How can dancers build their local dance community?

[KevinL]

There is a really good letter in the salsa forum about what it takes to build a dance community. As I interpret the letter, the best way to build a dance community is for the dancers already involved to dance with everyone, regardless of their skill level.

What do you think, what can the dancers in your community do to increase the interest in partner dancing in general and ballroom specifically?

Kevinl

 

[cl5814]

There is a really good letter in the salsa forum about what it takes to build a dance community. As I interpret the letter, the best way to build a dance community is for the dancers already involved to dance with everyone, regardless of their skill level.

Kevinl

I agree that, especially during the mixer, for the dancers to dance with everyone, even the newbies that might only know the plain vanilla basic step.

 

[KevinL]

I agree that, especially during the mixer, for the dancers to dance with everyone, even the newbies that might only know the plain vanilla basic step.

Not all dances incorporate a "mixer", but it is a very good idea because it gives people the chance meet new people in a relatively non-threatening situation.

Another variation of this is to take the survival lessons (if they are offered) before dances, even if they are covering really basic stuff that you know cold. It gives everyone the chance to intereact with beginners, which makes it easier for them to start a conversation later in the evening. It also gives the beginners the chance to dance with someone who knows what they are doing (assuming that people trade partners during those lessons).

Kevinl

 

[Sagitta]

It is a good letter. The issue is not only everyone already into dancing to dance with others. It is how you dance with others. Obeying the letter of the suggestion, but not the spirit defeats the purpose. I can dance with everyone and make those below my skill level feel it. I can dance with people and make even those who aren't as good as me feel like queens.

For a dance community to be built, for any dance to thrive, there needs to be regular opportunities to participate. In addition to that there needs to be enthusiastic proponents for dance. Speaking from personal experience I know the many people that I have started into dance, people who wouldn't have startd just because they didn't know anything about it. And the many others who also come and do a little bit now and then. Even if there aren't regular venues enthusiastic promotion helps build the necessary momentum for the regular events to be started. I know that ballroom isn't done, or taught, regularly in my area because there isn't the demand for it. If people promoted this as something exciting, fun, so people wanted to do it, I know people who would offer the opportunities. I know people, for instance in Argentine tango, who don't dance because there aren't enough good leads. Each person is entitle to their opinion, and their choice, but it is attitude and decisions like these that are the downfall of community building.

My 3 cents.

 

[pygmalion]

Dancing with newbies is one good way. Inviting them and supporting them in attending dances is another. Thinking ...

 

[twnkltoz]

To draw people in, we hold a "dance camp" every couple of months. We advertise the heck out of it, and it's free beginner lessons all day--usually about five classes in different dances. We generally get anywhere from 100-200 people in each class. They can only learn so much with that many people, but they get a taste for it. In combination with buy one-get one free specials on classes, we make a good bit of money and bring in new students. The teachers, receptionists, and dj donate their time, and some of the more experienced dancers will show up to dance with the beginners and help out. It's a lot of fun...we usually have 2 or 3 ballroom camps and 2 or 3 country camps per year. We also have a "senior" one every once in a while for that crowd.

 

[etchuck]

To draw people in, we hold a "dance camp" every couple of months. We advertise the heck out of it, and it's free beginner lessons all day--usually about five classes in different dances. We generally get anywhere from 100-200 people in each class.

Wow... what a cool idea.

Note to self: approach idea to other ballroom dance clubs in the area... not sure when we could ever do something like that, but it's a thought. When is the "ballroom dancing awareness" week that USABDA designates again???

 

[Throwaway Overshare]

Note to self: approach idea to other ballroom dance clubs in the area... not sure when we could ever do something like that, but it's a thought. When is the "ballroom dancing awareness" week that USABDA designates again???

Ugh. Ugh. UGH!!!

Around here, this is about the best example I've ever seen of something that ends up having the exact opposite of it's intended effect. The USABDA chapter organizes something, that ends up being primarily an opportunity for the chain studios to showcase their overpriced worst: you know, overweight old men leading break-on-one cha to innocent young girls - passed off as a show and public lesson. If the chapter itself, or one of the halfway decent studios was presenting it might actually be possible to make dancing that looks good feel approachable and affordable... but instead this opportunity for usefull publicity gets sacrificed to the hungry diety of the dance industry. While there are of course important counterexamples, it's while watching things like this that one is most likley to feel the dance industry is doing more harm than good to dancing in this country.

 

[KevinL]

To draw people in, we hold a "dance camp" every couple of months. We advertise the heck out of it, and it's free beginner lessons all day--usually about five classes in different dances. We generally get anywhere from 100-200 people in each class.

Wow... what a cool idea.

Note to self: approach idea to other ballroom dance clubs in the area... not sure when we could ever do something like that, but it's a thought. When is the "ballroom dancing awareness" week that USABDA designates again???

National Ballroom Dance Week is Sept. 17th-26th.

It can work well if all aspects of the ballroom community work together, but if the week ends up showcasing to much of one style/school/whatever it is not as overall useful as it could be for promotional purposes.

What I would like to see (partly because I saw some of this in San Francisco while I was there) would be for all the teachers/studios to teach at least one free class each night. Make it early, before the regular classes if necessary, or replace a normal class with the free class. You could even incorporate the free class in a regularly scheduled series by just covering one new dance that night. Just make sure that you tell the regular students that this will be happening, and discount the price of that series for the lesson.

I would also like to see larger-than usual dances on the weekends. Promote them better, add something new, make it a (non-lame) theme dance.

Another possibility would be to put on a dance showcase that includes as many local teachers/schools as possible on one of the Friday or Saturday nights.

That still leaves the weekend days for the free series of classes that twnkltoz suggested.

All of that activity in one week would attract attention, and hopefully more dancers.

Kevinl

 

[Sagitta]

Note to self: approach idea to other ballroom dance clubs in the area... not sure when we could ever do something like that, but it's a thought. When is the "ballroom dancing awareness" week that USABDA designates again???

Ugh. Ugh. UGH!!!

Around here, this is about the best example I've ever seen of something that ends up having the exact opposite of it's intended effect. The USABDA chapter organizes something, that ends up being primarily an opportunity for the chain studios to showcase their overpriced worst: you know, overweight old men leading break-on-one cha to innocent young girls - passed off as a show and public lesson. If the chapter itself, or one of the halfway decent studios was presenting it might actually be possible to make dancing that looks good feel approachable and affordable... but instead this opportunity for usefull publicity gets sacrificed to the hungry diety of the dance industry. While there are of course important counterexamples, it's while watching things like this that one is most likley to feel the dance industry is doing more harm than good to dancing in this country.

The ISDN group in Ithaca organized such an event, with zydeco lesson, followed by dancing, forro lesson with dancing afterwards, waltz followed by dancing, and finally ECS lesson with the main dance of the night. It worked well. The attitude that one brings to what is done and what you do is very important. I spent half an hour lecturing someone on Sunday night about her negative and defeatist attitude, and the following day she came over and thanked me for setting her on the right path.