iBlueStudios - a Boston based Blues Dance studio.

!!The Studio\n\nIndependently Blue Studios is based out of Boston, MA and was created by Ogden Sawyer and Amanda Gruhl to promote blues dancing, both in the Boston area and throughout the world.\n\n!!The Instructors\n\n[>img[Ogden and Amanda|OAweb2-1.jpg][link]]\n\nOgden's experience with movement began studying martial arts at age nine. In 1997, he walked into a swing dance and was hooked. Over the last 9 years, he has studied various swing dances, ballroom dancing, African dance, Argentine tango, lindy hop, and blues dancing, and has been teaching lindy hop, connection, and musicality classes in the Boston area for the past 6 years.\n\nAmanda has been dancing since age five. Experienced in dance instruction, choreography, performance, and show production, she has studied blues dance, lindy hop, jazz, ballet, tap, lyrical dance, sacred dance, and hip hop. She has also had instruction in other dance forms such as popping/breaking, flamenco, modern dance, and ballroom dance. Amanda has been swing dancing for 8 years and has had the opportunity to teach lindy hop in Boston with several national instructors.\n\nOgden and Amanda have been dancing, choreographing, and competing together in blues dance since 2000, and teaching blues dance locally since 2002. Their style of modern blues combines historic blues dance with modern concepts of strong connection, partnered improvisation, and elements from many of the different dance styles they have studied. This unique blend has given them a national reputation for inspiring and emotional partnered blues dancing. Since 2003, they have been teaching at national events and workshops, encouraging and supporting the recent growth and popularity of blues dance. Their teaching style communicates their passion for blues dancing, and encourages dancers of all levels to take chances and push their personal boundaries.\n\nCurrently, Ogden and Amanda teach with a collective of Boston dance instructors at the [[It's All Swing!|http://itsallswing.com/]] Dance Studio in Watertown, MA and have recently founded independently Blue Studios to focus on teaching and supporting blues dance.

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MELBOURNE\nNoni Clarke\n[[Swing Patrol|http://mel.swingpatrol.com.au/profile/25/noni-may-clarke.php]]\n

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!!What Is Blues Dance?\n\nLike blues music, blues dancing finds its origins in African rhythm and movement. It emerged from 19th century dances like the Cake Walk, which was one of the earliest combinations of European and African dance traditions, just as blues music emerged from work-songs and gospel music, which were a combination of African and European musical traditions.\n\nEarly blues dances were very simple and open to musical interpretation. They were often a simple one-step or two-step and never became a focus for popular culture the way that dances like lindy hop and Charleston did. As a result, blues dance has retained the intimacy from it's early days and continues to focus on the interaction between dance partners, whereas the more popular dances often became quite showy and more focused, to a degree, on the spectators. While lindy hop and Charleston were seen in the most prestigious ballrooms and night-clubs of the era, blues dancing remained the purview of the house party, the Juke Joint, and the smoky little hole in the wall bar.\n\nBecause the spectrum of blues music is so large, there are many different interpretations and styles of traditional blues dance. "The Gut Bucket," "The Fish Tail," "Jookin' "and "The Slow Drag" are only a few of the dances that history passes down to us with this wide variety of music. Unfortunately, the history of these dances is incomplete. We do not have the vast archive of film and writing, along with the living archive of the dancers from the era, that the more popular dances of the day, like lindy hop, produced. As a result, blues dance today incorporates those historical elements we do have with more modern elements of dance, but keeps the focus on the music and your partner.\n\nThis focus has given some the impression that a successful blues dance must be both sensual and intense. However, anyone who has listened to a fair amount of blues music will have heard songs that are lonely, longing, sad, angry, and joyful, as well as songs that are loving, lustful, and bawdy. Blues music is about common experiences. It is a sharing of human conditions that everyone can access on some level, and should include the spectrum of human emotions.\n\nFor another great description of blues dance, visit Charlie and Heidi's [[About Blues Dance|http://www.blues-dance.com/aboutbluesdance/]] page.\n\n!!How Do I Learn Blues Dance?\n\nThere are several possibilities for learning to blues dance! Go to our [[workshops page|Workshops]] for a list of places where Ogden and Amanda will be teaching blues workshops around the United States. If you're in the Boston area, go to our [[classes page|Classes]] for information on blues dance classes in Boston. You can visit our [[contact page|Contact Us]] to ask Ogden and Amanda to come teach blues workshops in your town, or use our [[links page|Blues Links]] to contact other blues instructors in your area for information.\n\n!!Where Can I Blues Dance?\n\nGo to our [[links page|Blues Links]] and contact the local instructors nearest you for information about blues dancing in your area. Boston blues dancers have started their own Yahoo! group to coordinate blues events, discussions, and dancing in Boston. Feel free to [[join|http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Blues_Dance_Boston/join]] or [[browse|http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Blues_Dance_Boston/]] the page for more information.\n\n!!Where Can I Find Blues Dance Clips?\n\nAs stated above, there are few historical video clips of blues dance available. If you can find it, "The Spirit Moves" is an excellent documentary by Mura Dehn that includes some great blues dance footage. But for a small taste of blues dance, check out this [[blues dance clip|http://youtube.com/watch?v=iQ7S2w6v2No]] from the movie "St. Louis Blues" with Bessie Smith. [[Charlie Fuller|http://youtube.com/profile_videos?user=motorthings&p=r]] has a nice group of vintage and modern blues dance clips, most are solo blues.

