Dancers
Who we are
|
Leigh & Daire are dance teachers, DJs, and event organisers, who have been sharing their love of the blues with dancers around Europe since 2010.
When these two get together, they are truly greater than the sum of their parts. Leigh & Daire mix humour, enthusiasm and terrible puns in equal measure to create fun, welcoming spaces that inspire and entertain. Wherever you are with your blues dancing, they’ll make sure you leave with a swagger in your walk and a smile on your face. Pssst! Hey organisers, if you're looking get in touch, find us here! |
|
Our Philosophy
We love the blues and we want as many people as possible to get to experience the joy of dancing. Our philosophy for getting the most from the dance is:
Bring It!
“A bad rendition of you is better than a good rendition of somebody else.”
Willie Dixon Life is all about showing up - so is dance! There's only one you and we wanna see what you've got: be your own dancer first & bring your own voice to every dance. |
Respect
“I respect myself and insist upon it from everybody. And because I do it, I then respect everybody, too.”
Maya Angelou Dance is a conversation. The thing we love most about dancing together is that we have an equal partnership; whether we’re following or leading, we both share our ideas as we connect with the music and each other. |
Celebrate
“It’s a true feeling that comes from the heart, not just something that comes out my mouth. Blues is what I love, and blues is what I always do.”
Koko Taylor We love, love, LOVE the blues. It’s the reason we dance, DJ, and run events. Blues is a family of living African American dances and musical styles with over 100 years of history... let’s celebrate it all! |
Our Projects
Leigh & Daire are excited to be co-organising, The Jam! with Niclas & Sandra (Gothenburg, Sweden), which is all about getting down and showing up with a celebration of blues music and dance.
Alongside co-collaborators Julia & John, and Eva & Sergio, they created a new residential event for 2019 in the mountains outside Madrid, La Maliciosa
Leigh & Daire train and choreograph with Cristian & Encarni (Elche, Spain); including the New Orleans-inspired Pocky A-Way routine, which they taught to students in five different countries.
With her good friends Shell & Sigga, Leigh is one of the 3 organisers of The Spoonful (Edinburgh); one of the most popular blues dance events in Europe.
Daire co-organised “Crash! The Blues” (Delft, Holland) dance workshop/skill exchange for 6 years; an event that brought together dance, scene building and crashing an established blues music festival with over 70 live blues bands.
Leigh trains and choreographs with The Fierce Sisters of Blues, an international collaboration with Bibi Elespini (Italy) and Sandra (Sweden)
Leigh & Daire have also co-organised a series of small, successful events around Europe, featuring live music and inspired by the sounds of Howlin Wolf (Built for Comfort, Glasgow; Howlin’ for my Darlin, Berlin; Hidden Charms, Rotterdam)
Alongside co-collaborators Julia & John, and Eva & Sergio, they created a new residential event for 2019 in the mountains outside Madrid, La Maliciosa
Leigh & Daire train and choreograph with Cristian & Encarni (Elche, Spain); including the New Orleans-inspired Pocky A-Way routine, which they taught to students in five different countries.
With her good friends Shell & Sigga, Leigh is one of the 3 organisers of The Spoonful (Edinburgh); one of the most popular blues dance events in Europe.
Daire co-organised “Crash! The Blues” (Delft, Holland) dance workshop/skill exchange for 6 years; an event that brought together dance, scene building and crashing an established blues music festival with over 70 live blues bands.
Leigh trains and choreographs with The Fierce Sisters of Blues, an international collaboration with Bibi Elespini (Italy) and Sandra (Sweden)
Leigh & Daire have also co-organised a series of small, successful events around Europe, featuring live music and inspired by the sounds of Howlin Wolf (Built for Comfort, Glasgow; Howlin’ for my Darlin, Berlin; Hidden Charms, Rotterdam)
