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NB www.bluedance.org.uk is development domain for preview, when moved it will be www.bluesdance.org.uk
Jokes aside we don't want Blues and Blue to be synonymous!
Welcome
The motivation for this site is to路share with路those interested in Blues dancing a路set of resources and路personal insights that路I've found informative.
The aim is to explore the: who?, what?, why?, where?, when?, and how? of Blues dancing路
Our early (upto 2005) legacy, yet still informative, site has been moved to www.2005.bluesdance.org.uk
The Blues can be an acquired taste! It is both simple in its construction and yet emotionally rich and complex. Thus, it can offer dancers a great way to expand their musicality and enjoyment of dance. It is dance music and dance is路always uplifting, celebrating and getting yourself together as a person and as a community each Saturday night.路If you are new to the Blues consider that:
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The singer is a narrator路and not personally suicidal
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The lyrics are less important as words than the sound the singer is making and the notes they hit
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The instruments are talking drums (slave owners banned Africans from having their drums)
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Look out for the call and response between a singer (or key instrument) and the other instruments/ chorus
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Look out for the counter-statement in the response. The singer maybe all doom and gloom but then comes the response as a路jazzy mocking or ironic or exaggerated contradiction. Imagine someone is giving you their sob-story and your torn between consoling them, laughing your head off, and playing a exaggerated wailing violin because what you want really want to路say is get over it, get a grip,路and move on!
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The most enduring and omnipresent theme路is the Blues between a man and a woman -the simultaneous strength and weakness of the human condition
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Blues is not protest music as such
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Blues is not happy music, but it is alway uplifting and energizing
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One of the most important uplifting effects of the Blues is the collective empathy, the solidarity, or the sharing of路stress - the release and affirmation or validation路you get when you realise you not alone with your Blues. A problem shared is a problem halved, etc
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Blues is a massive music genre with a broad range of tempos and its influences spread far, taking in soul, hip-hop, and rock
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You already dance to some Blues in most forms of popular social dancing eminating from the US/UK, such as Jive, Rock and Roll, Lindy-hop, West Coast Swing, etc
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Blues rooms/dances, however, tend to have a music policy to demark them from other dance offerings -often by featuring slower music and rhythms that discontinuous with other dance styles to encourage dancers to conciously adapt to dancing the Blues not simply put their existing dance skils into slow-motion.
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Those dance music policies are dynamic and part of an, very young, interactive learning process between dancers, hosts, and DJs. Engage and enjoy. Many a great DJ-dancer has been forged by cosntructively saying NO NO NO! the music can be better -here is how!
Some sections:
- Perspectives from dancers and others
- Reference to historical materials
- A路glossary of blues terms
- Jokes
- Video Clips
- UK freestyle dances
- UK class nights
- UK workshops
- UK weekenders and camps
These are several relevant podcasting and blogging websites that publish news feeds and a few of the fast moving ones are on box panels next to the side menus and路are all路in more depth on路dedicated pages
This contians Amazon MP3 player widgets of tracks suited for Blues dancers based on the blogs/podcasts路Blues dance DJs
Websites from DJs, Event Organsiers, Teachers, perfomers and Historical resources are availble in an indexed list as well as featured on a carousel display, if your browser supports it路(double click the carousel image to link to the site in a new window).
A growing colletion of profiles of some inspirational dancers/ performers/ teachers with photos, YouTube clips, descriptive text and web-links
A few of the books I've bought
A link through to subscription to a website e-newsletter and in time other ways to keep uptodate with website news.
Constructive ideas and inspiration路about this website are always welcome. I wish you much inspirational dancing! Have fun and enjoy!
Daniel L. Sandars, 02-NOV-2010
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