!!Blues Instructors and Organizers\n[[USA]]\n\n[[Canada]]\n\n[[Australia]]\n!!Blues Venues\nBoston, MA\n[[Blues Dance Boston|http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Blues_Dance_Boston/]]\n[[Blues Cafe|http://www.youwanttodance.com/newlook/bluescafe.html]]\n[[Johnny D's Blues Jam|http://www.johnnyds.com/]]\n\nSt. Louis, MO\n[[Beale on Broadway|http://www.bealeonbroadway.com/]]\n\nDallas, TX\n[[Blues'n the Night|http://www.ichooseblues.com/html/bluesinthenight.html]]\n[[Live Blues Schedule|http://www.ichooseblues.com/html/blues_schedule.htm]]\n\nSan Francisco, CA\n[[Friday Night Blues|http://beyondblues.com/fnb/]]\n\nSanta Cruz, CA\n[[R.A. Blues|http://beyondblues.com/rab/]]\n\nSeattle, WA\n[[Blues Underground|http://www.lindybomb.com/cal/index.php?action=display&id=14]]\n!!Blues Music\n[[Blues Dance Boston|http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Blues_Dance_Boston/]]\nA Yahoo! group created by Boston dancers to find places to listen to and dance to live blues music.\n\n[[Boston Blues Society|http://www.bostonblues.com/]]\nThe BBS is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting the blues with a strong emphasis on the New England blues scene.\n\n[[Barrelhouse Blues|http://www.barrelhouseblues.com/]]\nThis website is a support network for blues musicians. It has a fantastic list of links to bands, radio shows, regular blues jams, blues festivals, you name it!\n\n[[Blues Trust Productions|http://www.bluestrust.com/]]\nPromoting blues music and musicians through the free two-day Boston Blues Festival, exposing the genre to a mass audience.\n\n[[New England Blues Society|http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/New_England_Blues_Society/]]\nThis Yahoo! group provides a good resource for finding upcoming local shows.\n!!Blues Forums\n[[Gargle Blaster Blues|http://www.gargleblasterblues.com/]]\nGBB promotes and posts house parties and blues events, has forum discussions of the history of the music and the dance, including videos, and promotes great music and passionate teachers of the dance.\n\n[[Blues Dance (UK)|http://www.bluesdance.org.uk/]]\nBlues Dance is an organization of dancers who have come together to promote dancing the blues, and host the Blues Dance Index, an international blues dance discussion forum.\n\n[[BluesPulse.com|http://bluespulse.com/public/index.php]]\nA US focused blues dance discussion forum based in CA.\n\n[[Yehoodi|http://www.yehoodi.com/]]\nYehoodi is primarily a national lindy hop discussion forum, but it was around long before the blues focused forums came into being. A search of Yehoodi will turn up a host of blues dancing related threads and discussion, some of which were very influential in the way blues is danced around the US today.

Sacramento, CA\nSolomon Douglas\nscrd@alum.mit.edu\n\nSan Diego, CA\nMark Shtino\nFire Marks Back Room

!!Ontario\nWATERLOO\nJeff Benoit and Kristen O'Neill\n[[Addicted to Dancing|http://addictedtodancing.com/home.shtml]]

Ogden and Amanda teach lindy hop and blues on a rotating basis through It's All Swing! in Watertown, MA, so check their [[classes page|http://itsallswing.com/ClassInfo.aspx]] for more information on upcoming classes.

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Contact us for information about private lessons, about our upcoming workshops or classes, about the possibility of bringing us to your area, or with questions about blues dance or lindy hop.\n\nOgden Sawyer\nogden@ibluestudios.com\n\nAmanda Gruhl\namanda@ibluestudios.com

[[Upcoming Classes and Workshops]]\n[[From Montreal With Love 2]]\n[[Video of Ogden and Amanda at ALHC 2001]]\n[[Join Blues Dance Boston]]\n\n

If you'd like to keep up to date on all the blues happenings in the Boston area, join [[Blues Dance Boston|http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Blues_Dance_Boston/join]], a Yahoo! group created just for that purpose!

