Organizers December 2016

organizers@lists.sharedweight.net

1 participants
26 discussions

by Jerome Grisanti via Organizers

A friend wondered aloud, and now I'm wondering too: In states where marijuana use is now accepted, do folks freely partake before or during dance events? If so, how does it affect the dance experience for those partaking? For those not partaking? Just curious... --Jerome Jerome Grisanti 660-528-0858 http://www.jeromegrisanti.com "Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius and power and magic in it." --Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

7 years, 4 months

Sustaining your dance

by Mark R Dobyns Jones via Organizers

How did you start dancing? I asked that question of many people, in my role as a dance producer, in hope of learning better how to introduce more people to our dances. It turns out that nearly everyone I quizzed did not first arrive through their own initiative, to participate in something they had never done before. (Nor did they first participate merely by seeing a flyer, nor by viewing a web page - these are usually for the already interested or initiated.) Rather, most describe some one, or several people in their life that made the occasion of going to a dance inviting, interesting or fun, and they wanted to find out more, and see what the experience might be like. And to have the experience again. And again. That inviting person often was a friend, sometimes a family member, sometimes part a group of friends, or a teacher or co-worker, and sometimes it was someone that they did not know, who directly asked them to come to a dance or festival for the first time. I think each of underestimates the persuasive social influence we may have, and that our friends and fellow dancers have, in inviting people we know, and people we do not know--to the pleasures of dancing regularly to live music, and to join our community. Anyone organizing any group of people knows that no matter how many there are involved, over time, people depart, for a variety of innocent and benign reasons. Perhaps their work life has changed, or they have moved; perhaps their family life has changed, or they have become parents, or their lift to the event does something else that evening. My favorite metaphor for this is filling a bathtub with the drain open. To sustain our dances and our communities (and any cooperative human activity, for that matter), it is beyond desirable for us to invite and welcome new people to our activities: it is necessary. It is necessary to personally invite people who may never have danced before. To invite people often, graciously, enthusiastically and with welcoming tone. And invite people you don't know, too. And to welcome them back. Again and Again. I welcome you to invite several people this year to join you at a dance. And to invite your entire dance community to do the same. It is nearly the only way to sustain your dance. To have a community that understands that it is crucial for the community to continue to invite newcomers to come, and to treat them well after they arrive. The total population of people participating in our favorite forms of social dance is less than one tenth of a percent of the surrounding population (except perhaps for some rather active rural areas, where it may be higher). I believe thinking about attracting and retaining the next tenth of a percent of the population is the means to sustain and grow our social activity. There is no scarcity of potential dancers. ~Mark Jones Boston

