Isabelle & Ewan are a «Blues After Hours» favorite!
They’ve both been coming to Athens for a long time and Ewan even started teaching internationally two years ago at Blues After Hours!
Isabelle
Isabelle has been dancing since she was a toddler. She discovered Blues dancing in late 2012 after moving to the UK, but it wasn’t love at first dance. The more subtle movements, isolations and polyrhythms took a little while to grow on her but after an AHA moment at her first Blues event, it suddenly became clear that this would be a long and wonderful journey.
She loves the various styles, tempos and rhythms Blues music has to offer, as well as the variety of connections you can find in the dance. Isabelle loves those moments on the dance floor when you can really sink your teeth (or feet?!) into a song and let all else go, just be in the moment and enjoy this ultimate form of self-expression because the music moves you.
She has travelled to countless Blues events around the world for the last 12 years and taught regularly in Oxford pre-pandemic. If not dancing, she will be found learning more about Blues and Black American history and organizing dance events in her local Oxford scene.
Ewan
Ewan is a blues music and dance nerd from Edinburgh, Scotland! After checking out a blues dance class in 2014, he very quickly became obsessed. Ever since he has been taking classes and dancing at every opportunity.
As a teacher, Ewan aims to meet his students at their current needs. When he first started dancing he was no natural; lacking body awareness and any musical understanding. This experience allows him to easily empathise with newer dancers and their individual difficulties.
As a White European from Scotland, practicing a Black American art form, he recognizes the need to be respectful to the history and culture behind these dances and their music. Ewan does as much research on blues music and its dances as he can and always tries to ground his classes in a context that is appreciative of the roots of blues dancing whilst also acknowledging to his students the limits of his understanding.
And as a dancer, he adores the lead-follow equality of blues, the emphasis on solo body movement and all the various styles and rhythms of the music; from early jazz and acoustic country to electric, swinging shuffles and funky soul. At blues parties you will usually find him right in front of the band or DJ, dancing to nearly every song.
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