2012 FAQ for Black and White Ball (BWBall)

Started by tkdteo, May 15, 2012, 12:30:53 AM

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

tkdteo

The FanimeCon Black & White Ball FAQ

This FAQ is subject to change.  The most recent information will come from a member of the Black & White Ball at the events handled by the Ball, such as classes, the Ball, or Stage Zero demos.  The purpose of this FAQ is to address questions that have come up over the last three years of the Ball's existence, that are not necessarily stated anywhere else.  While this FAQ may address information that has been posted formally (i.e. Dress Code, instructional videos, responses by Ball members on any message board) it is intended to be a clarification rather than a substitute.  Please address feedback to the FAQ as a response to the FAQ where posted, or as an email to the Ball at [email protected].

What is the Black & White Ball?
The FanimeCon Black & White Ball is a semi-formal dance offered by the Extravaganzas Department of FanimeCon that takes place on Sunday night for all registered attendees.  As of 2012, the Ball and its associated dance lessons are being held in both The J Ballroom in the San Jose Convention Center as well as Parkside Hall, please check the fanime.com website and your guide at FanimeCon for more details. 

What do I need to know about partner dancing?
Glad you asked.  We prefer that you follow normal dance etiquette:
1)    Feel free to ask a partner.  Feel free to turn down a partner, but if you decline, please do not ask for or accept a dance for the duration of the song that is playing.
2)   Look where you're going.  Look where you're going.  Look where you're going.  You probably will not like getting stepped on or run into.  Apologize if you do it.
3)   Follow the line of dance if a travelling dance such as waltz or foxtrot is played.  Stand in the middle of the floor, point your finger at the edge of the floor, and turn your body to the left.  Line of dance is the path your finger traces along the edge of the floor.  Please dance as close to the edge of the floor as you can.
4)   If you are doing a dance that does not travel (i.e. swing) to a song marked as a travel dance (i.. waltz) please dance closer to the center of the floor so as to allow waltzers to move around the outside of the floor.
5)   Please get off the floor if you are not dancing. 

Semi-formal?
A dress code is enforced as a condition of entry to the Ball.  The code can be found on the main Black & White Ball event webpage linked in the main FanimeCon portal.

Why is a dress code necessary?
Among other things, the Ball was envisioned to be a dance that had slightly more structure to allow it to be friendly to families.  The use of a dress code supports that idea.  Other considerations include cleaner music (i.e. no profanity) and having the members of the Ball roam around the floor available for dances, and to break up individual dances.  This is of course in addition to normal Con etiquette such as civility to fellow Congoers, good personal hygiene and being aware of your surroundings.
The dress code is also there to promote safety.  We restrict shoes to dressy type and with certain types of heels.  We also do not want the floor to be marked up by the soles of shoes.   Please scrape the pavement with the soles of your shoes to check if you're not sure if it'll leave a mark.  For those who are dressing as gentlemen, we prefer that you try to find at least a leather dressy looking shoe.  The leather loafer style of shoe (i.e. Toms) are acceptable, but leather sneakers are iffy depending on how it's styled.   Canvas shoes and other materials are not encouraged.

Why are individual dances broken up?   
The Ball was envisioned also to promote partner dancing.  We offer 24 hours of instruction during the convention for that purpose in a wide variety of styles.  We have gone to the expense of providing a real dance floor that is used at ballroom and swing dance competitions.  We offer semi-private lessons Friday and Saturday evenings for those people who don't have time during the day to take lessons, or prefer a little more concentrated instruction.  We avail you the opportunity to learn about partner dancing and provide an experience comparable to what you would find at conventions devoted to partner dancing.  While we regret discouraging your full creative expression, bear in mind that your actions on the floor interfere with those people who are willing to put in the time and effort to learn and dance.  There are other dances at the FanimeCon that can accommodate your likes.  Please feel free to release your inhibitions at them.

Who are the members of the Ball?
We are a group of people who teach a variety of styles of partner dancing.  Some of us are students learning, or fully involved in dance, some are hobbyists, some who teach dance for a living, some who compete at dance competitions.  Since we are diverse in appearance and expression, we have taken to wearing teal armbands while participating at the Con to identify ourselves.

Count on a friendly tap on the shoulder and someone in an armband saying to you "Please don't do that." or "Would you like to dance?" depending on the situation.

Can I request specific music at the Ball?  If not where can I make my request?
Let's break this up into a couple of parts:
Requests can be posted in the appropriate thread on the FanimeCon forums, where our music people can take a look at it, and give it a go/no on inclusion into the playlist.  We have the final say in all music requests.  Requests cannot be taken at the Con.  The reason why is because we display slides that show the name of the song and the type of dances that can be done to it because we encourage partner dancing.  Slides have to be done before the Con.
As for your genre, we try to pick out songs that we can actually partner dance to.  We have provided two years worth of playlists on the FanimeCon forums.  If you take a look at them you will notice a wide range of genres from Asian Pop to 8-bit game music themes.  What we look for overall is a readily distinguishable beat, melody characteristics for the styles of dance we have in mind, and a speed suitable to dancing by novice dancers; with a couple of advanced dance suitable songs for those of us who want to try it.  Something like dubstep at the current time may not be suitable while some house songs may be tailor made for some dances like hustle.

What if I do not like the music that was played at the Ball?
We regret that your enjoyment of the Ball was severely hampered by the overrepresentation of a certain genre/artist/instrument in the playlist.  We try for diversity and danceability.  The playlist is reviewed by all the members of the Black & White Ball for repetition and possible boredom.  Bear in mind that the playlist has to cover 17 different styles of dance, some of which are mutually exclusive in regards to other styles concerning music.  It is also entirely possible that you caught the portion of the playlist that covered a subsection of dance that you may not have liked.  If you do have feedback about the playlist, please post it in the FanimeCon Forums; please be as specific as you can in regards to music so that we can fix it for the next year.