Gui and Jenn are teaching a 4-week FREE blues series on Sundays starting July 20th at the Dance Complex!\n\nBeginner Dynamic Blues \nSundays, 3-4pm\n\nIntermediate We Make This Look Good \nSundays, 4-5pm\n\nThen they head to the Johnny D's Weekly Blues Jam (www.johnnyds.com) at 5pm for dancing, eating, and hanging out. For more information, go to www.freebodystudios.com.

[[News]]\n[[Blues Dance]]\n[[About Us]]\n[[Workshops]]\n[[Classes]]\n[[Blues Links]]\n[[Contact Us]]\n<html>\n<a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Blues_Dance_Boston/join" target="_blank">\nJoin Blues Dance Boston</a>\n</html>\n

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[[Upcoming Classes and Workshops]]\n[[Video of Ogden and Amanda at ALHC 2001]]\n[[Join Blues Dance Boston]]\n\n

a Boston based Blues Dance studio.

iBlueStudios

http://www.shliab.com/ibluestudios/index.html

!!California\nLOS ANGELES\n Chance Bushman\n[[West End Blues|http://www.rhythmicarts.com/]]\n\nSACRAMENTO\nSolomon Douglas\n[[solomondouglas.com|http://solomondouglas.com]]\n\nSAN FRANCISCO\nDamon Stone and Ria DeBiase\ndamon.stone@gmail.com\n[[bluesdance.com|http://www.blues-dance.com/lessons/]]\n\nHeidi Fite\n[[bluesdance.com|http://www.blues-dance.com/lessons/]]\n\nSteven Watkins, Liz Powell, Damon Stone, Heidi Fite\n[[Roots|http://www.blues-dance.com/roots/]]\n\nMihai Banelescu\n[[Friday Night Blues|http://beyondblues.com/fnb/]]\n\n!!District of Columbia/Maryland\nWASHINGTON, DC\nMike Marcotte and Donna Barker\n[[Capital Blues|http://www.capitalblues.org/]]\n\n!!Florida\nORLANDO\nKeith Shapiro\n[[Orlando Blues|http://www.orlandoblues.org]]\n\n!!Massachusetts\nBOSTON\nOgden Sawyer and Amanda Gruhl\n[[Independently Blue Studios|http://iBlueStudios.org]] or [[It's All Swing!|http://itsallswing.com]]\n\nGui Cavalcanti and Jenn Martinez\n[[Free Body Studios|http://freebodystudios.com]]\n\n!!Michigan\nDETROIT\nKelly Porter\nLyngvi1@yahoo.com\n\n!!Minnesota\nMINNEAPOLIS\nSara Cherny\nscherny@gmail.com\n\n!!Missouri\nST LOUIS\nElaine Frawley, Clay Hellman, Steve Costello, Adrienne Moore\n[[Fusion swing & blues dance|http://www.stlfusion.com/index2.shtml]]\n\n!!Ohio\nCINCINNATI\nCharlie and Melissa Fuller\ncharlie@blues-dance.com\n[[Cincinnati Blues Dance|http://www.blues-dance.com/lessons/cincinnati/]]\n\n!!Oklahoma\nTULSA\nChris Ransdell\n[[C Jam Blues|http://www.cjamblues.com/]]\n\n!!Texas\nAUSTIN\nBill Borgida\n[[billborgida.com|http://www.billborgida.com/]]\n\nTina Davis\n[[Sweet T Productions|http://www.sweettproductions.com/sweett/]]\n\nDALLAS\nJerry and Kathy Warwick\n[[I Choose Blues|http://www.ichooseblues.com/]]\n\n!!Washington\nSEATTLE\nMike Faltesek\n[[falty.com|http://www.falty.com]]\n\nMartin Beally\n[[Emerald City Blues Dance Festival|http://www.emeraldcityblues.com/]]\n

Ogden and Amanda are busy this fall! They're teaching at: \n\n[[Blues Boot Camp|http://bluesbootcamp.com/]] in Dallas, TX\nSeptember 25-29, 2008\n\nThe Crucible is the culmination of everything an aspiring blues dancer should know. It is three days of constant testing, dancing, hardship, and punishment (mental and physical). Your mission: To Become The Best Blues Dancer ... period.\nMore info at the [[Blues Boot Camp website|http://bluesbootcamp.com/]]. \n\n[[Blues Freedom Workshops|http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=30349112404]] in Cambridge, MA\nSaturday, October 25th, 2008 11am-5pm\nMIT Building 36, 50 Vassar St\n\nGui and Jenn of Free Body Studios have invited us to cross-pollinate the Boston blues dance scene! Come take either the beginner or intermediate track workshops from Ogden, Amanda, Gui and Jenn! 4 workshops for just $40! ($30 with student ID)\nMore info on our [[Facebook event|http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=30349112404]] page.\n\n[[Emerald City Blues Festival|http://www.emeraldcityblues.com/]] in Seattle, WA\nNovember 14-16, 2008\n\nIf you only attend one blues event this year, THIS should be it! Steven Mitchell and Virginie Jensen, Ogden Sawyer and Amanda Gruhl, Damon Stone and Heidi Fite, and Josh Boroff and Devona Cartier! Now that's going to be a weekend of blues to remember!\nMore info at the [[Emerald City Blues Festival website|http://www.emeraldcityblues.com/]].

