WHAT THE BLUES
Blues dancing lessons in the heart of Seattle
SERIES, WORKSHOPS & LESSONS
Open Practice/Social
Join us for blues practice and social dancing! This is an open floor practice session with guidance from Robin. Learn how to give and receive feedback in a safe and useful way, and get tips and assistance with leveling up your blues 💙
If you wanna just come to dance and hang out, you're also welcome! We'll provide some tips on negotiating practice/social dance intentions so everyone gets what they want from the session 😊
Lead instructor: Robin
9/22 - 10/13
Tuesdays
6:30-8:30pm
Lowdown Ballroom
Blues Intro
Intro lesson before the twice-a-month Blues social in the Emerald ballroom, organized by Reverie Ballroom!
Instructor: Robin
9/23
4th Wednesday
9-9:30pm
Reverie Ballroom
Hillman City Sway
A 1-hr all-levels blues lesson, covering blues dancing basics for beginners, and refinements and challenges for seasoned blues dancers! Followed by live blues & blues-adjacent music by the amazing Hillman City Sway band 💙
Instructor: Robin
9/24
Thursday
8-9pm
Black & Tan Hall
Slow Drag in Micro Fusion
In this class, dancers will learn the foundations of Slow Drag - a versatile Black American Blues dance that dates back to the 1800's - and explore how its grounded posture, complete weight transfers, pulse, asymmetry, polycentrism, and rhythmic independence can enrich their micro-fusion dancing. We’ll practice creating clear, fully embodied movement at a small scale and maintaining individual expression within close partnership before thoughtfully carrying selected tools into micro fusion, while honoring the cultural and musical context that distinguishes the two art forms.
Instructor: Robin Chow (substituting for Lila Faria)
9/25
Friday
7:30-8:30pm
The Grinning Yogi, Greenwood
Blues w/ Grey Armstrong
An all-levels blues series! Learn from international guest instructor Grey Armstrong! This special 2-hour bi-weekly structure will enable deep dives into core ideas and movement qualities that make Blues dancing feel like Blues. Appropriate for both new and experienced dancers, this is an opportunity not to be missed!
Instructor: Grey Armstrong
10/7, 10/21
2x Wednesdays
7-9pm
Reverie Ballroom
What is Blues dancing?
Blues dancing is a family of living dances that is intricately linked to Blues music, and is rooted in Black American culture & history. Its aesthetics comes from Africanist movement & values, and influenced and shaped by the Black experience, just as Blues music is. Blues dancing is solo, partnered, and in community, where the core values are connection with and embodiment of the music as ourselves. Dancing with others are acts of self-expression and conversational exchanges, where we show off our musicality while embracing and inspiring each other.
Wanna learn blues?
Lesson Series & Drop-Ins
Our core weekly lessons timeslot is Tuesdays 6:30-8:30pm, at the Lowdown Ballroom. We will either have drop-in lessons, or 4- or 5-weeks series, depending on the month.
Workshops
Occasionally, we will teach workshops on more specific topics or styles. We also bring in out-of-town and national/international instructors to share their knowledge and experience with Blues.
Private Lessons
If you’re after a more tailored learning experience, we also offer private lessons. Our current rates are $90 - $125 / hr, sliding scale.
Please contact us to set up a time!
Wanna keep up with blues outings?
Visit Seattle Blues Dance Collective’s website at https://seattlebluesdance.com, sign up to their mailing list, and follow them on instagram @seattle.blues.dance.collective
Blues Resources & FAQs
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SBDC is a volunteer-run online resource providing a well-updated list of Blues-dance related happenings in Seattle!
Website: https://seattlebluesdance.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seattle.blues.dance.collective/Mission
The Seattle Blues Dance Collective cultivates a vibrant, inclusive, and collaborative community rooted in the rich traditions of Black American Blues Dance. We create and promote spaces where people can connect, learn, and express themselves through social Blues dancing in Seattle — with a commitment to equity, care, and cultural respect. Through local classes, practice spaces, live music and community events, we honor the past, explore the present, and move together into the future of Blues Dance. -
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Important Note - Blues dancing is not just about the aesthetics. It is important to acknowledge this, because one may be tempted to “learn” blues by imitating the movement, and miss the entire point by a country mile and then some.
For now, here is a very small sampler of blues dancing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwdF82eehSo&list=PLDUS7SX8CheUXxLMFSpMyYbIzrVXWHQiZ&pp=gAQB