Re: [Organizers] Variety--the Montpelier experience Organizers Digest, Vol 38, Issue 3 - Musicians

26 Aug 2012

In the Montpelier/Central VT dance community centered at the Capital City
Grange, we have the ongoing, very successful series organized by the Contra
Dance Umbrella (CDU), held every 1st, 3rd & 5th Saturday, plus the
Traditional series held every other month on 4th Saturdays, plus occasional
"advanced" dances, frequently held on Sunday afternoons.   As these are
organized by separate groups, there does not seem to be a problem for
people distinguishing them--pretty much the way Chrissy describes the
Guiding Star dances.   At both of these venues, the dance community is
aided by relatively low costs for the dance spaces as well as a great dance
community.   We organizer types think it is excellent to have a variety of
options, to satisfy people who particularly like one dance style or
another, or who are put off by the large attendance and sometimes crowded
conditions at the CDU's "zesty contras".
--Tim Swartz

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 Message: 1
 Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2012 12:10:36 -0400
 From: Chrissy Fowler &lt;ktaadn_me(a)hotmail.com&gt;
 To: &quot;organizers(a)sharedweight.net&quot; &lt;organizers(a)sharedweight.net&gt;
 Subject: Re: [Organizers] Variety
 Message-ID: &lt;COL113-W1766D95C91B007D64B58098DBD0(a)phx.gbl&gt;
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  Have other groups tried things like this?? Would
a
 pattern like "3rd
 Sundays are contras, 1st Sundays anything goes" be too much
 for people
 to remember? [2] Would it hurt our community, because people
 who have
 come to expect one thing from BIDA (contras) would come to
 1st Sundays
 expecting that and be disappointed?

 Jeff Kaufman
 Boston MA

 You could think of it like dances at the Greenfield MA Guiding Star Grange.
 Each Friday (or Sat) dance has its own flavor, in part because of who's
 organizing it.
 Some people dance every Saturday night, others may choose.

 Or you could think of it as if BIDA were organizing two different dance
 series.
 (As you know, NEFFA does this with the Thurs night dance and the Family
 dance)
 Third Sunday BIDA dance is a contra dance.
 First Sunday BIDA dance is a wonderful variety.
 Both are lots of fun.
 You could even market/publicize them separately.

 In any case, you can't be responsible for people who choose not to pay
 attention to your clearly expressed publicity information.
 (If they are disappointed because of misguided expectations, perhaps
 they'll tune in more next time.)
 Plus, they might actually be pleasantly surprised by something unexpected.
 Chrissy Fowler
 Belfast ME

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 End of Organizers Digest, Vol 38, Issue 3
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