What we do and what I think Alan is referring to is a bit different.  He already has a critical mass of experienced dancers - so he can do beginner level contras and even a bit above that level.  You often end up with about 1/3 new dancers. We have done this many times without having to go to one night stand type dances.  It is really good at encourage the new people to attend a regular dance.  We have often set up in areas where there is good cultural diversity to help us out in that area. We used to do about one a month in good weather - but have tapered off lately.  We need to start these up again. Mac Mckeever From: Jack Mitchell via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> To: Linda Leslie <laleslierjg(a)comcast.net>et>; Alan Winston <winston(a)slac.stanford.edu> Cc: callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net Sent: Monday, July 27, 2015 9:58 AM Subject: Re: [Callers] "Flash Mob" dances LInda-- I love those ideas for getting folks out on the floor. So simple. Thanks! On Mon, Jul 27, 2015 at 10:51 AM Linda Leslie via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: What a great idea, Alan! I hope you are able to continue this as a successful annual event! Whenever I find folks are reluctant to join in dances (weddings, parties, etc.,), I find a surefire solution is to begin with a no-partner circle. I hold hands with the “volunteer” dancers, and snake around the area, picking up folks as we go by them. You can encourage folks with happy smiles, “Join us!” and other exhortations….Once we have a good group, I close the circle, and do hash calls: circle left, circle right, single file left, right, all f&b, “everybody over 50 into the center and back”, etc., etc. I then from a circle left, become the lead again, and spiral the circle in, then back out. It is wonderful how this simple movement to music, and the surprise of reversing the spiral makes people happy, From here, I would have people pair up and do a very simple circle mixer, which gets them used to the P change idea. Then the simple contras. Looking forward to seeing the other suggestions that folks offer you! warmly, Linda On Jul 26, 2015, at 11:52 PM, Alan Winston via Callers <callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net -- Jack Mitchell Durham, NC _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net

There is an ongoing outdoor summer dance in Seattle. It typically happens once every month during the summer. Dances are done on the grass. The organizers set up an all-comers band (I think there's a designated leader) and it's all callers welcome, too, with one sort of in charge. Someone has a portable sound system they bring for the caller. The dance is at a very popular park (Green Lake) where people go to walk/run around the small lake for exercise. Lots of foot traffic there. Most of the dances called are relatively simple, but there has been a good crowd of experienced dancers who show up and invite lookers-on to join. They set up a sign that invites people to join in, and leave fliers there for the area dances for folks to take. Dancers will often stand/sit out a dance and go chat with those who are watching. I don't know how many join in, but they certainly notice how much fun everyone is having. I've invited people to come to our regular indoor dances where there are beginners' sessions (this usually makes people more comfortable) and I know of at least ONE person who came to the Friday dance because she had seen us dancing at the lake. It's great P.R. and a good community-building event. -Amy On Jul 27, 2015, at 11:07 AM, Mac Mckeever via Callers < callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net&gt; wrote: What we do and what I think Alan is referring to is a bit different. He already has a critical mass of experienced dancers - so he can do beginner level contras and even a bit above that level. You often end up with about 1/3 new dancers. We have done this many times without having to go to one night stand type dances. It is really good at encourage the new people to attend a regular dance. We have often set up in areas where there is good cultural diversity to help us out in that area. We used to do about one a month in good weather - but have tapered off lately. We need to start these up again. Mac Mckeever ------------------------------ *From:* Jack Mitchell via Callers &lt;callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net&gt; *To:* Linda Leslie &lt;laleslierjg(a)comcast.net&gt;et>; Alan Winston < winston(a)slac.stanford.edu&gt; *Cc:* callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net *Sent:* Monday, July 27, 2015 9:58 AM *Subject:* Re: [Callers] "Flash Mob" dances LInda-- I love those ideas for getting folks out on the floor. So simple. Thanks! On Mon, Jul 27, 2015 at 10:51 AM Linda Leslie via Callers < callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net&gt; wrote: What a great idea, Alan! I hope you are able to continue this as a successful annual event! Whenever I find folks are reluctant to join in dances (weddings, parties, etc.,), I find a surefire solution is to begin with a no-partner circle. I hold hands with the “volunteer” dancers, and snake around the area, picking up folks as we go by them. You can encourage folks with happy smiles, “Join us!” and other exhortations….Once we have a good group, I close the circle, and do hash calls: circle left, circle right, single file left, right, all f&b, “everybody over 50 into the center and back”, etc., etc. I then from a circle left, become the lead again, and spiral the circle in, then back out. It is wonderful how this simple movement to music, and the surprise of reversing the spiral makes people happy, From here, I would have people pair up and do a very simple circle mixer, which gets them used to the P change idea. Then the simple contras. Looking forward to seeing the other suggestions that folks offer you! warmly, Linda On Jul 26, 2015, at 11:52 PM, Alan Winston via Callers < callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net&gt; wrote: dance. Symphony Silicon Valley does a free public series of Pops concerts, get permission from them, pick one, get a bunch of volunteer dancers and a pickup band, print up some flyers and put up a sign with the sponsoring organization logo and URL, We put up a sign with the name of the organization, set up in the path of foot traffic to the concert spot, and do an hour and a half (or so) of easy contra dances, encouraging passersby to join in and hooking them up with more-experienced partners. somewhere between a half-dozen and a dozen new people to actually try it, and probably moved 25 flyers. Nobody got hurt, some of the dancers stayed for several dances, etc. We flushed out some old square dancers (who of course wanted to swing once around and wait for the next call) and some previous non-dancers of various ages. multiple newbies, so I did a one-night-stand dance ("Up the Sides and Down the Middle") rather than a duple-minor contra; then Cranky Ingenuity, Inflation Reel, Kitchen Stomp, and Delphiniums and Daisies.) tricks to get things going. people had different comfort and skill levels doing that. Is there something I can tell them that will increase their comfort in talking to strangers? _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net -- Jack Mitchell Durham, NC _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/callers-sharedweight.net