7 years, 4 months

encouraging regulars to come out more - thoughts on two approaches

by Emily Addison via Organizers

Hi fellow organizers :) Following up on the discussion about attendance being down for some dance series, I wanted to get your thoughts on two appraoches. For context, we already use many different approaches for engaging our regular dancers here in Ottawa (e.g., membership for 'buy in' belonging; volunteering the same way, fun dress up dances, special events like a christmas mummers play.) However, with our numbers significantly declining this fall and knowing the best way to get new dancers is through 'word of mouth' (our regulars), we're considering sending out a letter letting our dancers know about the situation and asking for their help. I've included the letter below. Any thoughts???? Also - our committee hasn't yet talked about regular financial transparency but I have been enjoying the recent conversations (see Hollis Easter & Jeff Kaufmann blog posts) as well as the Youth Dance Weekend's work in this area. (We do make our financial statements available at the time of our AGM but that's not effective for informing the community.) Does anyone regularly communicate with their dancers re the cost of running the dances as a way to encourage buy in/engagement etc... ... if so, what strategies do you use? With thanks! Emily Addison in Ottawa ON ----------------------------------------- Dear fellow dancers, Happy holidays from the Ottawa Contra outreach committee. This is a special email where we're asking for *YOUR ENGAGEMENT/HELP*… please read on! We love contra dancing in Ottawa and hope you do too. We have such a great community of dancers plus really strong and diverse music and calling. We know visiting talent love coming to Ottawa and visiting dancers tell us we've got something really special. *A brief financial update:* As a non-profit, we want to break even over the years and we have been successful at doing this. We do lose money on some Saturday night dances but other more profitable nights balance things out. Membership money helps cover more financially-risky programming like our afternoon dances. We're proud of running a successful series and being able to offer lots of special initiatives that enhance the community and dancing. This fall has been quite tough for some reason. Our attendance has been down about 20-25 people each dance – lowest in 8yrs. While we are not at financial risk right now, we can't afford for this to continue over a long period of time, especially if we want to continue keeping entry fees low while having high quality talent. Thus, we are asking YOU, our community, for help over the next number of months and onward. If you love contra dancing in Ottawa, please consider … *ONE: Make contra more of a habit* If you don't do so already, make contra dancing more of a habit and come out more regularly. This would make a huge difference. Saturday nights, Saturday afternoons, and/or Tuesday evenings. *TWO: Invite friends/family/colleagues* It is a well-known fact that the best way to get new contra dancers is by current dancers bringing people they know. (We do lots of other outreach but the personal invite is the BEST way). *A simple invite often doesn't get results. *Instead, here are some tips that can make a real difference in terms of getting friends, family, colleagues, or other acquaintances out: 1. Invite your friend for dinner/potluck before the dance (e.g., organize a dinner with friends and then bring them to the dance) 2. Offer to travel with your friend to/from the dance the first few times 3. Participate in the beginner/intro lesson with them. 4. Help them find welcoming dancers who can be great dance partners. 5. Introduce them to various regulars at the break and at the pub to get them connected. 6. Help them get connected with our email list, and facebook group. etc. It's a bit of a hurdle to get started in contra dancing and it's great to help folks get over that hump. And all contra dance organizers know that *WORD OF MOUTH* is by far the best way to get new dancers! *THREE: Become a member* Consider becoming a member. In January, you can get a membership for $20 which provides benefits to you (like $2 off each dance) while also supporting the dance community. *FOUR: Welcome new dancers* Our community prides itself in being welcoming to new dancers. Here are some tips to increase our welcome: 1. Be a dance friend. Come to the introductory lesson to help beginner dancers. 2. Ask newer dancers to dance. Don’t forget the folks sitting on the sidelines. 3. At the end of a dance with a newer dancer, offer to find a them another experienced dancer for the next dance. 4. Take some time at the break to chat with someone you don’t already know… even a brief hello helps a newcomer feel welcomed. *FIVE: Give us feedback* Tell us about anything that you feel we need to do to make the dances better. We've done two community surveys over the last six years and we're constantly working on improving things. And, we're open to ideas. To help us, please provide your suggestions using this VERY brief form (EM created very brief form… we could do something like that in order to collect people's ideas if they did want to share...this is just an initial go.) *https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScYpGJlvg7w_3Tj3I_zEgfX4QOLP8ge4tjfRZyCGSL30m1MjQ/viewform?usp=send_form <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScYpGJlvg7w_3Tj3I_zEgfX4QOLP8ge4tj…>* *FIVE: Share the joy* Through your dancing and conversation, help to make the dances a welcoming and positive experience for everyone! It's up to our whole community to continue to make the Ottawa contra dances one of the best places to dance in Canada AND the US North-east. Thank you and we look forward to seeing you on the dance floor, List only outreach names or the whole committee? Think better if whole committee.

7 years, 4 months

Similar list-serve for ECD organizers?

by Craig Meltzner via Organizers

Is there a similar list-serve to this one for ECD organizers or does this list-serve also encompass ECD? Our North Bay CDS ECD organizers are interested in developing some new outreach flyers for our twice-monthly ECD and would love some examples from other groups to get inspiration from. Craig Meltzner

