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FanimeCon Events and Discussionmentarianism => Big Event Showcase => Topic started by: tkdteo on May 31, 2011, 09:55:56 AM

Title: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: tkdteo on May 31, 2011, 09:55:56 AM
Hi all,

I know that it is right after a wondering FanimeCon, but I just wanted to see what your thoughts were on this year's Black & White Ball as well as the dance lessons and dance demos that preceded it.  I just want to hear from people how it went, what you may have really liked about it or maybe what didn't work so well.  I will try to respond with my general thoughts later on. Thanks everyone.

- Jim
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: Persona on May 31, 2011, 11:02:12 AM
I didn't get to go to very much of the ball or the lessons, but here are my thoughts:

-The room was too small this year. I understand that the Imperial ballroom may not have been available, but my partner and I felt that the dance floor was far too cramped.

-I really enjoyed the lessons! It was especially helpful that the more advanced lessons still went over the basic steps for the people who couldn't make the earlier basic lesson. I also appreciated the format of the lessons -- even though I went with my guy friend this year I know a lot of people did not go with a partner and the format made it easy for singles.

-This is less under staff's control and more of just a general observation, but most people who stayed on the outer edges still did not "travel" during waltzes and such. My partner and I were yelled at for not traveling even though we were desperately trying to weave through people who were staying still, and that put a bit of a damper on our night.

All in all though, I had a pretty fun time and am planning on going next year to more lessons and more of the ball. Cheers!
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: mrjojoyoyo on May 31, 2011, 01:27:39 PM
this was my first year at fanime and i was most excited about about the black and white ball. however, as soon as i got close to the door i noticed that the music was not that of an actual ball. as a musician and one of the few people who are still in love with ball room dancing, i was very disappointed that the dj's would classify "forget you" or any modern pop music as formal ball repertoire. i was very disappointed to hear that the music was picked by the very people who read and comment on this forum. i know that more people would rather dance to rap and pop but thats just not for this dance. if they don't like it, there is always the dances that go on every night during fanime. there are many fantastic compositions that can be waltzed to or tangoed to found in your everyday anime series' as well as video games but to dance to the pussycat dolls is just taking you to a dance no more formal than a junior prom. i was excited about this ball because like many others, i planned my attire and was expecting one of the last formal dances that the youth is willing to attend to. all in all, i was very displeased with the black and white ball. i hope next year the music will be more formal ball appropriate.

Mod edit: It's called a dance:)
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: RoseNitemare on May 31, 2011, 03:45:31 PM
Quote from: mrjojoyoyo on May 31, 2011, 01:27:39 PM
this was my first year at fanime and i was most excited about about the black and white ball. however, as soon as i got close to the door i noticed that the music was not that of an actual ball. as a musician and one of the few people who are still in love with ball room dancing, i was very disappointed that the dj's would classify "forget you" or any modern pop music as formal ball repertoire. i was very disappointed to hear that the music was picked by the very people who read and comment on this forum. i know that more people would rather dance to rap and pop but thats just not for this dance. if they don't like it, there is always the dances that go on every night during fanime. there are many fantastic compositions that can be waltzed to or tangoed to found in your everyday anime series' as well as video games but to dance to the pussycat dolls is just taking you to a dance no more formal than a junior prom. i was excited about this ball because like many others, i planned my attire and was expecting one of the last formal dances that the youth is willing to attend to. all in all, i was very displeased with the black and white ball. i hope next year the music will be more formal ball appropriate.
I second this. I've been to the Black & White Ball before and they never played that type of music. I hate that they changed it this year, because it makes it less like a ball and more like a club or rave or something. =/
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: princesskitty18 on May 31, 2011, 04:53:17 PM
ive been to the b&w ball for many years now and never did i have to wait in line to get in
while i understand that the ballroom was small, they only allowed ppl IN when ppl left
when i got inside i saw countless ppl just sittin there or standin on the edge, nto dancing
but because they were still in there, other ppl couldn't get in either

the problem wit being in line was retarded altho i undersatnd
if ppl wanted to take pictures they should be allowed to get back in line

the dance music was okay, altho i wish for more ballroom type music rather than modern pop
and if it had to be modern pop, please have it be anime/jpop/kpop oriented so that way its part of the overall theme

line of dance? psh..wat line of dance?
it was extremely chaotic this year and that killed it for me
the waltz is a travelling dance and my partner and i kept havin to make our waltz box smaller and smaller
while i understand that not everyone had the opportunity to take the dance lessons, therefore didnt kno the dance
to have them be towards the middle so that way there is an opportunity for the travelling dances to take place

also please try and find a bigger ballroom for next year because smaller ballroom kills

i was also wonderin if they could have more private lessons because me personally i already kno a lot of the dances, so takin the level 1 classes is kind of a waste of time\
personal lessons would help a lot...thanks :D

seriously tho..overall..it was still fun :)
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: Mage of Nyo on May 31, 2011, 07:45:13 PM
Quote from: princesskitty18 on May 31, 2011, 04:53:17 PM
if ppl wanted to take pictures they should be allowed to get back in line

