Do you want to advance your modern blues dance skills?

Do you want to be a sought-after dance partner wherever you go?

Are you looking for the best Modern Blues events and music?

Sara White is widely recognised as the face of modern blues dance tuition and events.


With a special emphasis on the symbiosis of music led, lead and follow dancing, Sara White's 'Blues Nites' provide a range of dance opportunities that will propel you to become the dancer you want to be!


Our DJs are always on the lookout for music that is simply fabulous to dance to. Music that makes you want to move, to sway, to shimmy, to whirl.... or to pause, to hold the moment.... Music that will take your breath away - music that will have you grinning from the joy of the dance. Music that will make you feel glad to be alive - and happy to be part of a shared moment of dance.


We offer 4 great routes to improving and enjoying your dance.


Each route offers a variety of fabulous experiences, but when these experiences are combined.., oh the joy!


Join me, and let me help you with your dance journey.

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4 amazing ways to improve and enjoy your modern blues dancing

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A complete package of learning opportunities...

Improve Your Dance

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Just dance: Find a Blues freestyle event most weekends...

Your Next Freestyle Event

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We know how to throw the best holidays and parties too!!

Our Retreats & Holidays

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Our flagship event. Run by blues dancers for blues dancers.

  • ...an entire weekend to all that is wonderful about Modern Blues Dancing
  • Crystal Blues is the place where we make new, meet up with old, and dance with friends...
  • Where we come together to delight in the joy of enjoying our dance peers shine on the dance floor...

Don't miss out on these great events...

These workshops are extremely popular and will likely sell early.  Tickets required.

...and you may even appear in our gallery

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Coffee addict, DJ, dance teacher, event organizer and music lover!

I just want to inspire you.  I'm passionate about letting the music drive the dance, and I try to reflect that in my classes and workshops, creating dancers who are in demand wherever they go.

...current favourite tracks:

...view more here

and finally, always give good dance!...

