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Have you ever heard the phrase, "Different Strokes for Different Folks?" It was coined to point out that people have a variety of needs and we should appreciate and not condemn that fact. In dancing, we encounter a very broad variety of interest levels. It is a part of the great joy of dancing. It is also the source of much of discussion over what dancing program is the best. The true answer depends on each individual's interests, time availability, skills, etc.
There is really no best dance program. Some people want to enjoy an evening of dance with little or no effort on their part. Some people want to become skilled dancers. Good examples of this can be seen in any western night club in the country. You will find people who are happy to sit on the sidelines and people who dance across the floor to their own version of the two-step or the waltz. Other people have obviously spent a great deal of time in perfecting their dancing skill. All these people are enjoying an evening of entertainment or they would not be there.
What constitutes entertainment to each person is different. Some people are willing to spend a considerable amount of time learning how to dance and some people are not. Many people who take up dancing, of one form or another, want to learn more than just the rudimentary skills. They want to become better at dancing and the process of becoming better involves education. This education may consist of as little as watching what someone else is doing and then trying to copy the action or it may mean attending and entensive set of lessons. If you want to become a skilled dancer you may spent a considerable time learning the finer points.
How much you need to learn about any form of dancing is left up to you. If you do not have the time or do not enjoy attending lessons or dance infrequently or cannot remember the dance steps from dance to dance, there are many places where almost any form of dance being offered at a basic level. Examples can be found in folk dancing, square dancing, contra dancing, line dances, ballroom dancing, western dancing, etc. The key feature of these programs is no prior dancing knowledge is required. The dancers, who attend these dance, expect everything they need to know to be taught within one session or dance. This does not mean that the dancers do not learn. Terminology is introduced, steps are shown, and dances are taught. Hopefully the education process is quick, short and painless. The skill level required is minimal, it is fun and it meets the needs of thousands of people.
Contemporary (modern) square and round dancing have become specialized activities that require much skill and dedication. Many other forms of dance also attract people who enjoy becoming skilled dancers. For this level of skill, an extensive set of lessons is needed and desired by the people who join this part of the activity. Following lessons, very little is taught during any one evening of dance. Much of the enjoyment of the program is derived from being able to just dance and not to have to walk thru each dance before it is performed. It is fun and it meets the needs of thousands of people. The only difference between these two extremes is how much the people are expected to remember when they return for the next dance. This is the education or skill factor.
Any group that dances once a month or more has some education taking place. People are expected to know how to do certain dance movements or must learn them by observation or trial and error. In some groups it is sufficient to hold an education or teaching session just prior to the dance. In other groups, a set of lessons, of varying length, is needed for new dancers. In many groups, new dancer needs have several lessons to be able to dance at a comfortable level. How many lessons, from none to many, depends on the skill level desired by the majority of the dancers in the group.
We should not look upon any particular combination as being the best or even better than any other part of the activity. No matter what program philosophy is used, the people will come to a dance or to a class, learn as much as they want to learn, enjoy the recreation until they run out of time or money or become bored and move on to something else. Any form of entertainment has its problems. If you demand more expertise at a dance than someone knows, then they won't be back. If you keep the program too simple, then some people will get bored and leave or invent their own entertainment by adding their own special moves to the dance. It is all part of who we are and what we enjoy or don't enjoy.
What' s the answer? Maybe the answer is to quit wishing everyone would fit into the same mold. and to see that all the various forms of dance and skill levels meet different people's needs. Hopefully, we can all find where we fit in the best and not fall into the trap of feeling that the way we have chosen is the only-way-to-go.
A very strong factor in retaining dancers over a long period of time depends on the friendships that are made within any group of dancers and the support these friends give each other. People will continue to attend dances if they feel they have the support of friends. They will often come to dances even when they cannot dance, for some reason, if they have the opportunity to see and visit with these friends
The promotion of friendships among dancers should be an active part of every set of lessons and every dance a club conducts. This can be started through the dance material that is chosen, but it must be continued through every aspect of an evening or long term planning of a recreation program.
