How To Create an Amazing Dance Community !
Question by User justjacobmusic
Curious what other folks have grown to really appreciate about their scene — whether it’s a social feature, an instructional opportunity, etc. Care to share?
Answers
User mattsl
In my opinion you need 3 things for a good social dance scene.
1) Consistent weekly classes with quality instruction
2) Regular weekly parties
3) A good group dynamic (i.e. the people in the group genuinely like each other and at least the core group hangs out outside of, or at least at dinner after, the dance events)
User justjacobmusic
Great points. With respect to the last one:
3. A good group dynamic (i.e. the people in the group genuinely like each other and at least the core group hangs out outside of, or at least at dinner after, the dance events)
Is there anything you’ve learned about how to more effectively cultivate that short of just inviting people out to do stuff beyond dancing?
User mattsl
Just like any other attribute of a group, a lot of it is people mirroring leadership. If the organizers and instructors are friends with all of their students rather than taking on a air of superiority then it makes a huge difference. I don’t want to call out any specific people, but I’ve been in a few different scenes and have seen some of the best and some of the worst in this regard.
Specifics:
— Always do something together afterwards, even if it’s grabbing ice cream or something small for 15 minutes.
— Have house parties as often as possible, and include everyone, not just privileged few.
— Make sure there is a culture where the best dancers in the group always want to dance with everyone rather than just each other. Again, this comes from the top down.
— If there are other scenes close enough to drive just for a single party, travel together and visit them.
There’s probably a lot more, and I’ve only done small amounts of teaching/organizing myself, but that should give you some ideas.