03 Jan, 2024
Looking back at 2023... As we step into 2024, with so many exciting things to look forward to, I thought it would be nice to take a look back over 2023 and see what we all got up to! As we fast approach our 18th anniversary, it is quite something to think that we have been running weekly Modern Blues classes for all that time! (With the exception of the Covid break- obviously). As far as I am aware, we are the only dance event provider who has managed to do that – and we are still going strong! In 2023 we taught 45 weekly classes at Buckden. We held 41 freestyles over the course of the year: 11 x Blues Emotion 11 x Collaboration 6 x Worcester Blues 11 x monthly Freestyles in Buckden 1 x Freestyle in St Neots 1 x Boxing Day Blues 1 x New Year’s Eve event We ran 12 workshops under the Blues Nites banner, and taught a fair few for other event organisers too: 6 in Worcester 5 at Blues Emotion events in Dry Drayton 1 in Buckden Some in Nantwich and Manchester too In addition we ran 2 Blues BootCamps and a New-2-Blues course. There were 3 UK weekenders in 2023: 1 with our friends at Pulse Dance in Scarborough And 2 x Blues Retreats in Bournemouth We also got back to see our friends in Sweden for a fabulous Fox/Blues weekender And of course we had the absolute highlight of our year – the Crystal Blues Challenge! Add to that between 5 and 8 private lessons every fortnight – and we have been kept mighty busy! Along the way, and with your incredibly kind support, we have tried to do our best to help others too. Collectively we have raised In excess of £4500 – plus physical donations of food for the food bank, coats and clothing, toys and household items for those escaping domestic violence, sleeping bags, coats, rucksacks with gloves, hats, toiletries, Greggs vouchers, hand warmers etc for those who are living on the streets, hot water bottles for elderly people struggling with the cold, Christmas dinner boxes for those who would be going without at Christmas, and much, much more. That all feels like something to be proud of so we’ll be going in to 2024 with the aim of doing it all over again in 2024 And as we are not ones to rest on our laurels – we’re going to set ourselves the challenge of doing even more. With the opening of another new venue this month, and starting a new and exciting style of freestyle – we’re off to a good start. I think 2024 is looking like a fabulous year for Blues dancers! So let me take this opportunity to thank all of you: For your support For your kindness For your enthusiasm And for being a part of this fabulous Blues Dancing world that means so much to us all! Wishing you all a happy, healthy and dance-filled 2024! I live to do this work I love. And I work hard to live this way.
15 Jun, 2023
Just like children, adults learn in a variety of ways. Some are visual learners – they need to see something being done, usually a few times, in order to make it their own. Some are aural learners – needing clear explanation, and memorable description. Some are kinaesthetic learners – who need to ‘just do it’ to get it. Some are blockers – the ‘yeah, but…’ people who will find every reason why something can’t work, can’t be done, can’t happen before making it work, doing it and making it happen. Some are sponges – the ‘give me more, more, more…’ people who may or may not ‘get’ what they have already been given, but still thirst and hunger for more. They absorb and absorb until saturation point. Some have a natural affinity to learning – with open minds, open hearts and a quest for improvement on all levels, they continually strive to learn and grow. Some have to work hard at it – and despite the fact that it doesn’t come easy, they plough onwards at whatever pace suits them towards their final goal. Most of us are a combination of the above and more. So many factors hinder and assist learning. Personal, professional and environmental influences make us more or less able to absorb at any given time. Some have to be ‘stealth-taught’ – key points delivered in such a way that even though it ‘doesn’t apply to them’, they pick up on it anyway. I have learned that In order to effectively teach all styles of learners then I need to clearly demonstrate, effectively break-down the intricacies of music and movement, create moments of humour and deliver ‘hooks’ on which to hang key points. Above all, I have learned that teaching dance is not about teaching individual moves – but about inspiring people to become the dancer they want to be. Dance is a personal journey. Not everyone wants to be the ‘best’. Most people consider their dance to be a social experience, and being good enough is enough. This was a difficult lesson for me to learn. As a teacher, my eye is ever set on ‘the next step’, the way to improvement and progression. But most people just want to dance. Simples. The trick is in acceptance. Even though I can see ways of making small changes to gain big improvements – doesn’t mean that change is necessary for your dance enjoyment. But if you are looking for improvement, I am ready, willing and able to help you make those changes. Teaching dance isn’t just about teaching dance. The lucky ones amongst us find ourselves learning to dance as adults as the fruition of a period of longing. It’s something we’ve been meaning to do, maybe on a Bucket List, and we finally get round to it. But for many of us, learning to dance is something we find ourselves doing at a time of great change in our lives. Borne from a need or necessity. Perhaps after divorce, loss, drift or at a time of self-discovery we challenge ourselves to try something new in an attempt to build and grow our social lives. Which means there are many vulnerable and nervous people who come to class. The lost, the lonely, the angry and the sad, all mixed in with the vibrant, the dynamic, the happy and the joyous. The rich, the clever, the bright and the gifted, all mixed in with the unusual, the different, the left-of-centres and the alternate thinkers. A social dance night can be the friendliest place on the planet. But it also has the potential to be the loneliest and the scariest. To be a truly successful social event, an ethos of inclusivity and acceptance is fundamental. It’s OK to be a little different. It’s OK to be a little weird. It’s even OK to be a little normal – whatever that is. Beneath the surface of a dance class is a lot more than movement and music. Teaching is a tiny part of the job. Looking back now, I realise how naïve I was when I first started running events 10 years ago. I came to the table with a teaching degree and my years of experience of school teaching and thought then that actually teaching dance was the main part of the job. WRONG! In the last ten years I have had to acquire a whole new set of skills and learn to wear a huge variety of different hats. Including: Website design , updating and technical wizardry. Marketing – the good, the bad and the hideously ugly. Venue sourcing and the art of dealing with those in charge of them. Venue management and the ability to cope with any and every incident. We’ve had the leaky roof that caused the sprung floor to bow upwards, creating a hill in the middle of the room. The condensation issue that created a permanent puddle in the middle of the floor. The less than well thought through booking situation that had a dance class and bell ringers trying to co-exist. The classes that occur after playgroup, so we have to allow an extra 30 minutes of set up time so we can clear up the sand, trodden in jam sandwiches, play dough, glue and sprinkles reminders of artistic creativity at its finest. The