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More Thoughts on Outreach

3/13/2013

 
When I spoke with Dennis Gagaoin (a.k.a. DJ Gaga) of Spokane, WA in late 2011, he mentioned the idea that techno contra might be a decent vector for outreach from the contra community:
"I believe it can even help people who aren't comfortable dancing since it provides a structure. All you have to do is know how to follow instructions!"
Dennis himself came to the contra scene through the "Deca-dance" gig he called in 2011 which was organized by Terra Price and called by Ray Polhemus.

Terra and her fellow organizers did such an effective job of marketing the event to newcomers that, as Terra mentioned,
"I actually had to do lessons on three separate times [in addition to the planned lesson before the dance] because we had so many new dancers."
How might others replicate this success?  Marketing is mostly making sure that you've answered five questions:
  1. Who is it, exactly, that are you trying to reach? The more specific you can be, the better. "The general public" is really hard to reach and a large percentage of them will ignore you anyway. "People in X age range who hang out in clubs but don't like it/people in X age range who like to dance/people in X age range who like music but not the club scene" are more manageable.
  2. What does your target audience need to know? This can be your event information.
  3. When might they be receptive to your message? When they're checking Facebook for the billionth time, when they're waiting for a bus, when they're in line at the grocery store, when they're at the campus bar with their friends....
  4. Where do they get their info? Where do they hang out?  This is actually the second-hardest part, I find. People get information many ways, from word-of-mouth to posters to listservs.
  5. Why should they care? What can you do for them? The more concrete you can be, the better. Unfortunately, "because it's awesome" doesn't really cut it with people who aren't already in the contra scene. (And besides, you probably had them at "there's going to be a contra dance.")
  6. How can you put your message into that venue? This can be the hardest part. If you want to attract, for instance, people 18-26 who who are uncomfortable in your average 21st century dance club setting, the ideal might be to go to the club and advertise there...but that might be impolitic. ("Hey you, you're miserable here, come to this other thing instead!" tends to be, at best, tacky. However, if you have your event at the same venue, or are using the same DJ, these could very much be avenues to the targeted audience. "If you like my DJing, come to something different next week!" works just fine.) However, the folks that are turned off by the club scene might be on your local college campus, or at the local coffee shop, or at the library, or....
Other ideas or suggestions? Think I'm crazy for even suggesting that a techno contra might appeal to folks outside the established contra scene? Let me know in the comments....

Resolution #2: Make a Point of Asking Strangers to Dance

1/4/2012

 
_One of the things that I've heard a fair amount of controversy over in the crossover contra world (and was actually asked in the early days of the Contra Syncretist Forum) is whether such events are better as newbie-outreach events to meet new dancers halfway between the folk world and the mainstream (i.e., clubbing) world, or whether it's better to have the introduction gateway be the Tradition and then tweak it a bit by having crossover events as a challenge for experienced dancers. I've been to some where lots of brand new dancers have shown up, and others where the event has been exclusively marketed to the contra community and so those are the only people who attend.

In previous interviews, I've talked to organizers who have advertised crossover events through their local coffee shop and had to hold three impromptu lessons to accommodate all the beginners, DJs who have repeatedly told me in person that they are playing to the least experienced dancer in the room and others who think that crossover events could be wonderful outreach to get people dancing, and callers who have felt a need to discard some of the more challenging choreography to adjust to the crossover music and the more challenging phrasing (or lack thereof). The views do rather seem to vary.

Truthfully, I've had fun at crossover events with lots of new dancers and ones with mostly experienced dancers and can see a place for each. However, my own opinion is that I think it comes down to intent (and, yes, the organizers do need to make a choice at the outset): if one is going to advertise the event to people outside the contra/folk dance community, then make a point of catering the event somewhat to the new dancers (e.g., have a scheduled, structured contra dance lesson ahead of time; make sure the dances aren't overly complicated). If it's not going to be an outreach event and is, say, a private party to which only experienced dancers are invited, you can institute chaos lines, medleys, and more complex dances (although you are probably going to have to find funding through sources other than your friendly local folklife society).

That said, I personally find it can be a bit more challenging to "direct traffic" to new or lost dancers in the line in the dark; I've found myself revising some of the strategies I use to help lost dancers in a regular dance, like relying more on (gentle!) tugs in the proper direction and more exaggerated pointing to the proper shoulder to pass and the like. It's a different challenge to try and help someone verbally when there are lyrics and calls both to compete with and it's usually a less well-lit ambiance, so they may not even be totally sure of where you are. This is not to say that these factors are insurmountable.

I'm not sure if there's "one true answer" to the question. But regardless, I will make a point of going up to someone I don't know -- at crossover and regular contras -- and asking them to dance, and even if they turn out not to be the most experienced dancer on the floor, I will make a point of having fun and enjoying the dancing experience they have to offer. As one of my very first dance partners said to me my very first night of contra dancing, "Everybody starts somewhere."

I welcome your thoughts! (And if anyone who's going to Chattaboogie this weekend decides to ask those people from the Friday Flourish videos to dance, I have it on good authority that it would be much appreciated. It'll be our first time dancing down there and it'll be a great opportunity to meet new friends!)
    This project has concluded as of mid-2013 (with an epilogue posted mid-2016) but we hope to see you soon on a contra dance floor! Meanwhile, head over to our Facebook page for upcoming techno contra events and other items of interest.

    The 100+ Friday Flourish videos can still be found on YouTube.

    Author

    I dance with abandon. I play with glowsticks. I look for music that is conducive to one or both. I play behind cameras.  I write about all of the above. I'm based in Glen Echo's contra dance community outside of Washington, D.C., but I'm happy to go dance afield when I can. Lather, rinse, repeat. Always repeat.

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