7 years, 4 months

Re: [Organizers] Organizers Digest, Vol 26, Issue 10

by Eric Gidseg via Organizers

Given our shared interest in this topic, I'm wondering if anyone has attempted a survey asking their dance community questions related to attendance. I'm considering such a survey for our dance in the Mid-Hudson Valley of NY. I'd like to capture information about demographics, music preferences, qualities expected in callers, special dances, etc. I'd love to hear from others about any attempts to gather such information. Hopefully this would provide some strategic moves for increasing attendance. Eric G. for Hudson Valley Community Dances On Thu, Dec 8, 2016 at 5:14 AM, via Organizers < organizers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> wrote: > Send Organizers mailing list submissions to > organizers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://lists.sharedweight.net/listinfo.cgi/organizers- > sharedweight.net > > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > organizers-request(a)lists.sharedweight.net > > You can reach the person managing the list at > organizers-owner(a)lists.sharedweight.net > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Organizers digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Lower attendance at dances (via Organizers) > 2. Re: Lower Attendance this year (via Organizers) > 3. Re: Lower Attendance this year (Jennifer Sordyl via Organizers) > 4. Re: Lower Attendance this year (Jeff Kaufman via Organizers) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Wed, 7 Dec 2016 17:50:30 -0500 > From: via Organizers <organizers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> > To: organizers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > Cc: gtwood(a)owrldpath.net > Subject: [Organizers] Lower attendance at dances > Message-ID: <g4gQHTuy.1481151030.4148420.gtwood(a)worldpath.net> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 > > > I attend and (help) organize a few dances in Eastern NH. I also call > dances in NH. After a couple of years of strong support, I have been > noticing a decline in attendance since September. The small community > dance that I Organize/Call in Gilmanton NH, is holding it's own. I have > attributed the the fact that it is held on the 2nd Saturday (Columbus > Day, Veterans Day long Wknds) to seasonal decline that we go through.... > This year, dancers seem logi, leave at the break... by 10pm there is a > small quorum left. (break out the triplets) > December - June is our busy season... If current attendance trends don't > pick up... It could prove devastating for smaller dances, (funding is: > take of the door!) > Could it be the graying of the dancers?.... retirement travel?... > constant (vigorous) modern dances? > (Not so) welcoming to new dancers, I find that I have to present a > program that is accessible to newer dancers but, is not boring for the > experienced dancers.... > Anyway thanks for the forum. > Gale Wood > > > ------------------------------ > > Message: 2 > Date: Wed, 7 Dec 2016 22:00:35 -0500 > From: via Organizers <organizers(a)lists.sharedweight.net> > To: Organizers(a)lists.sharedweight.net > Subject: Re: [Organizers] Lower Attendance this year > Message-ID: <158dc6018e3-42d1-1049a(a)webprd-m29.mail.aol.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" > > > Weighing in from Rochester NY here. (Speaking for myself, not on behalf of > CDR) > > Awesome question, Marie-Mich?le Fournier! You can tell by the number of > responses that everyone is thinking of this. > > We have been tracking attendance for our weekly Thursday Night dance for > nearly a decade. Review it every month at the planning committee meeting. > The series is 40 years old this year. > About 4-5 years ago, we experienced our lowest chronic attendance for > several months, down to 25-30 from about 50 attendees when going back 5-7 > years. > We did a LOT of things to attract new folks: Posting flyers in coffee > shops and Colleges, putting announcements in the local papers, bring a > friend free campaigns. > We also initiated a "Second Dance Free" program, where every new dancer > gets to come back a second time for free. > This forum would be a great place to catalog all the ways we as organizers > have thought to promote our avocation (or vocation, as the case may be.) > > To Mary Collins' point: > As the performer coordinator for the past 4 years, I did some trending > based on which bands and callers drew the most and fewest folks for the > past 10 years, from records the club kept. > (Dropping out extremes for weather and extenuating circumstances like > competing performances, which were sometimes recorded on the sign-in sheet.) > I started booking