sessions straight after dog shows that require creative air-freshening. The workshops that happen on a wet afternoon and the footballers have forgotten to take their boots off before coming through to the bar. Not to mention other peoples events that over-run, or when the caretaker forgets to let us in, or when the hall has been double-booked. Improvise, Adapt and Overcome is our mantra. Book-keeping , accounting and the art of borrowing from Peter to pay Paul. Teaching is rewarding in many ways. Financially, not so much… Innovation and diversity . To exist we must evolve. To evolve we must innovate. To innovate we must create. Constantly. DJing – oh those days when I thought DJing was just about playing my favourite tunes. Little did I know then about the hours of sourcing, stressing and obsessing! Team management – back in the day I didn’t realise I needed a team. These days I don’t know how I’d cope without the amazing people I am lucky enough to call my team. My management technique consists of allowing and encouraging each of us to do what we enjoy and be the best we can be at it. Event muscle – setting up, packing away, lifting and shifting of amps, speakers, sound and lighting equipment. Floor layer – we’ve been lucky enough to be given access to some amazing flooring that allows us to create events in places where the existing flooring wouldn’t be suitable. I am now expert in the art of floor stomping jigsaws. And the late night floor lift shift. Counsellor – as I said, teaching dance isn’t just about teaching dance. It is about reading between the lines, hearing what is not said, seeing what isn’t mentioned and being emotionally, physically and virtually available. I care passionately about dance. I care passionately about teaching dance. I care passionately about those to whom I am privileged enough to teach dance. I care. Passionately. The live to work/work to live rules don’t apply. Few of us are able to take something we enjoy passionately and make it our living. I am one of the lucky ones. There have been many adjustments and compromises I have made along the way to enable that to be the case. My 13 year-old fourth-hand car gets me where I need to be – usually. I don’t have a TV – but I have beauty all around me. I’ll never be in a position to own my own home – but I have the freedom to up and move at will. I don’t have savings – but I can usually just about pay my bills. What I do have is the joy of working at a job of my creation that fuels my creativity and my passion, with people who are a constant source of joy and inspiration. I have the same grr’s and frustrations that everyone else has when things are not going well, but I have learned that I have the spirit and tenacity to deal with the downs as well as the ups. Sometimes people take a shallow view, and see the few hours spent at a class night and take those few hours to be the sum total of my job. Sometimes people take the view that dance teaching should done ‘for the love of dance’ and that it is somehow wrong to make a living from it. And sometimes, when my feet are bleeding, my body is broken and everything in me has been spent and given… From the countless hours spent on the go, on the floor, on the decks, on the move, on the fly, on demand… From way before the start til way beyond the finish… Often on the nights when it has cost me a lot more to run an event than the event has made… I smile. Because I am a dancer, a teacher, an event organiser. I live to do this work I love. And I work hard to live this way.
by Paul Berwick 15 Feb, 2023
I recently read an interesting and enlightening article aimed at Tango leads and was both pleased and dismayed to see that a lot of the issues that are faced by follows in Blues dancing are actually faced by follows in all partner dancing. Pleased – because it is clear that these are issues that are non-specific to Modern Blues dancing, which means we can blame the dancer and not the dance. Dismayed – because it seems such a shame that we even need to mention half of these things. And also because the people that we would hope to take these thoughts on board are most likely to be the people who won’t read them or apply them. So I’m going to tell you what other dancers tell me: UNSOLICITED DANCE ADVICE No-one wants it! Whether this is in the class, on the social dance floor or at the side of the floor. People go to class to learn from the teacher. They turn up on time, pay good money, listen carefully and try their best to implement everything that is being asked of them by the teacher. So they do NOT want YOU teaching them. Ever. Don’t do it. It is confusing. Everybody is unique. What feels perfect to one will feel odd to another. If something isn’t working and your follow isn’t doing what you expect – change your lead! Improve YOUR dancing – let your follow (or lead) focus on improving theirs. And you know what really works..? Always assuming that anything that goes wrong is at least 50% your fault and then going all out to improve your side of things. That works! WARM WELCOME It isn’t easy going somewhere new, particularly by yourself. And we all want to be part of a warm and welcoming club. But there is a big difference in making people welcome and making people uneasy. Asking a new person to dance is good. Asking a new person for their phone number, to go out with you or to give up their life story to you is not. Neither should you feel the need to share your life story with them. They are there to dance – so let them! Having a dance or two during the evening with a new person is great. Monopolising that person and making them feel uncomfortable is not. Do you know that the same social boundaries apply IN dance as they do outside of it? If you’re doing or saying things that you wouldn’t want said or done to your wife/daughter/mother/girlfriend/boyfriend/son/husband/father by someone else – then don’t do it. And these things apply to everyone – not just new people… Also, don’t assume that every ‘new’ person that comes to the venue is new to dance. There are a lot of people in the dance world – many of them will have been dancing a lot longer than you! Try to get the balance right. If you’ve asked someone to dance two or three times in the evening, maybe let them ask you for the next one. We can’t be everyone’s favourite dancer – but we don’t want to be their worst stalker. RESPECT PEOPLE’S PERSONAL SPACE Modern Blues is a dance that focuses on close hold. This is not an excuse for inappropriate contact – from either partner… It means we have to take extra care to avoid inappropriate contact and overstepping the personal boundaries of those we dance with. Ours is a dance of style, of elegance, of joy – so let’s make it our aim to avoid anything that might give it – or you – accusations of being sleazy. These are a few of the things that people have asked me to comment on recently… It’s not a lead vs follow thing. It’s not a guys vs girls thing. These things and more apply across the board. Mostly everything works out OK, but now and then these things just need a mention… And just as a reminder – if something happens at our events that IS bothering you, please let us know. We can deal with most things given the opportunity… Blues Nites do already have a safety policy on the web site (https://bluesnites.co.uk/your-safety) – we’re going to be giving that some thought over the next couple of weeks so we can make dancing at Blues Nites an even more safe, respectful and enjoyable experience for all. These are all part of our one goal as leads and as follows Give good dance!
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