If you care about the fate of Times Squares, but don’t know what to do, here’s an opportunity to learn how to help. The Northern New Jersey Square Dance Association is hosting a day of seminars and workshops entitled: DREAM 2018 – Dancers Recruiting, Educating, And Motivating. The workshops start at 1 PM on Saturday, May 5th in Clark, NJ and will be followed by an evening of dancing with callers Mike Kellogg, from California, and our own Betsy Gotta. Click here for full details.
Many of the workshops directly address issues crucial to the fate of our club. For example, Retaining Your Dancers and the Social Aspects of Square Dancing (Beyond the Dance Floor) will discuss how you balance activities for both new and seasoned dancers that build social relationships crucial to continued growth. With so many things to do in New York City, retention is a big concern for our club.
Do you ever get strange looks when you mention that you square dance? Talking “Up” Square Dancing, will share strategies for encouraging friends and colleagues to take lessons and join a club.
Enticing Club Members to Become Leaders. Many clubs have folded despite good attendance and a healthy treasury because no one wants to help run the club. Learn how to reframe the tasks so that dancers don’t arrive as the first tip starts and leave just before cleanup. As Times Squares’ membership shrinks so does the number of dancers willing to lead the club.
To Graduate or Not: Alternatives and Solutions is a roundtable discussion of approaches to respectfully handling the faithful new dancers who may not be “ready to launch” at the conclusion of the lessons. A struggling graduate is more likely to drop out than continue.
If you’ve decided to take a more active role in supporting Times Squares this is the perfect opportunity to learn more about the issues surrounding our club’s survival. If you need transportation or want to register, please contact Warren Livesley at wlivesley@gmail.com.