the bands and callers that drew the crowds, and cut way > back on the unpopular ones. With a weekly dance, there's lots of mixing of > callers and bands, so teasing out the trends is doable. > For us, it was callers who called squares and circles and triple minors, > or were pedantic and brusque on stage, who drew far less folks, > and the bands that play exclusively "Old Time Music" were the ones I had > to cut back on. > For the record, there is only one band that I had multiple request to NOT > have them back, from discerning dancers. > > I actively sought out newer younger bands, particularly from a local > String school. They tended to have LOTS of groupies who paid the young > people rate, > but the enthusiasm was contagious and frankly, the performers are > exceptionally talented musicians. > The biggest boost was a successful 40th Anniversary dance, with members of > the original band from 1976, and callers from the past 4 decades. > There were folks who came back for that dance we haven't seen in ages, and > a few of them have begun to come once a month or so. > > Our attendance at last count is now averaging up in the high 40's to 50's > fairly regularly. When big names come, we hit about 90. Used to be upwards > of 120 for the same bands. > > Another consideration is the tireless efforts of the coordinators of our > English Country Dance half of the organization. > They have truly grown about 3x-4x on a regular basis from humble starts. > They have an annual Jane Austen Ball that is sold out a few days after > announcing each year. > They have coordinated press releases for the Contra and English dance > events. We have been on local news. We have been on Radio. > They instigated the Meet-Up which has brought us several new folks. > We have started having occasional (1-2 per year) Combo dances, just to get > the people together...we needed to heal the schism in our group that > created animosity on each side, mostly about funding. > > A couple of our dancers also do MWSD, and have brought in one or two > regulars from that group to ours. > I would like that cross-pollenation to continue, to help with the > attendance on nights where squares are likely. > I won't prohibit them when booking, but suggest that they are not the > crowd pleaser. > > As for Weekends, yes, we have seen a decline over the last 7-8 years at > our Thanksgiving Festival. We had to raise the price and I am concerned > that we are almost out of the market space. > We are still tallying from last week's event. The hall raised the rates by > nearly 200% in one year a few years back...and that is when we had to > increase the price. > That dance used to be the money maker to fund the break-even or losing > weekly dance. Now the weekly dance is self supporting, and covers any > shortfall on the big dance weekend. > However, we did get a boost last year when I insisted that we try a Techno > for half of one of the evening dances. It drew well. And there were the > inevitable "too loud, too dark, too many flashing lights" > from some traditional contra dancers, but the majority of dancers voted > with their attendance. The performers who stayed with me this year were > talking about how so many weekends are > making it difficult for any one weekend to draw too many people, and > mentioned some areas of the US where there is a big weekend nearly Every > weekend (hyperbole? not sure) > > My own personal thought here: I wonder if the proliferation of the "Social > Contracts" that dance organizations are publishing are having a negative > effect on potential repeat dancers... > A few of the policies I have read make me thing "Why do I want to go where > there is a NEED for this type of rule to be published?" > I understand and agree that the behaviors being spelled out are egregious, > and outside the bounds of acceptable behavior, > and having a written policy helps enforcers do the undesirable task of > addressing the situation. > I just don't know the answer to the conundrum. If only we could be sure > people recognized how widespread the problem is, and that having a policy > is a good thing. > > My own fantasy is to fund a resurgence of Social dance through the high > schools, by coordinating the music departments and the phys ed departments > to replace the > recordings of scratchy records with unintelligible calls for the Dreaded > Square Dance Unit. There are SO MANY great sets by newer bands that could > be scored and charted for > the HS jazz band and Wind ensembles to record for their classmates to use > instead. It is my pipe dream, but like so may of those, I just don't have > the time or resources. > > yours in dance, > > Bob Fabinski > > > > > > bobfab(a)aol.com > > >