<html>\n<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/c13RBVNbEyY"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/c13RBVNbEyY" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object>\n</html>\nOgden and Amanda performed a choreographed routine in the Blues Division of the American Lindy Hop Championships in 2001.

Ogden and Amanda's blues workshop schedule. Please click the links for additional information.\n!!2007\nAugust 29-September 3\n[[Swing Out New Hampshire|http://www.swingoutnh.com/]] (Advanced Blues Class)\nHebron, NH\n\nAugust 10-12\n[[Down Home Blues|http://www.downhomebluesfestival.com/]]\nSan Francisco, CA\n\nMay 19-20\n[[Mystic Blues|http://www.gargleblasterblues.com/mysticblues/]]\nMystic, CT\n\nApril 27-29\n[[Blues SHOUT!|http://www.bluesshout.com/]]\nSt. Louis, MO\n!!2006\nDecember 2\n[[Blues at Vinnie's Jump and Jive|http://swingmonkey.com/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=319]]\nMiddletown, CT\n\nNovember 10-12\n[[Emerald City Blues Festival|http://www.emeraldcityblues.com/]]\nSeattle, WA\n\nOctober 6-8\n[[Red, White and Blues|http://www.ichooseblues.com/html/redwhiteandblues.html]]\nDallas, TX\n\nAugust 18-20\n[[Jammin' the Blues|http://www.capitalblues.org/jtb/]]\nWashington, DC\n\nApril 28-30\n[[Cheap Thrills 2006: All Blues Weekend|http://www.stlfusion.com/cheap_thrills_2006_info.shtml]]\nSt. Louis, MO\n\nMarch 18\n[[Hooked on Swing|http://www.havetodance.com/hookedonswingsociety/schedule.html]]\nNorthampton, MA\n\nFebruary 11-12\n[[Tuesday Blues|http://swingout.net/index.php?act=calendar&cal_id=1&code=showevent&event_id=241]]\nPortland, OR\n\nJanuary 28\n[[Dance Manhattan|http://www.dancemanhattan.com/]]\nNew York, NY\n!!2005\nDecember 17\n[[Mainiac Swing Dance Society|http://www.downeastdance.net/workshopOA.htm]]\nFalmouth, ME\n\nNovember 11-13\n[[Swingin' New England|http://www.dancingfeats.com/sne/index.html]]\nFalmouth, MA\n\nNovember 4-6\n[[Red, White and Blues|http://www.ichooseblues.com/html/redwhiteandblues.html]]\nDallas, TX\n\nAugust 18-21\n[[Capital Blues: A MezzJelly Blues Weekend with DC|http://www.mjbw.com/]]\nWashington, DC\n\nAugust 6\n[[Cool Blues at Vinnie's Jump and Jive|http://vinniesjumpandjive.com/]]\nMiddletown, CT\n\nJune 24-26\n[[Down Home Blues: San Francisco Blues Dance Festival|http://www.downhomebluesfestival.com/]]\nSan Francisco, CA\n\nApril 14-17\n[[Cheap Thrills 2005: All Blues Weekend|http://www.stlfusion.com/cheap_thrills_2005_details.shtml]]\nSt. Louis, MO\n!!2004\nNovember 12-14\n[[Swingin' New England|http://www.dancingfeats.com/sne/index.html]]\nFalmouth, MA\n\nNovember 5-7\n[[Red, White and Blues|http://www.ichooseblues.com/html/redwhiteandblues.html]]\nDallas, TX\n\nApril 16-18\n[[Cheap Thrills 2004: All Blues Weekend|http://www.stlfusion.com/cheap_thrills_2004_details.shtml]]\nSt. Louis, MO\n(Ogden Sawyer with Marilee Annereau)\n\nFebruary 27-29\nPhilly Workshops: Sylvia, Jason, and Mario\nPhiladelphia, PA\n!!2003\nMarch 14-16\nBlue N' Soul Weekend: Presented by Shoreline Swing\nEast Lyme, CT

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