[Callers] "Flash Mob" dances

[Amy Wimmer via Callers]

There is an ongoing outdoor summer dance in Seattle. It typically happens
once every month during the summer. Dances are done on the grass. The
organizers set up an all-comers band (I think there's a designated leader)
and it's all callers welcome, too, with one sort of in charge. Someone has
a portable sound system they bring for the caller. The dance is at a very
popular park (Green Lake) where people go to walk/run around the small lake
for exercise. Lots of foot traffic there.

Most of the dances called are relatively simple, but there has been a good
crowd of experienced dancers who show up and invite lookers-on to join.

They set up a sign that invites people to join in, and leave fliers there
for the area dances for folks to take. Dancers will often stand/sit out a
dance and go chat with those who are watching. I don't know how many join
in, but they certainly notice how much fun everyone is having. I've invited
people to come to our regular indoor dances where there are beginners'
sessions (this usually makes people more comfortable) and I know of at
least ONE person who came to the Friday dance because she had seen us
dancing at the lake.

It's great P.R. and a good community-building event.

-Amy



On Jul 27, 2015, at 11:07 AM, Mac Mckeever via Callers <
callers at lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:

What we do and what I think Alan is referring to is a bit different.  He
already has a critical mass of experienced dancers - so he can do beginner
level contras and even a bit above that level.  You often end up with about
1/3 new dancers.

We have done this many times without having to go to one night stand type
dances.  It is really good at encourage the new people to attend a regular
dance.  We have often set up in areas where there is good cultural
diversity to help us out in that area.

We used to do about one a month in good weather - but have tapered off
lately.  We need to start these up again.

Mac Mckeever

  ------------------------------
 *From:* Jack Mitchell via Callers <callers at lists.sharedweight.net>
*To:* Linda Leslie <laleslierjg at comcast.net>; Alan Winston <
winston at slac.stanford.edu>
*Cc:* callers at lists.sharedweight.net
*Sent:* Monday, July 27, 2015 9:58 AM
*Subject:* Re: [Callers] "Flash Mob" dances

LInda--

I love those ideas for getting folks out on the floor. So simple. Thanks!


On Mon, Jul 27, 2015 at 10:51 AM Linda Leslie via Callers <
callers at lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:

What a great idea, Alan! I hope you are able to continue this as a
successful annual event!
Whenever I find folks are reluctant to join in dances (weddings, parties,
etc.,), I find a surefire solution is to begin with a no-partner circle. I
hold hands with the “volunteer” dancers, and snake around the area, picking
up folks as we go by them. You can encourage folks with happy smiles, “Join
us!” and other exhortations….Once we have a good group, I close the circle,
and do hash calls: circle left, circle right, single file left, right, all
f&b, “everybody over 50 into the center and back”, etc., etc. I then from a
circle left, become the lead again, and spiral the circle in, then back
out. It is wonderful how this simple movement to music, and the surprise of
reversing the spiral makes people happy, From here, I would have people
pair up and do a very simple circle mixer, which gets them used to the P
change idea. Then the simple contras.

Looking forward to seeing the other suggestions that folks offer you!
warmly, Linda

On Jul 26, 2015, at 11:52 PM, Alan Winston via Callers <
callers at lists.sharedweight.net> wrote:

> Over in San Jose we've just done a  second annual not-really-flash-mob
dance.  Symphony Silicon Valley does a free public series of Pops concerts,
get permission from them, pick one, get a bunch of volunteer dancers and a
pickup band, print up some flyers and put up a sign with the sponsoring
organization logo and URL, We put up a sign with the name of the
organization, set up in the path of foot traffic to the concert spot, and
do an hour and a half (or so) of easy contra dances, encouraging passersby
to join in and hooking them up with more-experienced partners.
>
> This is successful in terms of getting some exposure, and today we got
somewhere between a half-dozen and a dozen new people to actually try it,
and probably moved 25 flyers.  Nobody got hurt, some of the dancers stayed
for several dances, etc.  We flushed out some old square dancers (who of
course wanted to swing once around and wait for the next call) and some
previous non-dancers of various ages.
>
> (I was calling.  First round was missing many volunteer dancers and had
multiple newbies, so I did a one-night-stand dance ("Up the Sides and Down
the Middle") rather than a duple-minor contra; then Cranky Ingenuity,
Inflation Reel, Kitchen Stomp, and Delphiniums and Daisies.)
>
> Posting to ask if people who've done this kind of thing have any tips or
tricks to get things going.
>
> As caller I relied on my volunteer dancers to do the recruiting, and
people had different comfort and skill levels doing that.  Is there
something I can tell them that will increase their comfort in talking to
strangers?
>
> Thanks!
>
> -- Alan
>
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-- 
Jack Mitchell
Durham, NC

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