03/30/2026
An Open Letter to Bluetopia:
Dear Bluetopia,
First and foremost, we want to thank you all for making this event such a vibrant, caring, supportive space. We put countless unpaid hours into growing this beautiful garden, and grow it has. Over the last several years, It has been important to us that we nurture and rebuild the community back to what Bluetopia once was. We feel proud to be making steady progress and I want to recognize how many people have put their heart and soul into this work. The original group that helped Bluetopia get up off the ground post-covid included Brandy Smith, Curtis Ellis, Ross Blythe, Tom Degroh, and Yash Bhosale. We are lucky to continue to have all of these folks continue to add to Bluetopia’s culture and community. I am so grateful to now have our current team (all volunteers!) to support Bluetopia, including Chris Johnson (Treasurer), Naomi CarmeliShabtay (Secretary), Britt Victoria, Kenz Rizzo, and Cati Ortega. Thanks to the tireless work of these individuals, not only are our monthly social dances back, but we are now offering a monthly workshop featuring guest instructors (even some national folks!), an annual exchange, and new local DJs and teachers. And finally, we are very excited to be an official non-profit 501(c)(3). We are a small team with a big job and we always welcome more help from folks interested in growing the presence of Blues Dance and Music in Chicago. We would love to learn more about all of you and your ideas for Bluetopia.
We care deeply about the safety and connectedness of our attendees. We have had some growing pains, and we appreciate your grace as we work through them. We have recently banned an attendee after reports of unsafe behavior. As always, if you feel you are in danger or someone’s behavior is illegal, we highly recommend contacting the police. We have also received an anonymous complaint regarding safety concerns and reporting access. For incidents that occur at Bluetopia events, we have made some improvements to the process and accessibility for safety reporting. You can now access the safety incident reporting form on our website, in our Instagram Bio, and via the QR codes at Bluetopia located in the bathrooms and at the front desk. This form is where you can share safety concerns about the venue or attendees and staff. You are welcome to use the form anonymously, or with your name, although there are limits to the interventions we can make if we do not have a way to follow up with you. We have our code of conduct listed on our website as well. We also welcome and encourage folks to speak to any one of the Committee members regarding concerns they may have pertaining to safety. We do not take these concerns lightly, and work hard to continue to provide a safe space. Your support helps us do this. We also encourage all attendees to practice respect for each other and each other’s boundaries. Consent is something we discuss frequently in our classes and want to address it here as well. No one at Bluetopia should feel obligated to say “yes” to a dance with any other attendee. “No.” or “No, thank you.” are complete sentences. You do not owe anyone an explanation for declining a dance and should feel empowered to do so as you wish.
Blues Dancing is a Black art form and is historically a close embrace dance. In the modern era, there have been many discussions on this topic. We particularly appreciated this insightful and informative article from Grey Armstrong, https://obsidiantea.com/safety-in-close-embrace/, that explores the relationship of close embrace in Blues Dancing in the context of intimacy, sexuality, sensuality, racism and safety. Also, Julie Brown shared some great resources that relate to participating in Black Art Forms today:
https://www.whitesupremacyculture.info/characteristics.html
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aE6kX4teXUMPq0iIEZM38Z3MjNWMD0Nd/view?usp=drivesdk&usp=embed_facebook
We love Bluetopia and the opportunity it creates to find a third space for connection and want to encourage each of you to take an active role in building and shaping our community. We invite you to chat with any of our team members; get to know us better! We are here to facilitate an inviting event where all people feel welcome.
Thank you for learning with us and sharing with us. We look forward to continuing to create an inclusive and safe environment with each and every one of you.
All of our thanks and appreciation,
Jess Olin, President
Chris Johnson, Treasurer
Naomi CarmeliShabtay, Secretary
Britt Victoria, Committee
MacKenzie Rizzo, Committee
Cati Ortega, Committee
They quietly ask me and I sigh in frustration. A neat solution to a problem introduced by the very people who created it. It’s not a bad question, consent, but I find myself increasingly frustrated…
