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
4/7 - 5/12
Tuesdays
6:30-8:30pm
Lowdown Ballroom
Blues Workshops
7:00-8:00pm Peanut Butter Blues: Beyond Smooth & Chunky w/ Grey Armstrong
8:00-9:00pm Say It Back Different: A Call & Response Playground w/ Dillon Arevalo
Instructors: Grey Armstrong, Dillon Arevalo
4/29
Wednesday
7-9pm
Reverie Ballroom
Blues 1C
A brand-new recurring 4-week series teaching Blues fundamentals, organized by Reverie Ballroom! Blues 1C is taught with a focus on Everyone Leads, Everyone Follows (ELEF)
Instructors: Lisa & Robin
5/6 - 5/27
Wednesdays
7-8pm
Reverie Ballroom
Blues Dancing @ NW Folklife
In this class, we will introduce fundamentals that define Blues dancing. You’ll leave with a solid set of moves for dancing to live Blues music, plus tools to refine your conversation on the social floor, whether you’re new to Blues or a seasoned dancer.
Instructor: Robin
5/23
Wednesdays
7-8pm
Reverie Ballroom
Blues Track @ Centrum Blues
2026 Centrum Traditional Blues welcomes the return of Traditional Blues dancers Damon and Kelsy Lynn Stone! This is the first time that Centrum will be offering a dance-only track, which includes 4-hours of dance instruction each of 4 days - one 2-hour session each morning and one 2-hour session each afternoon.
Instructor: Damon & Kelsy Stone
7/24 - 8/2
Monday - Saturday
Fort Worden, Port Townsend
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