7 years, 4 months

Re: [Organizers] Lower Attendance this year

by via Organizers

Weighing in from Rochester NY here. (Speaking for myself, not on behalf of CDR) Awesome question, Marie-Michèle Fournier! You can tell by the number of responses that everyone is thinking of this. We have been tracking attendance for our weekly Thursday Night dance for nearly a decade. Review it every month at the planning committee meeting. The series is 40 years old this year. About 4-5 years ago, we experienced our lowest chronic attendance for several months, down to 25-30 from about 50 attendees when going back 5-7 years. We did a LOT of things to attract new folks: Posting flyers in coffee shops and Colleges, putting announcements in the local papers, bring a friend free campaigns. We also initiated a "Second Dance Free" program, where every new dancer gets to come back a second time for free. This forum would be a great place to catalog all the ways we as organizers have thought to promote our avocation (or vocation, as the case may be.) To Mary Collins' point: As the performer coordinator for the past 4 years, I did some trending based on which bands and callers drew the most and fewest folks for the past 10 years, from records the club kept. (Dropping out extremes for weather and extenuating circumstances like competing performances, which were sometimes recorded on the sign-in sheet.) I started booking the bands and callers that drew the crowds, and cut way back on the unpopular ones. With a weekly dance, there's lots of mixing of callers and bands, so teasing out the trends is doable. For us, it was callers who called squares and circles and triple minors, or were pedantic and brusque on stage, who drew far less folks, and the bands that play exclusively "Old Time Music" were the ones I had to cut back on. For the record, there is only one band that I had multiple request to NOT have them back, from discerning dancers. I actively sought out newer younger bands, particularly from a local String school. They tended to have LOTS of groupies who paid the young people rate, but the enthusiasm was contagious and frankly, the performers are exceptionally talented musicians. The biggest boost was a successful 40th Anniversary dance, with members of the original band from 1976, and callers from the past 4 decades. There were folks who came back for that dance we haven't seen in ages, and a few of them have begun to come once a month or so. Our attendance at last count is now averaging up in the high 40's to 50's fairly regularly. When big names come, we hit about 90. Used to be upwards of 120 for the same bands. Another consideration is the tireless efforts of the coordinators of our English Country Dance half of the organization. They have truly grown about 3x-4x on a regular basis from humble starts. They have an annual Jane Austen Ball that is sold out a few days after announcing each year. They have coordinated press releases for the Contra and English dance events. We have been on local news. We have been on Radio. They instigated the Meet-Up which has brought us several new folks. We have started having occasional (1-2 per year) Combo dances, just to get the people together...we needed to heal the schism in our group that created animosity on each side, mostly about funding. A couple of our dancers also do MWSD, and have brought in one or two regulars from that group to ours. I would like that cross-pollenation to continue, to help with the attendance on nights where squares are likely. I won't prohibit them when booking, but suggest that they are not the crowd pleaser. As for Weekends, yes, we have seen a decline over the last 7-8 years at our Thanksgiving Festival. We had to raise the price and I am concerned that we are almost out of the market space. We are still tallying from last week's event. The hall raised the rates by nearly 200% in one year a few years back...and that is when we had to increase the price. That dance used to be the money maker to fund the break-even or losing weekly dance. Now the weekly dance is self supporting, and covers any shortfall on the big dance weekend. However, we did get a boost last year when I insisted that we try a Techno for half of one of the evening dances. It drew well. And there were the inevitable "too loud, too dark, too many flashing lights" from some traditional contra dancers, but the majority of dancers voted with their attendance. The performers who stayed with me this year were talking about how so many weekends are making it difficult for any one weekend to draw too many people, and mentioned some areas of the US where there is a big weekend nearly Every weekend (hyperbole? not sure) My own personal thought here: I wonder if the proliferation of the "Social Contracts" that dance organizations are publishing are having a negative effect on potential repeat dancers... A few of the policies I have read make me thing "Why do I want to go where there is a NEED for this type of rule to be published?" I understand and agree that the behaviors being spelled out are egregious, and outside the bounds of acceptable behavior, and having a written policy helps enforcers do the undesirable task of addressing the situation. I just don't know the answer to the conundrum. If only we could be sure people recognized how widespread the problem is, and that having a policy is a good thing. My own fantasy is to fund a resurgence of Social dance through the high schools, by coordinating the music departments and the phys ed departments to replace the recordings of scratchy records with unintelligible calls for the Dreaded Square Dance Unit. There are SO MANY great sets by newer bands that could be scored and charted for the HS jazz band and Wind ensembles to record for their classmates to use instead. It is my pipe dream, but like so may of those, I just don't have the time or resources. yours in dance, Bob Fabinski bobfab(a)aol.com

7 years, 4 months

Lower attendance at dances

by via Organizers

I attend and (help) organize a few dances in Eastern NH. I also call dances in NH. After a couple of years of strong support, I have been noticing a decline in attendance since September. The small community dance that I Organize/Call in Gilmanton NH, is holding it's own. I have attributed the the fact that it is held on the 2nd Saturday (Columbus Day, Veterans Day long Wknds) to seasonal decline that we go through.... This year, dancers seem logi, leave at the break... by 10pm there is a small quorum left. (break out the triplets) December - June is our busy season... If current attendance trends don't pick up... It could prove devastating for smaller dances, (funding is: take of the door!) Could it be the graying of the dancers?.... retirement travel?... constant (vigorous) modern dances? (Not so) welcoming to new dancers, I find that I have to present a program that is accessible to newer dancers but, is not boring for the experienced dancers.... Anyway thanks for the forum. Gale Wood

