Thistle Blues Dancing: Learn to Dance the Blues (July Courses)

Thistle Blues Dancing presents these 4 week courses on blues dancing, a style of partnered social dance done to blues and related jazz/soul/funk music!
Taking place on Tuesdays from July 9th-30th at the Salisbury Centre in Edinburgh, these progressive classes will teach you not only how to dance blues but also about blues music, culture and history. With time after the classes to social dance, practice your new moves and make some new friends!
These courses will follow on from the May-June beginner courses and some blues dance experience is preferred from attendees; particularly being familiar with concepts like a grounded posture, pulse and lag and being comfortable with connections like close embrace, closed and open. For those with less experience, you are still welcome to sign up but may find the content challenging at times. (Those who have plenty of swing dance experience may be able to handle this challenge.)
There will be two courses on the following topics:
1. Savoy Walk is a Ballroomin' blues dance that comes from the Savoy Ballroom. The big bands of the Harlem based, ballroom were mostly famous for their fast, swinging jazz which was hugely popular and gave rise to dance crazes like the most famous swing dance, the Lindy Hop. But when the bands played slower, jazz-blues numbers, the Savoy Walk was the dance of choice for many. Inspired by the dancing of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers but with lots of flashy Lindy Hop style tricks, it is a beautiful dance to watch and one of the biggest influences on modern freestyle Ballroomin' blues.
2. Rhythms are a core part of blues dancing! Being able to hear and identify the core rhythms in blues music and put them into our bodies is an essential skill for the dances. For this second course we will learn about swung and straight rhythms across a range of blues music and play with expressing them in different ways!
*IN CLASS* - No partner is required and everyone will get the opportunity to dance with each other in both lead and follow roles. Wear comfy clothes and shoes.
Blues as a dance style, often uses a close embrace as the main connection in partnership. Consent will be prioritised at all times. Everyone has the right to say no to a dance and that right must be respected.

Host or Publisher Thistle Blues Dancing