If I have a comment or concern how do I get in touch with someone in charge?
Our apologies for your unpleasant experiences at the Ball – we put forth a lot of effort throughout the year to optimize the Ball experience.  The primary Point of Contact is the head of the Black & White Ball, who will draw attention to himself during Stage Zero, the classes, and the Ball itself.  Feel free to come up and chat.  Please be respectful.  Please be calm and describe what happened and why you didn't like it.  If you couldn't put your finger on it till after the Ball, please feel free to post on the FanimeCon forums; and the Facebook group in the appropriate feedback thread.  If you feel a little more discretion is required, post a note stating that you prefer privacy and we'll accommodate you.
2010-2012 BWBall Head
2009 BWBall 2nd
2008 BWBall Instructor

Okach

#1
Can we bold the questions?  My eyes are ancient :P.

Somehow, the last part didn't end up in the statement "Count on a friendly tap on the shoulder and someone in an armband saying to you "Please don't do that." or "Would you like to dance?" depending on the situation."
Staff Instructor since 2010. 
Staff Marketing Lead since 2018
Staff Marketing Second

https://www.facebook.com/FanimeConBWBall/
https://twitter.com/FanimeConBWBall/

kookiekween99

Quote from: tkdteo on May 15, 2012, 12:30:53 AM(Do we want to mention the time of the Ball itself?)

Not sure if this was a note to us normal people or to a fellow staffer in an email...
ASAHiCon Registration Head - '10-'12
ASAHiCon Web Head - '11-'13
FanimeCon Attendee - '10-Forever
FanimeCon Info Desk Minion - '14

Okach

Oops.

The Ball will take place in Parkside Hall from 6-12 pm on Sunday.  Lessons will be offered in the J room of the Convention Center (where the FanimeCon Dance is) during the afternoons and Parkside Hall during the evenings.  Private lessons will be offered during the evening sessions.
Staff Instructor since 2010. 
Staff Marketing Lead since 2018
Staff Marketing Second

https://www.facebook.com/FanimeConBWBall/
https://twitter.com/FanimeConBWBall/

princesskitty18

hi jim
ur bored but its okay
cant wait for the ball :D

<3
Fanime attendee since 2006
2012 Black & White Ball volunteer
2013-now Black & White Ball Staff

Follow us on Facebook page and Twitter!
- https://www.facebook.com/FanimeConBWBall/
- https://twitter.com/FanimeConBWBall/

tkdteo

Quote from: princesskitty18 on May 16, 2012, 01:22:24 PM
hi jim
ur bored but its okay
cant wait for the ball :D

<3

LoL!  Far from bored here.  Anxious and excited for BWBall.  Looking forward to FanimeCon weekend.

- Jim
2010-2012 BWBall Head
2009 BWBall 2nd
2008 BWBall Instructor

princesskitty18

Quote from: tkdteo on May 16, 2012, 02:49:21 PM
Quote from: princesskitty18 on May 16, 2012, 01:22:24 PM
hi jim
ur bored but its okay
cant wait for the ball :D

<3

LoL!  Far from bored here.  Anxious and excited for BWBall.  Looking forward to FanimeCon weekend.

- Jim

with everythings thats been goin on, i REALLY hope that things work out
Fanime attendee since 2006
2012 Black & White Ball volunteer
2013-now Black & White Ball Staff

Follow us on Facebook page and Twitter!
- https://www.facebook.com/FanimeConBWBall/
- https://twitter.com/FanimeConBWBall/

trale

Hi Jim,

Can people ask questions on this thread too? One that comes to mind at the moment is rules regarding exit/re-entry (ex: bathroom). Once you step outside, will you be able to re-enter easily or will you have to get back in line?

Anyways, looking fwd to the ball this year, as always. My schedule didn't allow me to help you guys out, but I'm sure you are running a tight ship. =)

-Tony

Okach

The nice thing about this venue is that the restrooms will be a part of the gated area, so umlimited reentries are possible.
Staff Instructor since 2010. 
Staff Marketing Lead since 2018
Staff Marketing Second

https://www.facebook.com/FanimeConBWBall/
https://twitter.com/FanimeConBWBall/

tkdteo

Quote from: trale on May 22, 2012, 03:06:19 PM
Hi Jim,

Can people ask questions on this thread too? One that comes to mind at the moment is rules regarding exit/re-entry (ex: bathroom). Once you step outside, will you be able to re-enter easily or will you have to get back in line?

Anyways, looking fwd to the ball this year, as always. My schedule didn't allow me to help you guys out, but I'm sure you are running a tight ship. =)

-Tony

Tony,

I am working on the situation of restrooms. Trying to work it out where there is a designated door that people can go in and out of to go to the restroom and get water if needed without having to jump back in line... And I am working on that line too... trying to get it so there is no line.  :P  I won't know final details until the weekend of FanimeCon but rest assured we are all working on it. :D  Looking forward to seeing you at the ball and maybe a couple of lessons Tony.

- Jim
2010-2012 BWBall Head
2009 BWBall 2nd
2008 BWBall Instructor

EnviMeNow

Are vans (shoes) acceptable? Or just Toms?

Okach

Vans slip on lo pro in leather is acceptable.  All other styles are not.
Staff Instructor since 2010. 
Staff Marketing Lead since 2018
Staff Marketing Second

https://www.facebook.com/FanimeConBWBall/
https://twitter.com/FanimeConBWBall/