Page 3 of 4 FirstFirst 1234 LastLast
Results 41 to 60 of 64

Thread: learning the blues

  1. #41
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Waltham abbey
    Posts
    4,610
    Blog Entries
    4
    Rep Power
    12

    Re: learning the blues

    Quote Originally Posted by David Bailey View Post
    Too kind...


    MJ Blues has a different posture, it's arguably more raunchy, and the music is different. So those are either plus or minus points.

    Blues blues is not really something I can comment on, I don't know much about it.
    Cant see any minus points... !!

    Blues, I saw Lemoncake earlier said that she had never actually been taught the blues and im thinking back and I dont think I have either.. go figure. !!

    Thinking even further, I dont really know what blues is only that I love the music, it feels good but the moves are the same arn't they?.. just delayed slightly or taken advantage off.

    So I dont really know much about it either. !

  2. #42
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Nottingham
    Posts
    346
    Rep Power
    8

    Re: learning the blues

    Quote Originally Posted by Captain Jack View Post
    What I mean is that it seems to be a bit bump n grind. The emphasis being on the physical connection rather than the music.
    Heck no. Although Blues (as in, MJ Blues) is usually danced very close, the physical contact doesn't have to be there, and the musical awareness is almost a pre-requisite.

    Blues is very intimate dancing, but physical contact is almost an irrelevance within that. Watch the top dancers and although the movements, eye contact, sensuality and overall mood of the dance is extremely intimate, the physical contact is often far less intimate than a welcome hug to a friend.

    The best blues dancers could dance with an air gap and still be displaying the musicality, the attitude and the connection to their partner that epitomises blues (to me).

  3. #43
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Posts
    40
    Rep Power
    8

    Re: learning the blues

    @straycat Any clips that you would recommend?

  4. #44
    Formerly known as DavidJames David Bailey's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Norf Lundin
    Posts
    17,001
    Blog Entries
    1
    Rep Power
    18

    Re: learning the blues

    Quote Originally Posted by Trouble View Post
    Cant see any minus points... !!


    Quote Originally Posted by Trouble View Post
    Blues, I saw Lemoncake earlier said that she had never actually been taught the blues and im thinking back and I dont think I have either.. go figure. !!
    That's because, really, there's no such thing as "MJ Blues" - it's simply a marketing term for "dancing MJ slowly".

    If you want proof, look that the DVD for Ceroc's Blues Competition a couple of months back.

    Quote Originally Posted by Trouble View Post
    Thinking even further, I dont really know what blues is only that I love the music, it feels good but the moves are the same arn't they?.. just delayed slightly or taken advantage off.

    So I dont really know much about it either. !
    You probably know more about it than many people teaching it.

  5. #45
    Commercial Operator
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Northeastern Parts
    Posts
    5,221
    Rep Power
    14

    Re: learning the blues

    Quote Originally Posted by Captain Jack View Post
    @straycat Any clips that you would recommend?
    Did you look at the thread I linked to in my last post? Loads of clips there...

  6. #46
    Registered User fandangle's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Winchester, Hants
    Posts
    201
    Rep Power
    8

    Re: learning the blues

    I have now done a Sara White Blues workshop and two David and Val Blues workshops so I have begun to get my feet wet, so to speak and I'm loving it. However, I live too far from Newbury to make the regular pilgrimage during the week so I was hoping to find some regular classes nearer to my home, e.g. Bournemouth. I understand that I'm not the only one if you read this thread. At the moment, when I go into a Chill-out/Blues room, I feel a bit like someone going to a foreign country only knowing a few words of the language. It can get me by but that's as far as it goes. I would love to become more fluent but feel regular teaching is the best way.

  7. #47
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Posts
    40
    Rep Power
    8

    Re: learning the blues

    Quote Originally Posted by straycat View Post
    Did you look at the thread I linked to in my last post? Loads of clips there...
    Watched a couple and I thought they were demos rather than examples of real social dancing.

    It's quite difficult to find the latter on YT. In tango I can only think readily of a few examples eg

    http://www.youtube.com/user/magikmiles
    http://www.youtube.com/user/Jantango

    (Otherwise they tend to be hidden away in Facebook accounts)

  8. #48

  9. #49
    Commercial Operator
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Northeastern Parts
    Posts
    5,221
    Rep Power
    14

    Re: learning the blues

    Quote Originally Posted by Captain Jack View Post
    Watched a couple and I thought they were demos rather than examples of real social dancing.
    Well - the demos were all pure improvisation so I tend to count them as social dancing examples.

    Putting myself slightly on the line here, but how about this one? The from a couple of weeks ago.

  10. #50
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    Glasgow
    Posts
    2,119
    Rep Power
    9

    Re: learning the blues

    Booked

    love blues, but always so much more to learn. So looking forward to it

  11. #51
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Staffordshire
    Posts
    63
    Rep Power
    7

    1 way to have all your questions answered - with an outstretched hand

    To just say thank you to Maja - she quite simply answered those questions for me last night. (And cut through any chickening out/helping build confidence!)