7 years, 4 months

Re: [Organizers] Lower attendance this year?

by Lenore Frigo via Organizers

I just wanted to throw in data from our contra series. It's been an interesting conversation to follow because here in Redding (far northern California) we have a new (1.5 years) and small monthly contra series. So I can't speak to any long term pattern, but we've been watching our numbers carefully as we've worked to get the series going. After settling down from a surge of attendance at our first dances in early Spring 2015 (which were highly publicized, and a lot of one-time new dancers showed up) we've had regular attendance at 30-40 dancers, which is not a lot, but we're not in a large city nor in an area with longstanding historical ties to contra. That number is also just fine in terms of having enough people to dance and just manage to pay the bills. Last spring our attendance was bit low, and then low again in August/September (after the summer break) and we were starting to lose money. We were so concerned that we made plans to change to a smaller and considerably less expensive venue starting in February 2017. Of course, that caused us to see a spike in attendance in October and November, and we now regret our plans to move to the smaller venue. So we're kind of in a pickle, as the venue needs to be reserved/announced well in advance, so we can't just go back to the larger venue if our numbers go up next month. I guess if we have TOO MANY dancers for the smaller venue, that will be a good problem to have; though I'm concerned that we may alienate or otherwise lose dancers if we switch to a too-small venue (and dancing is less comfortable, or if even people have to be turned away) and then switch back to the original larger venue. Meanwhile our small but mighty weekly folk dance group has NOT seen any drop in numbers...to answer the question posed about different types of dance. Thank you all for interesting conversation and discussion as always, -Lenore Frigo

7 years, 4 months

Lower attendance at dances

by Allison Bell via Organizers

My observations in Greenfield are much of what's been said. We also have many new dancers, with the old group either aging out, finding other hobbies, nursing injuries, etc. One question: how politicized have dances becomes around issues like what a move is called, what a position is called? On the floor, there is a steady hum of resentment amongst long time dancers about these matters and some of this is also appearing to sour people on wanting to attend. Allison Sent from my iPhone

7 years, 4 months

Re: [Organizers] Lower Attendance

by Greg Allan via Organizers

Hi, Greg from Winnipeg. While the contra community that I have been fostering here in Winnipeg is brand new, I have seen a drop in attendance from last year. Two contra evenings I organized had 50+ people in attendance last year. dropping to 20-30 this year. For the most recent one, I booked talent, Champion fiddler Patti Kusturok, and cut the price from 13 to 10 dollars. That bumped the attendance from the 20s into the 30s, but I'm not seeing 50s anymore. The swing dance community has seen a drop as well, though I believe that is directly linked to an increased price in a new venue. I have heard people tend to come and leave early - that it lacks a certain enthusiasm. Funnily enough, I myself have been coming late and leaving early from some other folk dance groups I'm a part of. ... Maybe if I ponder that enough, I will come up with the solution for everyone. General malaise? But otherwise, I feel the problems are social in nature. For example, people who have been coming to groups for a long time that feel that changes in standards are not in their taste or are having trouble getting to know new members. Or perhaps its the push to innovate and make things more exciting for current members or to attract new members... like new bands, new music, new figures, new progressions, new formations, new camps, new events. I feel it tends to make folk dancing more of a pop culture fad rather than a long-standing folk tradition that people can become *a part of*. I mean no offense to anyone, I think we've all put a lot of much-appreciated effort into making contra enjoyable. But maybe the increase in numbers *was* due to our much-appreciated efforts, and it's just running out of steam? English country dancing has existed for centuries without being so self-conscious - is rapidly evolving to meet the dancers' apparent desire for new-and-exciting the answer to our problems? Thinking out loud, Greg

7 years, 4 months

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Organizers December 2016