Interesting! We re booked for a community/family dance every Saturday in February and the
beginning of March. I hadn’t thought about it as a trend, but now that you mention it,
maybe it is. I like Tony’s theory about folks wanting to foster a feeling of community in
these challenging times.
  On Feb 22, 2017, at 2:24 PM, Tony Parkes via Callers
<callers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
 
 Luke Donforth wrote:
   <>
  Just wondering if anyone else is experiencing a
bump in requests for community/family dances? I feel like the last month or so,
there's been an uptick in schools and community centers requesting them. Could be a
local fluctuation, or something bigger. Anyone else getting that impression? 
  
 I suspect it varies from one region to the next, but who knows? You may be onto
something. Beth and I are getting more calls this year, both from dance series around
central New England and from schools, houses of worship, and other community groups.
  
 A few years ago we noticed a similar uptick in private parties; we thought that might be
because at least some of the more affluent families had weathered the financial crisis of
2008 and were starting to spend money on nonessentials again. I don’t know what’s causing
the current bump, unless it’s people wanting to foster a feeling of community in the face
of the current divisive political – and in some cases social – climate.
  
 Tony Parkes
 Billerica, Mass.
 
www.hands4.com <http://www.hands4.com/>
 New book! Square Dance Calling: An Old Art for a New Century
 (to be published Spring 2017)
  
  
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