Blues Dances: What Are They?

What we call “blues dancing” is family of dances that were created by Black communities throughout the United States from the late 19th to mid-20th century. These dances are direct reflections of the time, music, people, and places where they were danced.

While these dances vary greatly based on historical venues, music, and other factors, they share several common elements. Generally speaking, blues dances share an athletic posture, a consistent pulse, multiple centers of movement, collaborative partnering, and a relaxed quality, among other characteristics.

Blues dances include Savoy Walk, Stride, Strut, Slow Drag, Grind, Fishtail, Piedmont Triple, Struttin', Texas Shuffle, Funky Butt, and many more.

---

Ballroomin' and Jookin': Umbrella Terms

Ballroomin’ is a grouping of blues dances with a shared aesthetic that developed in ballrooms like the Savoy in Harlem. The dancing expanded to fill that space, with couples striding, pivoting, and grapevining across the floor. Ballroomin' is typically danced to blues with jazz influences or slow jazz.

Ballroomin' Example

---

Jookin' is a grouping of dances that grew alongside the music played in juke joints, honky tonks, rent parties, and other small venues. Because of the intimate spaces where dancers crowded in together, these dances were more stationary and less likely to travel. Dancers play with rhythm, angles, frequent changes of direction, and more layered movement on the spot. 

Slow Jookin' Example

---

Blues Idiom Dances

Below are some of my favorite blues dances. In each demo, we showcase both the basic steps and some fun variations. We’ve also included a short description of each dance, highlighting its characteristics, aesthetic values, or a brief history.

---

Piedmont Triple

Piedmont, or Piedmont Triple, is a simple, relaxed spot dance that emerged from the Appalachian foothills in the 1920s alongside the music. Piedmont blues music typically relies on a single acoustic guitar with intricate fingerpicking. This rhythmically driven music can be challenging to dance to for the unprepared, but Piedmont Triple fits it perfectly.

---

Stride

Stride is a line-of-dance ballroomin’ blues dance. Characterized by its constant forward drive and unique reaching steps, this dance makes you feel like you’re sneaking across the floor, looking damn elegant while you do it.

---

Struttin'

Struttin’ is a relaxed one-step blues dance that originated in Memphis clubs. Especially useful for dancing to live music at dive blues bars, this dance can be done in very little space while still allowing for creativity in footwork and shaping.

---

Savoy Walk

Developed in and named for the most famous ballroom in New York City, the Savoy Walk was danced to slower blues songs played by jazz bands as breaks from their faster numbers. The Savoy Walk alternates between a simple traveling two-step basic and showier turns and tricks.

---

Further Reading

We recommend the following resources for learning more about the rich history of these dances and the music that inspired them:

• ​Recommended Reading - Explore Dance Historian Damon Stone's compilation of books on Black Vernacular dance.
• Obsidian Tea - Learn more about Black culture through the lens of blues music and dance.
• Additional Resources for Understanding Blues Idiom Dances:
  • Blues Idiom Dances by Laura Chieko.
  • Blues Idiom Dance: Stylistic groupings of vernacular dance created with blues music by Damon Stone.