I think we're doing about all we can to get them there at 7, but I'm eager for ideas. Here's maybe too much detail on what we do, and the result, thoughts welcome, especially if you get better results. But, we used to get worse, so this may be about as much as we can expect.
Our website (
contraknights.org) and socials (Contra Knights on FB, IG, Discord, all linked from the website if you want to check them out) say the doors open at 6:30 and the dance runs 7-10:30, starts with a lesson for new dancers, and has open dancing starting around 7:30. It requests new dancers to show up in time to start dancing at 7:00, and in one place uses boldface and the word "sharp". I want to encourage experienced dancers to come at 7 but not require it, as some in our student group weren't coming at all when we presented the dance as starting at 7 and then spent 30 minutes in the lesson. They told us that was why. Now some come at 7:30 or even 8, but with a good attitude, and enough show up at 7.
Perhaps more importantly, when we talk to dancers about bringing new people, we emphasize the need to bring them in time to start at 7. We especially do this after dances when we have a big bunch come in at 7:30 or later and confuse the dance (we're small, so four newbies showing up at 7:30 might be 20% of the group). We do this in the Discord server for the student club and in discussion in the break and after. On socials for the open dance, I'll sometimes say, be sure to bring those newbies in time for the lesson at 7. The organizers are divided about whether to encourage a newbie to come late if the alternative is not coming at all. I think the answer is one or two, yes, bigger groups, no. A larger dance can absorb a bigger group of newbies. One newbie per minor set is a good rule of thumb for rapid integration into the dance. Since we start out with half newbies, more walking in after the workshop is a real challenge to us.
We do encourage experienced dancers to dance with newbies, especially early. Again, if we require it, some of the experienced dancers won't come, as this means they'll never get to dance with each other, given our 50%.
Of course, it always has to be said positively and inclusively, as in, so WE'll all feel comfortable and dance well together when the regular dancing starts at 7:30, never, so THEY don't mess us up! A reason doesn't need to be given, but in conversational contexts like social media I think it helps sometimes. It's rare to be in a context where no newbies can hear!
This gets about a third to half the newbies actually there at 7, and most by 7:15 or so. Some still walk in late. A decent number of people who have been at least once also come at 7, and by 7:30 about half our experienced dancers are dancing in the workshop. They know (and we tell them, again informally) that their participation in the workshop helps the newbies learn faster, especially the swing, and makes the dance better.
Our ads say, "Join us for high-energy dancing", "inclusive community", and "beginners welcome". We had "all dances taught" and others in the past but simplified it. I think that if you emphasize the teaching and simplicity too much, you're telegraphing that it isn't easy (shades of a bank president saying, "we're fully capitalized" out of the blue last week! what more terrifying words can you hear from your bank?). People go to social events for fun and social interaction, so we try to emphasize those. We also have a friendly cartoon that visually telegraphs the joy of dancing together as the centerpiece of all our ads. I think photographs have a harder time doing this, except perhaps the very best.
Here's the text in one of our Facebook events:
[picture with cartoon, encouraging words, and website]
[when-where-etc in standard FB event format]
This event is for EVERYONE: beginner, experienced, old, and young. Click GOING!
Celebrate
St. Patrick's with LIVE MUSIC by McIntyre and calling by Joe
Harrington! McIntyre is Lisa McIntyre on guitar, George Houston on
percussion, Terry Henson on bass, and Sharon Hartmann on hot Irish
fiddle.
We'll
be in the new Winter Park Ballroom Dance Company, just 15 minutes from
UCF and right next to Jeremiah's Italian Ice (we'll go there after).
Bring friends or come alone and make some. Wear some GREEN! (But absolutely no pinching allowed!)
No
partner or experience required. Dances start easy and get more
challenging as the evening progresses. Beginners should definitely come
for the lesson before the dance starts.
SCHEDULE:
6:30 Doors open
7:00 Beginner lesson (everyone can join)
7:30-10:30 Dance!
Admission is $15. Students are FREE!
Contra dance is great exercise and loads of fun besides, so bring a water bottle and dress for cardio!
Click "Going" and we'll see you there!
Feedback welcome!
--jh--