Capital Blues

Blues Dancing in Washington DC

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BamBLOOZled

Competitions

Competitions are a great way to strut your stuff and win amazing prizes! We've also added a new competition this year - Solo Blues Riffin'! Competitors must be full weekend registrants.

Newcomer Jack & Jill — Free!

This division is for those of you out there who have not competed in a blues competition before. The preliminary round will be immediately following the band on Friday night (around 11:30pm) and contestants will be given three songs, each of which they will have a different partner chosen at random. The final round will be during the Friday late night around 2am. Judges will be looking for partner connection, musicality, creativity, and blues aesthetic. Winning top three couples will receive passes to national dance events.

Open Jack & Jill — $5 per person

This division is, as it's called, open to anyone to compete. The preliminary round will be immediately following the workshops on Saturday (around 6pm) and contestants will be given three songs, each of which they will have a different partner chosen at random. The final round will be during the Saturday main dance and contestants will be given a partner at random to dance with for the duration of the final round. Judges will be looking for partner connection, musicality, creativity, and blues aesthetic. First place couple will receive $50 and passes to national dance events. Second and third place couples will receive passes to national dance events.

Showcase —$20 per couple

This division is a no holds-barred blues routine competition. Couples who enter will provide their own music from 2.5 to 4 minutes long. All lifts, drops, aerials, etc are allowed. There is no preliminary round, finals will be during the Saturday late night around 2am. Judges will be looking for partner connection, musicality, creativity, and blues aesthetic, as well as musicality, timing, and delivery of any tricks. First place couple will receive $100 and passes to national dance events. Second place couple will receive $50 and both second and third place couples will receive passes to national dance events.

Solo Blues Riffin' — $5 per person

This division is new to bamBLOOZled this year. Riffing is an exchange of movement between dancers used to inspire new and creative expressions of movement. Competitors will be playing back and forth and layering movements to create something new together. The preliminary round will be immediately following the workshops on Sunday (around 6pm) and will consist of a few all-skates, where competitors will move around the floor interacting with different dancers. The final round will be during the first band break at the main dance on Sunday, similar to the style of a jam/cuttin' circle where contestants regulate entering and leaving the circle on their own, keeping two contestants solo dancing together at a time. Judges will be looking for musicality, creativity, blues aesthetic, and quality of movement in individual dancers, as well as the ability to collaborate with fellow dancers and take turns adding and listening to the exchange. The top two dancers will receive $25 each and passes to national dance events.