Resources

To better understand blues dancing, you need to understand the cultural context of it. Here, we will share information we uncover along our journey into better understanding blues dancing ourselves.

Aesthetics

Blues Idiom Dances have certain characteristics about the look, feel, and values of the dances that make them identifiable as blues and connect them to the larger lineage of Black American social dances.

Idioms

Blues dance is the term used by contemporary blues dancers to refer to their genre, serving as shorthand for blues idiom dance. Most blues dancers typically categorize Blues Idiom Dances into three categories: Solo, Jookin’, and Ballroom.

Language

Language used in blues songs often have hidden meanings that might cause you to misinterpret the intent the lyrics.

Media

There is no better way to learn than to do the research yourself. By reading, watching and listening you can embark on your own journey of discovery.

Music

Blues dancing is nothing without the music that inspires it and the blues musicians that create it. Their music moves us—literally—keeping the history and spirit of blues alive through dance.

We do want to acknowledge that putting everything in a box and slapping a label on it is a very Eurocentric approach. For the sake of learning about these dances we have chosen to present it as such, but the divide between these dances are not as clearcut as we present it here.