1. Improvisation: Like many partner dances, blues dancing allows for improvisation. Dancers often interpret the music in real-time, making it a deeply personal and unique experience.
2. Connection: A key element is the physical and emotional connection between the partners. The leader and follower communicate through body pressure and subtle cues, allowing for a highly interactive and responsive dance.
3. Stylistic Variations: Blues dancing encompasses a wide range of styles, from more traditional forms to modern interpretations. Some popular styles include Slow Drag, Ballroom Blues, and Shag. While each style has its distinct flavor, they all share the common thread of being danced to blues or blues-inspired music.
4. Grounded and Relaxed: Dancers often stay close to the ground and keep their movements fluid and grounded, with an emphasis on slow, deliberate steps and subtle body shifts.

A piano-based blues band is a musical group that centres around the piano as a primary instrument in its sound, while performing blues music. In this setup, the piano often takes on a lead or prominent role, playing both the melody and the rhythm, with other instruments such as guitar, bass, drums, and harmonica providing accompaniment.

The blues genre itself is characterized by its use of specific scales (like the blues scale), chord progressions (typically the 12-bar blues), and emotional expression, often focusing on themes like love, loss, and hardship. In a piano-based blues band, the piano might deliver the classic "boogie-woogie" rhythm or improvise, adding a unique flavor to traditional blues forms.

Some well-known examples of piano-based blues artists and bands include:

1. Ray Charles - Known for incorporating piano heavily into his soulful blues and R&B music.

2. Professor Longhair - An influential figure in New Orleans blues who prominently featured piano in his performances.

3. Dr. John - Blended blues, jazz, and New Orleans music, with the piano as a key instrument.

4. Pinetop Perkins - A legendary blues pianist who played with Muddy Waters and other greats.

The piano in these bands can range from a classic upright or grand piano to an electric keyboard, depending on the style and the era of the music. The role of the piano gives the band a distinct sound, combining traditional blues grooves with harmonic and melodic complexity.