At our dances in St Louis, new dancers are almost always paired with experienced dancers for much of the first part of the evening (not ones who have just attended once or twice - but dancers skilled in dancing with new dancers).  There are exceptions - but our dancers work hard to make this happen.  Most are even careful to not start a dance where they will be out during the walk thru or the first couple times thru a dance.  It is common to see someone with a new partner trade places with a more experienced couple to make this happen. Remember - even if every new dancer has an experienced partner - they will be dancing with neighbors who are also new at various points in the dance - this is where the lesson is the biggest help - at least they know the lady is supposed to be on the right, etc. Yes - we could run the dance fairly successfully without the lesson - but we don't.  I see the lesson more about making the new dancers comfortable than being necessary.  I know they don't need it - but they don't understand or believe that.  Most of our callers (yes - the caller for the evening usually teaches the lesson) use a format similar to the one from Glen Echo.  Many experienced dancers also participate and often keep a partner from the lesson.  Now we have new dancers with familiar partner and a caller they recognize. Often a new dancer ( or several ) arrive after the lesson.  Many of our experienced dancers are aware when that happens and invite them to dance.  They usually provide a very short intro to the skills they will need.  I usually just show them a comfortable way to swing and they escort them to the dance - hopefully not near either end of a line.  They are usually fine with just a good walk thru. The real trick is to get the experienced dancer to adapt this approach and feel very proud to be part of a community that is so helpful to new dancers.  But we still provide the lesson.  New dancers often ask about it as they enter the hall - so we do it for them. As a caller - I try to think of new dancers as I develop my program.  That doesn't mean just do easy dances.  Certain figures - like gypsies - are intimidating to new dancers who don't understand the culture yet - so I avoid them early in the evening.  I am not recommending that for all callers - it is just something I do.  But you should think about new dancers not only as you introduce them to the dances - but also to the culture of the dance community. Mac McKeever ________________________________ From: Greg McKenzie <grekenzie(a)gmail.com> To: Caller's discussion list <callers(a)sharedweight.net> Cc: lauraellenbrown1963(a)gmail.com; FND booking <fndgigs(a)petml.com>om>; ydanceranger(a)me.com Sent: Saturday, August 10, 2013 10:25 AM Subject: Re: [Callers] Glen Echo FND beginner lesson plan Thank you Tavi, Stan, and Laura for posting this. It's been a long time since I danced in Glen Echo and I am delighted to hear that they have moved beyond the four-separate-classes format.  This new approach takes several big steps in a very helpful direction.  I like the emphasis on getting folks moving and keeping it visceral and simple. This approach starts with an assessment of what "skills" are needed.  From an instructional design perspective it might also be helpful to take one more step backwards and start with a "problem statement" instead.  What is the problem that you are trying to address? The goal of "teaching beginners how to persist under actual floor conditions" assumes a lot about those "floor conditions."  Consider the situation if you had full integration of the first-timers into the dance hall.  (Meaning that every single first-timer was partnered with someone who had danced for at least one night--*and *the first-timers were distributed evenly throughout the hall.) With a fully integrated hall--and clear, precise calling--your list of skills needed by first-timers is reduced by about 80%, or more.  Maybe our efforts would be better directed at what we can do to achieve hall integration rather than preparing first-timers to deal with a non-integrated hall.  How do we accomplish that?  It may not require separate lessons of any kind. - Greg McKenzie West Coast, USA ******************* On Sat, Aug 10, 2013 at 1:57 AM, tavi merrill <melodiouswoodchuck(a)gmail.com>wrote;wrote: _______________________________________________ Callers mailing list Callers(a)sharedweight.net http://www.sharedweight.net/mailman/listinfo/callers