    Through just asking me to dance, the questions were answered in a second:
    How - "Just have a go!"(said through a smile)
    Where - "Next to me" (said through asking me to dance & getting on the floor)
    When - Now! (implied through fox like cunningness, using her dance floor authority on beginners to obey (that and asking for the dance with several folk around - they don't drill the "if you're asked, go dance" rule for nothing )

    Hehe, still left with exactly the same questions as Cederic though
    The feeling of practise is for practise time, dance time is for dancing what you've practised.

    Blimey does trying a blues dance make you aware of how vast an expanse of time a song can have for expression, musicality and goofing around!

    Do many people find they cna just jam what would otherwise be called musicality course material, and just general jamming style movement into their blues dancing? Seems like it'd feel a little silly to be doing rote teaching of "moves" but can see how it could help to get some inspiration/ideas.

    Do dance styles transfer? Jazz, R&B, etc?
    Last edited by t0mt0m; 30th-January-2011 at 04:36 PM.

  12. #52
    Registered User Lost Leader's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    Towcester
    Posts
    1,274
    Rep Power
    9

    Re: learning the blues


  13. #53
    Senior Member Minnie M's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    Hove Actually
    Posts
    7,924
    Rep Power
    14

    Re: learning the blues

    The old tunes are still the best


    --ooOoo--
    Age is a question of mind over matter, if you don't mind, it doesn't matter
    Leroy (Satchel) Paige (1906-1982)

    Mickey Mouse's girlfriend, Minnie, made her film debut, along with Mickey, in "Steamboat Willie" on November 18, 1928.
    That date is recognized as her official birthday.

  14. #54
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Staffordshire
    Posts
    63
    Rep Power
    7

    Re: learning the blues

    Would be interested in feedback from people who've done a fair bit of blues dancing:

    Chris Maraffi's Swango Blues Fundamentals (their DVD split has been split into 10 minute chunks and put on youtube for free)



    Seems like they've made the effort to see how Blues, classic styles, and movements from swing and tango can be fused (esp the movement as a couple from tango).

    From a beginner blues dancer, it seems useful - you don't really want to start doing treacle jive, or large jive moves (in essence cut the start and end of any jive move, and see if it fits with adaptation), so the tango style of movement helps.

    Portlandbluesdancers user also has a few videos - talking about the pulse, lunges etc.

  15. #55
    Commercial Operator
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Northeastern Parts
    Posts
    5,221
    Rep Power
    14

    Re: learning the blues

    Quote Originally Posted by t0mt0m View Post
    Would be interested in feedback from people who've done a fair bit of blues dancing:
    It's good. Nice intro to proper blues. Well explained, very clear.

  16. #56
    Registered User
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Northampton
    Posts
    78
    Rep Power
    9

    Re: learning the blues

    Quote Originally Posted by t0mt0m View Post
    Chris Maraffi's Swango Blues Fundamentals
    I haven't been through it all, but last time I looked at Swango, it seemed to be an incomplete fusion - doing a few Blues moves then a few Tango moves then repeat etc.

    More of an emulsion than a fusion - like milk where the fat is just finely divided globules suspended in water, not dissolved at an atomic scale.

    It may have moved on, but it's not like Amir's Jango - MJ and Tango seem more miscible !

    Of course, if you just want to skim off the pure Blues and discard the Tango, it may be just as well it's not fused ?

  17. #57
    Registered User
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Northampton
    Posts
    78
    Rep Power
    9

    Re: learning the blues

    Reminds me of a thread on a US Blues forum (now defunct) that was sniffy about UK MJ Blues - I used to find it by googling [ceroc plague] !

    They pointed to as an example of good practice.
    Plenty more from [Blues Shout] out there.

  18. #58
    Registered User
    Join Date
    May 2007
    Location
    Northampton
    Posts
    78
    Rep Power
    9

    Re: learning the blues

    Quote Originally Posted by EricD View Post
    Swango seemed to be an incomplete fusion - doing a few Blues moves then a few Tango moves then repeat etc.
    PS Are we confusing Blues and Swing ? Oops!

  19. #59
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Waltham abbey
    Posts
    4,610
    Blog Entries
    4
    Rep Power
    12

    Re: learning the blues

    Quote Originally Posted by David Bailey View Post





    You probably know more about it than many people teaching it.
    your after a frot arn't ya... i know your ways

  20. #60
    Formerly known as DavidJames David Bailey's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Norf Lundin
    Posts
    17,001
    Blog Entries
    1
    Rep Power
    18

    Re: learning the blues

    Quote Originally Posted by Trouble View Post
    your after a frot arn't ya... i know your ways
    I've no idea what this "frot" is of which you speak, but I'm sure I would never do such a thing, it sounds like it might be crass, and I'm a posh Tango Dancer now, don't you know.

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 2 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 2 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. Charlotte st blues
    By martingold in forum Social events
    Replies: 2
    Last Post: 21st-September-2009, 07:59 PM
  2. Critical mass for Blues
    By Gus in forum Let's talk about dance
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 28th-October-2007, 12:26 AM
  3. Blues Dancing (C.O.Z, Utopia) for Beginners
    By StokeBloke in forum Intermediate Corner
    Replies: 12
    Last Post: 25th-October-2007, 08:00 PM
  4. Raunch Factor
    By Wendy in forum Let's talk about dance
    Replies: 61
    Last Post: 1st-October-2006, 11:20 PM

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •