh blood – Julie Brown will be tearing it up alongside Steve “Foodman” York! Come support Steve during his first set at Blues Union!

During the dance, Steve, Micki and Adrienne will be providing yummy baked goods.

As always, the lessons cost $5 and the dance costs $5. If you sign up for both, the price is a low, low… $10!

This is it, friends! Chris and Campbell are coming to town, and this Thursday they’re giving you a sneak peak of what the weekend has to offer. Check out these fine teaser classes:

Call and Response (Intermediate, 7:30-8:15)

You can’t have a conversation with only one person talking! Call and Response is about taking turns, letting your partner speak, and creating something *together*. We’ll even explore some solo movement — see what you can make up!

Badass Blues Basics (Beginner, 8:15-9:00)

One of the easiest and hardest things about Blues is that there is really no one basic step. It’s very freeing a lot of room for expression, but it can be daunting because you don’t always have that one thing to fall back on. But fear not! We’ll walk you through our favorite “basic” steps and show you how to get your groove on out on the Blues floor. Come learn the steps that never get old!

After the lessons are over, Khrysti Smyth and Amy Kucharik will be rockin’ and rollin’ us all night long! Steve will be bringing ceviche, Martha will be bringing pudding, Naomi will be bringing lemon cake, and Micki and Eileen will be bringing even more tasty food for us to scarf down.

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

See you all Thursday!

Hello everyone!

It’s the first Thursday of the month, which means: time for another Blues Clinic! For an hour and a half, all the Boston Blues instructors we can get will be in a room and available for brief one-on-one coaching sessions. As an added bonus, we’ll also have Christine Moser in the mix! Our focus is on improving your dancing, so we’ll each give you stuff to work on that comes from our own backgrounds in dance, and with all of our combined feedback you’ll have a really good feel for where you stand, what you’re doing well, and what you can work on specifically! All levels are welcome to attend – we usually have an hour-and-a-half long beginner class running throughout, so feel free to come even if you’re coming to Blues dancing for the first time.

After the Blues Clinic, Christine will team up with John Brooks to spin for us all night long!

We’ll also have Amelia bringing in special brownies, Amy bringing in either cornbread or lemon squares, and surprises brought in by Naomi, Marina, and Adrienne.

As always, the lesson costs $5 and the dance another $5.

Sadly, Blues Union is closed this week, as the Boston Tango Festival (http://www.bostontangofestival.com/) is in town and using the space. We’ll be back next week with a Blues Clinic, though. We’re lucking out, as Christine Moser will be back in town to throw down some music and join in on the Clinic!

In other news, have you signed up for Chris and Campbell’s workshops on July 10th and 11th yet? There are only 10 more spots left before we close online admissions! Get your passes here: https://bluesunionboston.com/chris-and-campbell-workshops/

Hello everyone!

This week we have our very own Julie Brown and Paul Mandel throwing down a cool couple of classes:

Balance and Counterbalance (Intermediate, 7:30-8:15):

Counterbalance is one of the most exciting tools for more advanced blues dancing. Learn some balance & counterbalance moves and how to use these tools to create new moves, while still being safe and comfortable for your partner. Also, we’ll be starting promptly at 7:30pm. Be there or miss stuff!

Vintage Night (Beginner, 8:15-9:00):

Learn some vintage blues dances like struttin and the slow drag to start off the night right. Fun for first-timers and experienced dancers alike!

After the lessons, Julie Brown and John Brooks will be teaming up to spin for us all night long!

As always, the lesson costs $5 and the dance another $5.