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.
New book! Square Dance Calling: An Old Art for a New Century
(to be published Spring 2017)