11/10/2026
๐๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐น๐๐ฒ๐?
๐ช๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐ผ... ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐น๐น ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป?
When our Blues social dance community heads out to local gigs, we meet plenty of men who share our love of the music and tell us how much they enjoy watching us dance. But far fewer join us on the dance floor.
Over the past 15 months, almost 100 people have signed up for our Blues social dance classes...around a quarter were men. Weโre curious about that gap, and weโd love your help to understand it.
๐ฅ๐ผ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐น๐๐ฒ๐: ๐ฆ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐, ๐ฅ๐ต๐๐๐ต๐บ & ๐๐ฒ๐น๐ผ๐ป๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ด is a new programme from Our Social Space, bringing people together through a shared love of the Blues. Wherever youโre from, youโre welcomeโweโll meet at our venue in East Belfast.
Join us as:
- Lee Hedley from Lee Hedley Blues Band shares his love of the Blues through storytellingโstories and plenty of good craic.
- Gareth Hughes from The Gareth Hughes Blues Band shares his love of the Blues through the Blues harp (harmonica)โbeginner-friendly lessons to help you have a go yourself.
- Declan and Carrie from Blues Belfast share their love of the Blues through Blues danceโexploring its stories, history and rhythms, with beginner-friendly sessions to try it yourself.
Each session will also include a cuppa and conversation...time to get to know others and share your own stories about โ๐๐๐๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐ก๐ช๐๐จ ๐๐๐๐ฃ๐จ ๐ฉ๐ค ๐๐โ.
Towards the end of the programme, weโll explore Blues dancing together and hear your honest feedback. What appeals to you? What puts you off? What would make it easier to join in?
Your experiences and ideas will help shape the programme as we go.
Weโre planning 12 two-hour sessions from November to March, followed by an end-of-project celebration with live Blues music and invited Blues dancers. Most sessions will include an hour of storytelling or learning and an hour for a cuppa, chat and reflection.
There will be a Christmas break and some breaks for The Flicks Hut: Rooted in Rhythm, our community cinema series. Youโll be very welcome to join us for these optional Monday Movies evenings too.
Weโre planning to meet on Monday evenings, with Tuesday evenings as a backup. When you sign up, please tell us which evenings suit you and your preferred time: 6โ8pm, 6.30โ8.30pm or 7โ9pm.
No dance or musical experience neededโjust a love of the Blues and a willingness to share your views. Open to adults aged 18 and over.
To help us hear more menโs perspectives, 75% of places will be reserved for men. Women are very welcome too, with a smaller number of places available.
๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ? ๐๐
๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ:
https://forms.gle/CHXxDtNVuLxfWf4d6
๐๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐บ๐๐๐ถ๐ฐ, ๐๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฐ, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ต๐ฒ๐น๐ฝ ๐๐ ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐น๐ฑ ๐ด๐ฒ๐ ๐บ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ผ๐น๐๐ฒ๐ฑ.
Rooted in Blues is supported through the Community Development and Health Network Elevate programme, funded by the Public Health Agency. Through shared music, conversation and learning, weโre exploring barriers to participation and creating more opportunities for connection and belongingโhelping address health inequalities in our community.
