Thanks, Paul!

Got a nice review from Mr. Ryburn Himself. Thanks for coming, thanks for dancing, and thanks for writing about us, Paul! We expect to see you at Rum Boogie on April 14th, even though the lesson starts at 10am on a Saturday and you're no early bird. Promise it will all be worth it!

Thanks also to everyone else who came out to The Blue Worm on Friday. We had a great crowd for the lesson, and more folks drifted in afterwards for dinner & dancing to the live blues band. The owner's daughter played, and has a stellar voice. I'm happy to say that a good time was had by all, even though just by me writing that, you can't really understand how fun & funky it was. We made connections between people while we gave them something that will enrich their lives.

Wow. How could you miss it next time? I hope you don't!

It all begins at 9:30am on Saturday April 14th.
Meet Rum Boogie Cafe on Beale Street for the 10am Blues Movement Lesson.
This time we will give you a little more sugar for your bowl. Don't worry if you haven't had the blues yet (I mean a dance lesson, of course).

We'll have lunch after the lesson ends, around 12pm, and head down to Clarksdale, MS, the historic crossroads of blues, for the Juke Joint Festival after that (meet us at Rum Boogie by 1pm if you want to caravan). We'll drive down & spend the afternoon, evening, maybe longer.

Never been to the Juke Fest? You can't call yourself a Mid-Southerner (in case you wanted to) until you have experienced the blues like they've got it down in Clarksdale. Real blues, juke joints, pig racing, and monkeys ridin' dogs--they've got it all! Don't make the mistake I did last year & miss the monkeys riding on dogs.
Plus, if you missed it this weekend at the Memphis Film Fest, you can catch the documentary Hard Times, a fun and touching documentary on bluesman Big George Brock. I'm sure the other films are great, too, but I can only recommend that one firsthand.
Don't see on their site how much it costs, but a wristband was only $10 last year, which is a great deal for all that great music.

Coming? See you on the World Famous Beale Street.

UPDATE: Got a nice write-up from J-1 on our trip to the Juke Joint Fest. Check it out for yourself here.

Blues dancing can be sultry as a Memphis summer night, vibrant as sun on the Mississippi River, mellow as a Southern drawl, and spirited as a tent revival. Blues dancing draws you in and pulls you into a close embrace from the start, and the longer you do it, the more comfortable it becomes, just like your favorite t-shirt. Once you make it a part of you, it can change your life forever.

Our first official NewVo Blues event is Dinner Blues at The Blue Worm on Friday the 23rd of March. This place one of the great live blues clubs Memphis has for dancing to the music that is such an essential part of our heritage. Our plan for the night is to have a blues lesson at 7pm, dinner at 9pm, and dancing following. Costs are simply $12 for the lesson, the price of your dinner, and $5 to get into the club for the entire night. If you have never danced blues before, this is the perfect chance to check it out for yourself. For those of you who have taken a lessons or workshops in blues dance, you'll have a great opportunity to work on your skills with a pair of great instructors. Our lesson will work on blues movement, connection, and musicality. If you have experience with ballroom, tango, salsa, swing, or other types of dance, you will transition easily into blues, as it is a cousin to several partner dances.

So what is blues dancing? It's many different things to dancers of all backgrounds, including those of us who discovered a love of the dance by delving into the vast variety of music known as the blues. It's a spiritual connection to the music, and to the musicians who play and sing their very souls out in the juke joints. It's a personal connection to your dance partner, who may be a friend, spouse, or someone who appreciates the music as much as you do. It's living in the moment and outside of yourself at the same time. Blues dancing is all about feeling the rhythm, the lyrics, and the melody of the music and making it your own on the dance floor.

Let's go...

Woo hoo!!! Our site is up and we're ready to get Memphis bluesn'