Lots of good suggestions from a lot of people.

I think I can boil down success keeping new dancers to:
1. Listen to youth, put then on your committee, and implement their suggestions.
2. Have a written values statement, which all of your other policies follow.
3. Make it clear you want to hear from dancers with compliments or complaints. And actually deal with complaints. Over and over, the biggest reason I hear people not returning (other than just not liking the dance form) is unhandled and ignored complaints.

In dance,
Julian Blechner

On Wed, Mar 15, 2023, 8:10 AM Chrissy Fowler via Organizers <organizers@lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:
“Getting back to the subject of repeat visitors, perhaps the biggest difference of all is a caller who brings the fun and the inclusiveness, the type who can laugh with you when something goes goofy.  (…  . ) I'm tremendously grateful to everyone organizing contra dances, and to all the people trying to make their dance a little bit better each week.
Lex Spoon”

Hear, hear!  

(And I think it’s also the organizers who can bring that fun and inclusiveness and set the tone for embracing the goofiness.) Let’s face it, even though some folks forget and take it all a bit too seriously, these dances we love are incredibly weird. Beautifully so, but definitely on the silly side of joy.

I’m also grateful for all you folks sharing ideas and experiences openly and nonjudgmentally. What a gift!

Chrissy Fowler 
Belfast Maine
Where we are digging out from the latest nor’easter (ah the joys of finally getting winter weather in March)
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