The dance material chosen for the evening is the obvious point to start. The leader(s) must know the capabilities of each of the dancers in depth. Then they must plan a careful blend of dances that include fun, learning, surprise, nostalgia, excitement, tenderness, sadness, challenge, and relaxation. The dance leader is like a conductor of an orchestra. To get the best out of the orchestra he or she must know the capabilities of each piece. Then they must draw on the strengths of all the pieces and get everyone to work together as a team.
The dancers play a strong role in the success of all this. They must be willing to try new things. They take an active role in seeing that everyone feels successful. Most of all they must be friends to each other and support one another. A lot of this can be achieved by smiling and enjoying whatever happens. Part of it must be strong support of the dance leadership and the people who handle other details of running the dance.
If dancers are to become friends, then they must be given the opportunity to cultivate these friendships. Teaching dance styling where people are encouraged to smile at each other, make eye contact at various points during each dance and be aware they are dancing as part of a coordinated team effort will help. Dancers will feel a lot less need to do-their-own-thing when they feel they are part of a team and dancing as part of that team is part of the fun.
Time must also be provided to build friendships through other social interaction. During the dance breaks, space should be provided where people can visit. Refreshments should be placed in an area away from the dance floor. Leaders should expect that dancers will want to take time out from dancing to just visit. The more enthusiastic dancers need to realize that dancing may be the bricks that build a club, but friendships are the mortar that keep it together.
Events should be provided outside of the dance program to cement friendships. This can often take the form of going out after the dance to someplace for refreshments. Pick a place where people can sit around large tables. Plan the ending time of the dance to allow this type of activity to take place without keeping people up too late.
Another way is to take off an evening from the usual dance schedule and do something different as a group. Your dance leaders should play a prominent role in this. It will give them the opportunity to get to know people on a one-to-one basis and for people to feel that they are friends.
Finally, don't get too serious about the dancing. That's not what it is really all about. We live in a world of competition most of the time. Dancing needs to be one of the places where we can escape and relax with friends and friends are what is most important.
Line Dancing (solo) is one of the most popular forms of social dance of the nineties. The dances are usually done in groups, with all the people facing the same way, and most people tend to join lines. Even though you may see some variations in styling and even some added steps, the measurement of success, in this environment, is whether you can dance the steps as written and essentially keep up with your line. When dancers succeed, there is an emotional high that follows.
Square Dancing involves coordination with seven other people, but does not require much footwork. Instead, the emotional reward comes in being in the right place at the right time while moving in a geometric pattern involving the cooperation of all eight dancers in the square. Sometimes, all eight people are moving at the same time. There is also much satisfaction realized from the ability to be able to understand what the caller is requesting and to do it with precision and grace.
Contra dances and most other prompted dance forms such as trios, quadrilles, etc. add still another dimension. In these dance forms, people are expected to dance in time to the music. When it is done properly, everyone moves through the dance pattern at the same pace and sometimes the whole floor of dancers is moving together.
The key to all of these dance forms is the positive reward of dancing in formation and being part of a team, working in cooperation with other dancers to produce something that is more beautiful and satisfying than dancing alone. When the dance is finished you feel closer to your companions and you get a large emotional lift.
Since much of the enjoyment of the dance is moving through the floor pattern formed by the choreography of the dance, very few terms are needed by a leader to describe any one dance. Every time people are placed in a different formation or arrangement of ladies and men, the pattern is new and unfolds in a different way.
Once the dance pattern is learned, the dancer can enjoy dancing to the music and stop worrying about how they appear. They feel more secure, as part of a group, and perhaps less vulnerable. This means the music must be good. Different styles of music appeal to different groups of people. The goal in a program which employes many different dance forms is to also provide variety in music styles, rhythms and arrangements. Not everyone will like everything, but everyone will have their favorites.
Most of the dances in "Dancing for Busy People" list a specific recommended recording. Many have several recommendations listed. Which recording is used will depend on the makeup of the group and the environment. For example, a leader may choose to use very different music for the same dance in different environments. Elements such as room temperature, floor covering, age, mobility, altitude, and where the dance occurs in the program, become part of the considerations.
As a leader, you should recognize that dancers quickly associate some dances with a specific recording. When the music is played, the dancers expect a specific dance to follow. Sometimes you can successfully substitute another recording or another dance routine and sometimes the dance and the music are so closely associated that you should not try to change anything.