Joe teaches many workshops throughout the year and has wonderful partners. If you're ever interested in hiring him, please feel free to shoot us an email. All of his partners are top notch dancers and instructors! Campbell Miller, Julie Brown, Whitton Frank, Mike Legenthal, Rachel Stirling, Shauna Marble, Sara Lapan, and Jes Cutler!!

I've made 6 videos on How to Dance Drag Blues! I'm excited that more people will have access to learning this dance. Practice with the Drag Blues Checklist to help you with your technique. If you have any questions just email Joe at jddemers@gmail.com.

How to Dance Drag Blues (Part 3): Moves for Drag Blues

How to Dance Drag Blues (Part 4): Hierarchy of Creating Connection

How to Dance Drag Blues (Part 6): Context for the Drag Blues Walk

Hear my PODCAST from BluesDanceWorld.com! Click here to hear about my views on the current Blues dance scene, philosophies of dance, background, and more!

Here's a video of my Blues troupe, the Rocky Mountain Blues Troopers, from Mile High Blues 2014!

Frame Matching is a codified theory of partner-dance connection. It establishes a framework for breaking down and teaching Swing and Blues dance connection. It is the act of creating, maintaining, or changing tension between partners with posture and tone, in order to lead and follow energy and direction. Frame Matching is explained in terms of ∆pTed, which stands for changes in posture, tone, tension, energy, and the direction of energy.

The article, 'Frame matching and ∆pTed: a framework for teaching Swing and Blues dance partner connection,' was published in Research in Dance Education. Thank you to Shauna Marble, Carsie Blanton, Mike Varney, Marty Klempner, Dax Hock, and the Philadelphia and Denver dance scenes, for embracing him and Nelle, ∆pTed, and Frame Matching. Without them there would be no synthesis or motivation for creating this article. Also, thank you to the Blues dance scene around the world, for without Blues Joe would not have discovered the importance of movement as a way of connecting.

Download Frame matching and ∆pTed: a framework for teaching Swing and Blues dance partner connection (right-click, save as)

Hierarchy of Creating Partner Connection

Joe is the 2015 Natinoal Dance Teacher of the Year! In 2014, he was nominated the Colorado Dance Teacher of the Year! Here's a video filmed by Fox31 on his dance program at Hamilton Middle School:

As an update to my travels and teaching, I have won the title of International Blues Dance Champion. It was the first time in our Blues dance scene that an event was labeled and promoted as an international Blues event. I competed with Jenny Sowden won. I'll share the video when it's posted.

The event was Nocturne Blues in New York City. It was a fabulous event with a positive atmosphere and hungry for learning students. The best of the best Blues dancers attended to dance and compete. Over 10 countries were represented.

"There is nothing better than creating high quality choreography for dancers of all levels and seeing it executed spectacularly for the public. It is amazing to see dancers take pride in one of my creations. Colorado swing dancers are the best!" Thank you, Joe, for not only helping to choreograph and put together the DIA Flash Mob routine, but for splicing the music, making the practice video with Lark, leading the practice sessions at Overstreet, and have so many dancers come to Overstreet to practice over the last month.

It was a HUGE success!

Blues Showcase at BluesShout 2009 in Chicago. For other videos and pictures check out our media page.

Song: "Hot Potato" by Circus Contraption.

Lindy Hop is one of America's early jazz parter dances, evolving from the Charleston. Lindy Hop instruction varies across the United States, and Joe and Nelle's instructional DVD is one of the best.

This instructional DVD will make learning Lindy Hop easier than ever. Beginning Lindy Hop with Joe and Nelle effectively breaks down the Lindy Hop basics. In one hour, you will learn 9 moves and stylizations to the Lindy Hop, including the swing out and swiveling! Check out our Instructional DVDS. 

Drag Blues is a modern variation of Ballroomin' and Slow Drag (both vintage Blues dances). It's a style danced to the swinging rhythms found in Blues music. While it's based on the vintage traveling Blues dances, it has a more defined technique and incorporates a lot of Swing moves and movements.

Joe and Nelle's instructional DVD will teach you how to do Drag Blues and will provide an excellent foundation in Drag Blues, while furthering your skills and appreciation of its vibrant possibilities. You will learn fundamental movements and techniques along with dynamic moves that focus on partner connection.

Joe and Nelle's instructional DVD, Moves for Drag Blues, centers on difficult moves and combinations with a focus on partnered connection and momentum flow. Take your Drag Blues dancing to the next level with these dynamic moves and movements.

Check out our Instructional DVDS.