Blue Note San Diego | Dancing The Blues
About
I focus specifically on blues idiom dances - the many regional dances that developed alongside the blues as popular music, from the Delta to Chicago to the Piedmont to Texas to California.
For me, the focus is to help my students be able to understand the music both culturally and historically to give them more tools to relate to it and express it in their movement. Dancing the blues is about more than just patterns and steps. With a musical and cultural understanding as the foundation, students can improvise and feel comfortable dancing to live bands and music they may have never heard before.
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Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
I like to discuss goals and clearly establish expectations to make sure that the student and I are on the same page and so that I can cater my lessons to match their goals.
Following that, as we begin, I will do a diagnostic to gauge their quality of movement, their ability to hear and respond to the music, and their learning style to determine how to best approach teaching them.
Throughout the session, I check in to see if the pace and the material are meeting the student's expectations. At the end of each lesson, I recap and make suggestions on how the student should focus their practice to best meet their own goals.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
For a 1-hour private or group private (up to 4 people), I charge $75 per hour.
If you purchase a package of 5 hours or more, my rate is $50 per hour.
Private lessons are a 1-hour minimum at my home or a prenegotiated studio. More than 30 minutes of travel will incur extra charges.
For workshops or group lessons, my rate is $75 with a 2-hour minimum if within 30 minutes of North Park or La Mesa. Anything requiring more than a 30-minute drive is a 3-hour minimum, and travel time must be compensated.
For out-of-town events, I require compensation for travel, lodging, and built-in time for rest and meals.
What advice would you give a student looking to hire a teacher in your area of expertise?
Ask the teacher how they learned, where they learned, and for recommendations from their teachers.
Since blues is a cultural dance attached to music, ask them their favourite artists and the specific idioms they've danced and what musical styles they go along to. For example, they should be able to immediately demonstrate juke joint idioms such as slow drags, fishtail, mooche, touch-and-go, etc.
Ask the teacher what things are common among all blues dances, and what makes blues dances different from other social dances. Even if they don't have the words, they should be able to demonstrate a common aesthetic.
Any teacher who is honest and trustworthy should be able to tell you what they don't know. Since the blues is alive and has over a century of history, most teachers will have weaknesses and styles of blues and music that they are less familiar with or comfortable dancing or teaching. If you ask, they should be willing to tell you what these are.
What questions should students think through before talking to teachers about their needs?
Why do you want to take dance lessons?
What are your personal goals? Social dance with anyone? Performance? Competition? Be comfortable dancing to live music?
How do you measure success? What kinds of results would you need to see within what time period such that you feel the lessons were worthwhile?