16 Jan
2013
16 Jan
'13
3:54 p.m.
On 1/16/2013 8:51 AM, Linda Leslie wrote:
It is so disappointing that dancers may have left your
local dance
because of not being able to find partners! And while there are some
things that the caller can do, much also depends on the dance community
and how inviting they are to the new dancers.
Just a few thoughts about each of these:
Caller: 1) At the end of a dance, warmly encourage dancers to invite
those sitting out to join the next dance; I believe the responsibility
for this is more with those who have already been dancing. Those who are
sitting out may be too shy, or not know the social "rules", and may not
jump in readily
I've recently started mentioning that very thing in the beginner
sessions. After talking about how we switch partners after each dance I
tell them that partnering tends to happen really quickly, so don't be
shy about asking folks. That asking someone to dance can be as simple
as offering your hand and raising your eyebrows. That anybody can (and
should) ask anybody to dance. That the more different people they dance
with the more fun they'll have and the faster they'll learn. And I
definitely encourage folks from the mic to find a partner they've never
danced with before and to make sure there's nobody sitting out who
doesn't want to be.
Making those announcements from the mic can work, or not, depending on
the noise level between dances. Some venues/crowds are more attentive
than others.
Kalia