| Sometimes it’s not enough to rise from the ashes. Sometimes one has to start somewhere new to grow. ― R. Raeta, Pits & Poison: These Godly Lies |
Most every July 4 weekend, for a few decades now, I’ve been at the Waterfront Blues Festival in Portland OR to celebrate the holiday on their giant outdoor dance floor. Over four days you could see epic headliners, find music on five stages, and dance 10-12 hours every day to bands playing swing, blues and the best yearly lineup of authentic Zydeco and Cajun music outside Louisiana itself. Alas, with 110 degree weather in 2024 curtailing attendance and compounding some lean post-pandemic years, the fest was dramatically scaled back in 2025 to just two days and we lost our dance stage and floor.
The good news is there were sublime moments at this year’s festival listening to artfully curated and beautifully talented musicians, in pleasantly perfect weather. Moreover, Brenda Russell (DanceMode Movement Studios) organized a 12-hour dance extravaganza, Portland Blues Experience, for the day after the festival, in a lovely outdoor park in downtown Portland. We had a glorious time Sunday morning shaking a leg with some of our dear dancing friends.
I’m grateful for all the years we had with such an extraordinary celebration of music and dance at Waterfront. It truly was a unique and profoundly special gift for us dancers. And I’m thankful that, rising from the ashes, Brenda and her crew worked so hard this year to continue Portland’s joyful dancing tradition.
More good news is Summer dancing is just getting started! Find many more dance events online at the Dance Calendar.
See you on the dance floor. —Sean Donovan