On Tue, Aug 13, 2013 at 11:43 PM, Greg McKenzie <grekenzie(a)gmail.com> wrote: Here in New Hampshire we use a number of things to increase attendance and to support dancers in various ways. First, we all recognize that the future of our dances is in the hands of younger dancer - teens and 20-somethings. Our efforts are mostly aimed at them, because when they attend a dance, everyone else seems to follow. Here are some of the things we do to encourage younger dances, and the community in general. 1. At most dances, there is a student or youth discount in the price. 2. The Monadnock Folklore Society, which sponsors a number of local dances, also sponsors a scholarship for teens, up to the age of 18. It can be used to take lessons in traditional music, or to attend festivals to work on fiddle, piano, or other skills. 3. Some dances have a car pool discount, where the driver of cars bringing 3 or more young people gets in for free. 4. We don't avoid older dances, but instead allow a little evolution and change. For example, at the Nelson dance, Chorus Jig is always accompanied by both clapping, and singing. (And, in fact, this fall, we are planning for a Ralph Page impersonator to come to the Nelson dance to recreate a 1941 dance, for which we have some old photos. Enthusiastic dancers are even now buying and creating appropriate dresses and dark pants with suspenders and jackets, etc so we will look just like the folks in the pictures...) 5. We invite younger callers and musicians to the stage. A stage filled with teens and young musicians playing the tunes is not uncommon. 6. When people, both young or older, do something special, we recognize them from the stage. For example, when someone brings a lot friends to the dance, or if they bring cookies, or help in some other way. 7. Before a dance that may be a little more difficult, we may ask that newcomers find an experienced dancer to dance with (or vice-versa). 8. When a lot of newcomers show up, at whatever hour, we may recognize them, both to help them fell more welcomed, and to let the regulars know there are some new people out there who may need some help. 9. Some dances give newcomers a "get in free" ticket for a future dance, to help them come back again. 10. As a caller, I sometime will speak with a new or recent dancer, and ask them what their favorite dance or move is. Then, I'll try to call that dance or move later than night, if I can. 11. Finally, our goal is to dance, not to lecture or teach, so I, and most other callers here, try to select dances that can be danced with just a single walk-through. 12. If there is an introductory session before the actual dance, I focus on things such as giving weigh, following the beat of the music, and progression. The calls can be introduced successively, as they are introduced with each dance. There a lot of fun dances that only use a few calls, such as circle, allemande, do-si-do, lady's chain, and promenade. And, I'm sure I've missed other things that we do to attract and keep new dancers. Rich Hart.

Jeff wrote: Keep in mind that some venues have the option of holding a newcomer's orientation in a separate room. You may not have been aware of it. Nevertheless this does sound encouraging. I would love to see some harder numbers regarding dance series with no orientation session for newcomers. That would be helpful. In what geographical area do the "Free Raisins" play? - Greg McKenzie West Coast, USA

Jeff, Glen Echo Sunday night has been doing a workshop for the past several years. Baltimore (Saturday) has one. Baltimore (Wednesday) has a workshop twice a month. Bob On 8/14/2013 13:11, Jeff Kaufman wrote:

On 8/13/2013 8:43 PM, Greg McKenzie wrote: Greg, if there are two experienced dancers who just happen to want to dance together, do you go up to them and make them dance with someone else? From the stage, how can you tell that all of the new dancers are "correctly" paired off. What about the new folks who get scooped up by the not-so-experienced experienced dancer, over and over? How about when the experienced dancers are outnumbered by new dancers? At what point in the evening can folks just dance with whoever they want to dance with? I appreciate your concept but it seems to be leaving the real world out of the equation. This is an excellent goal, and should always be part of our planning as callers and dance organizers. BUT, and it's a big but, I don't think we can assume that we live in the best (i.e. most perfectly integrated) of all possible worlds. By all means encourage the existing members to the dance community to take good care of our newer dancers, and to be good role models, but also offer the newcomers some basic skills ahead of time so that they have a bit of a clue about what to expect. Kalia

Aahz wrote: Well, I can see what you're saying. But we were in conversation with full eye contact, and he interrupted me in mid-sentence. It was like I wasn't even there. I'm glad it happened because I am now very cautious when approaching two people in conversation--particularly if they look like newcomers. I don't interrupt people in mid-sentence. I often address the gent first, and ask him if he is planning to ask this lady to dance. (I probably should change this strategy and address them both, asking if they are planning to dance together for the next dance.) If not I would then ask the lady to dance. Often this question prompts the gent to immediately ask the woman to dance. "That guy," by the way, turned out to be a rather decent fellow, just a little lacking in social skills. He was a life-long social dancer for whom dancing was where he was able to stand out. He was tuned into the local dance culture where partnering quickly for the next dance was the prime directive. I am glad that that dance culture is changing. Greg McKenzie West Coast, USA *********** On Tue, Aug 27, 2013 at 3:35 PM, Aahz Maruch <aahz(a)pobox.com> wrote: