Blues Dancing is a family of historical dances, that developed alongside and were danced to blues music. As the variety of Blues music is great (in different regions and various eras), so are the styles of dance.
Originating from African movement and Tribal Dance, passed down through generations were revised, recombined, and given new flourishes as the music changed so did the movement, but keeping similar elements marks the African-American dance vocabulary.
The Dance started from solo movement (Tribal Dance), but with interaction between all taking part, sometime with contact, sometimes only visually or vocally (“Call and Response”, for example). As well as with time, influenced by surroundings and copying the white dances, evolved as a couples dance.
Today danced in various styles from full body contact to solo, allowing people to enjoy the dance from the most basic form and up to the most “Peacocking” moves.
As Blues music is the origin of Jazz and all the musical styles that followed after, it is the most important form to understand and learn, both for dancers and musicians.
Rosa Lee 