Bluesalicious is here!

Sometimes we thought it would never come, and other times it felt like this weekend was approaching at warp speed. It's now down to the last-minute nitty-gritty! We have about 120 folks from 22 states and 4 or 5 countries descending upon Memphis this Friday, Feb. 29 (that's not a joke; it's Leap Year!). We plan on painting the town blue for 3 days... it's gonna rock!

If you're in town on Thurs., Feb. 28, join us for blues dance lessons with Mihai (at Candace's house) starting at 7:30 and 8:30. If you've never danced before, come for the 1st class and stick around if you feel like it; if you have some dance experience, count on taking both.

Price: $15 or $10 for Bluesalicious attendees!
Times: 7:30 Beginning Blues and 8:30 Continuing Blues
Location: Email getinfo@newvoblues.com for address

Get ready for the next level...

Evolve your blues dancing! Cause this weekend is EvoBluesion, a 2-day workshop brought to you by NewVo Blues. Registration is still only $60 for all Saturday & Sunday classes with Candace & Reuel. This event is the first of its kind for our area -- don't miss out on all the great classes, from the 4th Dimension to Peel the Layers. This workshop will definitely evolve your blues dancing in a positive way!
Our Story:
Following the success of the Feburary IBC weekend blues dance classes & workshop with teachers in town for an instructors retreat, Candace Gustine & Sarah Beth Larson formed NewVo Blues to promote blues dancing in Memphis, TN. Monthly events followed, from dance lessons on Beale St., to road trips to the Juke Joint Festival & Buenos Aires Blues, to last month's house party. Good times were had by all, you can be sure... .

Blues is a Feeling...
The best thing about blues is its versatility -- it can be danced to a range of tempos, styles, and moods. After all, everyone knows the blues ain't always blue... .
It's also a conversation. Our focus is bringing more dancers to blues, since the music is so prevalent in this area. So far, we are happy to have brought dancers of salsa, tango, ballroom, contra, and swing dancing together to share and enjoy the blues. What could be more natural in the the Home of the Blues, Birthplace of Rock'n'Roll?
Next weekend is the Booze'n'Blues Festival in Indianola, MS. Carpool down for some of the hottest blues in the hottest month of the year. Join us! Check it out online -- or email us at getinfo@newvoblues.com for more details.
Sarah B

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.