[Organizers] Re: Attracting young dancers

I am a younger (~40) contra dance organizer. The average age in our community has shifted younger since the pandemic (I used to be the youngest person in the room, now I am closer to the median). I’m not sure if there is one magic option, but here’s what I think has worked well for our community: • Gender free role terms. Including actively encouraging a culture that supports non-gendered role assumptions (ex: always asking a potential partner their role preference; creating a safe space for experienced dancers to try out the other role) • Representation. Asking a younger dancer who seems to really enjoy dancing if they’d like to get involved somehow. Let them be involved in the way they want to, rather than asking them to fill a specific need. If you’re lucky enough to find someone who’s up for it, let them be in a visible leadership role (welcome table, announcements, caller). Representation can make it feel more like a place that other young people belong. • Incorporating feedback. If you ask for young people's ideas, test them out (or let them test it out) - even if the same ideas didn’t work 15 years ago. We also do a ton during and after the dance to encourage feedback from new dancers (including a follow up email) and stating “if it’s worth telling a friend, it’s worth telling an organizer” at announcement time. This can give you insight into why folks aren’t returning or bringing friends. Take any creepy/uncomfortable/unsafe reports seriously, however vague they may be. If one person reports it, many others have likely experienced it. This has also been helpful for addressing issues that our older dancers experience - like people being too rough. • Prioritizing “fun” and “safety” over “correct”. Sometimes that means bringing in higher energy bands and newer callers (who may mess up as much as newer dancers). Other times it means refraining from giving feedback to new dancers right away, as long as they’re having fun and not hurting others. Model that it’s ok to mess up and be silly :) • Luck - a single extroverted young dancer can create a welcoming friend group, by welcoming each new younger dancer who shows up. Social time afterwards can be really helpful here. • To some of your specific questions: I don’t think the night of the week is very important. But I do believe venue accessibility is important (a place that doesn’t require one to have a car). Our venue is not ideal in that regard and often younger folks who want to come can’t find a ride. But the perfect venue is hard to come by :) Also, CDSS is currently doing a survey of young contra dancers. I think the results will be enlightening. Robin Olympia, WA On Oct 29, 2023 at 11:41 AM -0700, Brooke Friendly via Organizers <organizers(a)lists.sharedweight.net>et>, wrote: