You tried the things we suggested last month. Everybody got on board and gave it some serious effort. Your fliers and posters, demos and free advertising did the job, and now you have a packed open house! Break out the champagne (okay, milk and cookies 'cause you're square dancers); the Club is saved!
I hate to rain on your parade, but so far you're only part way toward achieving anything meaningful. Now you have to deal with the next issue: How many of these people will you keep and turn into long-term square dancers?
Be prepared for an immediate reality check: You will probably lose up to two thirds of them after the very first night. As much as we love it, Modern Western square Dance isn't for everyone. There's a multitude of reasons why they won't be back, and there's little you can do about it. They won't return because...
and lots of other reasons, all valid from their perspectives.
That's why if you want a meaningful number going forward, you should have three or four times that many the first night. Don't waste any time bemoaning what couldn't be. Focus your efforts and energies on keeping and nurturing those who do have an interest in and an aptitude or potential for becoming square dancers. It's with these folks that you have an opportunity to accomplish something. But be prepared that it, too, won't come easily.
Whenever I see the appalling nationwide statistics of how few new dancers are still dancing after a year, and how many total are lost within the first two years, I'm utterly dismayed at the sheer ineptitude of our clubs, our callers and teachers, and our leadership across the country. How could so many have messed up this wonderful activity so badly?
It makes me nuts! Every one of the people who continued on beyond the first few nights clearly said by his/her presence alone
Out of these, some will have either learning or physical disabilities that preclude their ever becoming competent square dancers, and some will be lost to injury or sickness, and a few will move away. None of that can be helped or avoided. What makes me boil is all those others who began our activity with so much enthusiasm, and within a year or two were reduced to "I'm not interested in this after all, and I'm not going to do it any longer!"
I believe wholeheartedly that it doesn't have to be that way. There is nothing inherently wrong with MWSD itself. The notion that today's MWSD has become too complicated is a boatload of hooey, the product of a desperation mentality that cries, "Let's latch onto something quick and easy, even if it's incredibly flawed. That notion's appeal is that it neatly deflects attention and responsibility away from the much tougher real issues: Our hobby today has become dominated by unenthused, lethargic, lazy clubs, taught by uninspiring, talentless, even incompetent callers, under the "leadership" of disinterested, unimaginative, serving-only-by-default officers. Dumbing the dancing down won't help one iota with any of the truly critical issues MWSD faces. If anything, it will disgust and drive away the devotees the activity does have.
Okay, you aren't reading this for a rehash of the problems. We (Do-Pas-O), too, have struggled with the retention of dancers issue. Apparently, when compared to nationwide experience, we are doing more than most to overcome it.
There's a wonderful term that modern technology has brought into everyday language: "user-friendly". Everybody understands what it means. When products, activities and ideas are marketed, they are touted as user-friendly. Nowhere is user-friendliness more important than in recreational activities, which are entirely discretionary on the participant's part. Every one of us will choose to do those things (and only those things) that give us the most pleasure and satisfaction. Why would we choose anything else when selecting our leisure pursuits?
Have you heard of "20 Questions"? Well, we're going to play "20 Answers". We will describe 20 things that Do-Pas-O does, or has, or changed, or avoids. Everything is aimed at maximizing the user-friendliness of the Club and the entire square dancing experience, much of it especially for new dancers. The order in which they appear is roughly the order in which the new dancer encounters them.
1.) After working very hard to entice our guests into our house (our dancing site), it's now up to us to do everything we can to make them feel entirely at home as soon as possible. At the very least, the first night has to be so much fun that they'll want to see much more of both square dancing and of us.
2.) The caller makes the single, most influential early impression on the new dancer. Our Bill Gordon is an enthusiastic, talented, humorous, endlessly patient teacher and ambassador. In his 13 years with us, not one impatient or sarcastic word has passed his lips. Typical of Bill is his calming reassurance whenever some dancers aren't getting it right away: "Don't worry; we'll do this until I get it right."
3.) For our parts, the rest of us just love 'em to death (figuratively, of course). We promptly give them name badges (and we always wear our Club badges), so that we can quickly learn their names and always greet them by name. We're an outgoing, friendly, hugging bunch. It takes little time for most of the newcomers to get caught up in the warmth and friendliness. We try to spot right away those few who find hugging a little too much an encroachment on their personal space, and we show our appreciation for them in ways they find less intrusive.
4.) Strategically, we go one day at a time, studiously avoiding any references to "classes" or "lessons", and we ask for no commitment whatsoever. At the end of the first night (a Saturday), we urge them to come to our next "new dancers" night, if they enjoyed themselves tonight. When they come to the next one (a Monday), we explain that we hold "new dancer" dances every Monday night, and we invite them to keep coming as long as it continues to be fun! Because the Caller will introduce some new calls each night, we encourage them to miss as few nights as possible, so that they can keep up with everyone. Experience has shown that asking for a long-term commitment too early can push people into bowing out right then and there, before they have a chance to fall in love with the hobby. When we tell them they only have to come as long as they're having fun, we can't beat them off with a stick!
5.) We view asking for financial commitments (paying for blocks of weeks in advance, or paying for nights missed) to be equally as counterproductive as asking for time commitments. It can send the message that we're more interested in their money than in them or in their dancing with us. We don't care if we break even or not. If there's a single dollar in the treasury, there isn't any other investment a club can make that is as absolutely essential to its survival as are its new dancers.
6.) Speaking of investment, how soon to (or whether to at all) purchase "proper square dance attire" is not an issue for our new dancers. Do-Pas-O has no dress code for any of its activities, be they classes, workshops or dances. We don't believe clothes do make the man (or dancer, in this case). For example, we visited a club a few years ago where its women were quite scandalized that several of our dancers sported prairie skirts. Two years later that club no longer existed, while we and our prairie skirts are flourishing. Tradition is good, but multiple uses practicality is much more user-friendly.
7.) For those dancers who know they're committed and want square dancing apparel, we hold a big clothing sale every year, usually in late January. The Club has amassed an impressive collection, entirely through voluntary donations by former dancers (or by dancers who've experienced meaningful growth, of a physical nature). The prices border on give-away. The new dancers acquire wardrobes at an amazingly low cost; the Club's treasury gets a little boost from the sheer volume sold. Everybody wins!
8.) Do-Pas-O's Caller and dancers fit together beautifully. Both he and we favor energetic, upbeat music and a quick pace. Not only is it livelier and much more fun for the dancers, but they also learn to both process information and move about the square more quickly, which in turn lead to better flow and fewer breakdowns. There's another advantage: Dancers who are experienced at a quicker pace have no problem adjusting to something slower (although they might find it boring or tedious), whereas dancers who know only a slower pace are dead in the water when confronted with having to pick it up.
9.) In the first few months, we absolutely avoid demonstrating to the new dancers what the Club's experienced dancers can do, even if they ask us to. It's tempting to show off a little, to try to impress them with how much we've learned and how "good" we are. But, in reality, the impact on the new dancers is a very negative one. To them, it will look hugely and hopelessly complicated. Rather than impressing them with our skills, it will seriously intimidate and discourage them by revealing how little they really do know at this point, and how far they will have to go. The first time they see us dance our level rather than theirs is at the Club's Christmas dance, open to everyone. By that time, we've stroked and complimented them enough on their progress, and they trust us enough to rely on our assurances that they'll get to and master the level they just saw quicker and easier than they now think. Now, hopefully it becomes more a "goal" and less an intimidation.
10.) There is one thing we do (that we have to do) that we dread: the culling out and cutting loose the few folks who, for one reason or another, will never become dancers. In any group of new dancers, it soon becomes evident who's getting it and who isn't. The "isn'ts" are the ones who can't complete any calls on their own, and who break down every square they're in. As distasteful as we may find it, the Club's leadership has the responsibility to deal with the realities. We owe the rest of our participants the opportunity to progress and experience the satisfaction and joy of "dancing". The longer we delay, the more frustration has to be tolerated and the more valid the question, "If I was doing so badly, why did you let me go this long?" If done quickly, quietly, and tactfully, it inflicts the least pain possible, all around.
We promised you 20 "answers". Because of time and length, we're stopping here this month. These first 10 are particularly useful with new dancers, so this is a logical place to pause.
Next month, we'll share 10 more answers, applicable to both newer and experienced dancers. Check in to see how many of these user-friendly approaches your club already practices, and how many others could add something positive for you.
________________________________________________________________
*As published in
American Square Dance Magazine May, 2005.