West Coast Swing in Dartford

[Chef]

I want to ask the forum members for some ideas that might help my local West Coast Swing Class survive.

After a bit of gentle pushing some local organisers set up a WCS class at Dartford and kicked it off by holding a 6 week long beginners course. The place was packed during the course (with only a few people dropping out) but once the course was finished and it became a regular class the numbers have dwindled to a hard core of 12 couples. This just isn’t enough to sustain the class on an economic basis. The organisers are keeping faith with the venture so far (it can’t last forever) but I would like to know if there are any ideas for

a) making WCS more accessible for people who want to start.

b) attracting more experienced dancers to a venue that is attended by progressing beginners.

[Keith J]

Hi Chef, sorry to hear about the troubles.
Some ideas, not all 'original' and sorry if you have already tried these:

make it a West Coast tea dance, tea, coffee, cakes, biscuits, flapjacks seem very popular appeal

Survey for better day / time for the dancers, like Sunday pm.

E mail shots well sometimes the obvious gets overlooked

Do a buy 4 weeks get in one week 'free', can use a loyalty stamp / card system. One needs to understand the economics here and possibly limit the number of loyalty cards issued, or you will subsidise one week completely. Maybe only issue like few a week for 3 weeks to spread the load.

See if there are any teachers who would like to do a guest slot class in the interim period.

Get a starter class sorted again and contact local singles clubs, social clubs and do them a 'discount deal' for an evening to draw newbies in.

Can you get on local radio, newspaper, local newsagents boards article and get some cheap / free publicity?

Busking could be worth a shot, time, place, social demographics need some careful thought. But there is scope within this, consider some local trendy bars for a 'demo' dance.

Posters up at local Adult Education Centres

Best of luck, c u soon

[thewacko]

I missed the slot for the initial course that Dartford ran, and got the opinion that the WCS class was carried on from that course, are they still teaching beginner moves as well as intermediate or are all the moves intermediate in which case it is difficult for all us Modern Jivers to join in as the WCS is a bit more steppy???

If so why not get the Modern Jive teachers to promote it a bit more in the normal class upstairs

[Chef]

Originally Posted by thewacko

I missed the slot for the initial course that Dartford ran, and got the opinion that the WCS class was carried on from that course, are they still teaching beginner moves as well as intermediate or are all the moves intermediate in which case it is difficult for all us Modern Jivers to join in as the WCS is a bit more steppy???

If so why not get the Modern Jive teachers to promote it a bit more in the normal class upstairs

The WCS class has progressed from the beginners course with the first class of each week being a brief review of the second class of the previous week and then introducing basic moves that are then expanded on in the second class.

The class has never had to deal with people that have no WCS experience because it has never ever happened.

Of the people that started the beginners class we now have about one third of them still attending (about 12 couples) aprt from Commis Chef and myself and KenR and Kim all the other dancers that have stayed are people that took up WCS from a nearby line dancing club. Almost all of the people from and MJ background have dropped out.

The organiser do promote the WCS with flyers at all of their events and articles in their email newletter.

I do think another beginners course would help for those people that just couldn't make it to the last one but with such a small number of people at the current class I cannot see the organisers being filled with hope that it will turn the class around to being even a break even proposition.

What the class needs is expereinced dancers that want to make this another venue that they want to train and dance at and fresh blood that want to learn. Just how both of those can be accomodated I just don't know.

I do thank Keith J and the other people that have PMed me with their ideas.

We are already trying to plan a WCS Tea Dance on a sunday afternoon and seeing what we can organise concerning the other ideas.

It seems hard to escape from the idea that most MJ dancers are having more than enough fun with what they are doing and WCS looks like a lot of hard work before you get to the fun part. I can fully understand that. It is never fun finding yourself back on the bottom of a learning curve with what looks like a lot of uphill ahead of you. I really love WCS and am getting to enjoy it even more with each bit of progress that I make.

[Feelingpink]

Originally Posted by Chef

... It seems hard to escape from the idea that most MJ dancers are having more than enough fun with what they are doing and WCS looks like a lot of hard work before you get to the fun part. I can fully understand that. It is never fun finding yourself back on the bottom of a learning curve with what looks like a lot of uphill ahead of you. I really love WCS and am getting to enjoy it even more with each bit of progress that I make.

From what you've said, trying to convert MJers to WCS doesn't sound terribly successful, at least in Dartford. Perhaps to get effective 'conversion' you have to have other forces at work - perhaps boredom with MJ as a driver or a group of friends moving across together. Could Dance Riviera offer a taster night, say, at 7pm, open only to groups of four (for example)

I would have thought that as a dancer in another style, you could recognise the rewards of trying a new one ... but perhaps this is a drawback of the Ceroc/quickly getting you up dancing model - WCS isn't a quick fix.

If the line dancing background seems to give WCS stayers, are there any other line dancing clubs that could be targetted for new members ... or would lindyiers be another good group to draw from?

[Chef]

Originally Posted by Feelingpink

If the line dancing background seems to give WCS stayers, are there any other line dancing clubs that could be targetted for new members ... or would lindyiers be another good group to draw from?

Last night it was announced at the class that June 8th will be the last WCS class at Dartford.

The only thing that was mentioned as a possibility was that a line dancing club just over the Thames in Essex may take us on as a parallel event.

If this comes to pass then CAt has told us that they will start off by running a beginners course there to kick off the new club and asked that the more experienced dancers also join to help along those people that would be experienceing the dance for the first time. It seemed that most of the dancers there were willing to do this. Without sufficient numbers this club would be destined to fold as well.

[Paul F]

Originally Posted by Chef

Last night it was announced at the class that June 8th will be the last WCS class at Dartford.

That makes me sad

I hope it carries on somewhere.

[Gus]

The demise of WCS at Dartford probably is fruther evidence that to for a 'progressive' club to prosper, there needs to be a critical mass of 'good' dancers (whatever that actiualy means) with the desire to develop their dancing. The brutal truth may be that there is not a critical mass of such dancers in thbe Dartford area.

I've always been curious about the success of Jango (or Monday Ungo or whatever its called now). This has been the only 'advanced club' that I've seen work ... and I'm curious as to whether this was due to a defined set of circumstances/attributes or just a random occurance (i.e. start enough clubs of a similar ilk and by the law of chance one will succeed). The demise of Hipsters showed that even with the best will in the world, advanced clubs are not guarunteed success.

WCS still seems a BIG step up from MJ. When it works it brings a whole new dimension to your dancing, but its far from easy. I speak from experience. I'm not quite a beginner but must admit that I've really struggled with WCS and made a concious decision to avoid it until I knew I would be able to give it a focused six months to try to get to grips with it. given the vast majority of MJ dancers do it for fun and to be spociable, it may always be a step too far?

[Georgious dancer]

I was really tempted by the WCS night at DR but I told myself that I woul dance MJ for a year before I started anything else, well that year is nearly up. However I would still not be able to make the Thurs at Dartford as I Taxi for Bow also on a Thursday (Definitely worth a visit!!)

Anyone know any other venues?