This. I found it completely ridiculous that if you stepped out of line to take a picture, you weren't allowed to get back in. Many people spend a lot of effort getting ready for this ball and to look nice etc. It's not fair to not let them in simply because someone wanted a picture taken.
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: Yatta Dante on May 31, 2011, 09:04:29 PM
I think that the music selection was perfect, and the demonstrations were great to watch as well!

Though, I agree that the room was too small.  We would either need a larger room, or a decreased limit on the number of people allowed inside at one time; preferably the first of the two.
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: Alyxiane on May 31, 2011, 09:40:50 PM
I was lucky to be amongst the first in line when the event started so I got in with no problem. >o<

Dance lessons were certainly fun and the highlights of my weekend! Met some spectacular people there and the little social butterfly in me had shown through. (I'm the shy nervous type when meeting new people so this is a particular feat for me.)

Am I the only one concerned that pieces of the ballroom floor tend to open and can potentially cause serious injury to anyone that happens to step onto them? This was my first B&W Ball so I don't know about the previous years and whether or not the Imperial ballroom is the same. I'm sure no one wants anyone's night to be ruined from a broken ankle or worse though so kudos to that guy fixing them while we were waiting for the demos from the staff. (To quote c2chaos in another thread, "Human Wave!")

I thought the music was fine though I wasn't too keen on the choices for some of the pop songs. (While I adored that "Gee" was playing, I found myself preferring to do the actual dance than what was intended and saw others doing the same. Fun, but not quite suited for the ball.)

And of course with increasing attendees every year, I can just wonder how even more chaotic the crowd could possibly be. Hopefully you guys will get a bigger ballroom and keeping up with the crowd control to accommodate this in the future!

Great experiences definitely outweighed the bad for me this year. I can't wait for next year. :D
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: Eri Kagami on June 01, 2011, 12:04:19 AM
I have a few words about this year's Black and White Ball. I always look forward to any anime convention that has a ballroom dance going on. Most (west coast) anime conventions tend to be hit or miss in this area. For many years, Fanime has been on the "hits." This year was a disappointment. It was certainly not the worst.

The Hits
+ Atmosphere - tables, decoration, etc
+ Everyone was dressed very lovely. Thanks for enforcing the dress code. I was very happy this also applied to press attending the dance. (at Anime Vegas, we had press people come in flip flops and shorts, very happy that the rules at Fanime applied to everyone)
+ I did like some of the songs - Sinatra, Belafonte, etc.
+ Lots of water!
+ Safe area to store personal belongings

The Misses
+ Rovers being very rude to the press. In the past, press was allowed to surpass the line to take photos of the dance and get coverage. I'm not asking for a royal red carpet, but as a member of the press, I would like to get a thorough story and review of the actual event, not a story about waiting in line to get in. Thankfully, Brain Age Guy allowed us in.
+ Small dance floor. We had to cut our time short by an hour (11PM) to rush back to our room because of an accident. Someone had accidentally dug their heels on my foot leaving a scar and bruise. Please get a bigger room for 2012. People were accidentally running into each other.
+ Music selection. This seems to have a love / hate vibe. I loved the music from last year. There are certain top 40 songs you can certainly dance too (yes, we were waiting for a Rickroll - easy East Coast Swing right there!), but for the most part, a good majority of them felt like slow dances you'd hear at a middle school dance.
+ Too many demonstrations. I love watching the demos, but I thought there was too much of it this year. To me, it just disrupts the flow.

I've always like anime con ballroom dances where they are somewhere between a high school prom and a formal ballroom dance (ie: Gaskell, Peers, Dick Fest, etc....shame that the ONLY event we have in LA is Jareth's). Nothing too corny and nothing too structured (ie: not everyone is familiar with the line of dance). My favorites were the balls that had a happy medium of both. Fanime was able to pull this off very well in previous years.

I am confident that Fanime's Black and White Ball can be back to it's former glory. Let's get a bigger and better dance floor next year.
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: michibeloved on June 01, 2011, 02:49:42 AM
This was my first ball at Fanime, and although waiting in line sucked and the room was small. I had a ton of fun dancing. We were only there for about an hour, but my friend and I still really enjoyed the chance to get dressed up and just have fun dancing.  :D
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: lilfry14 on June 01, 2011, 03:16:23 AM
Music was fine in my opinion; I enjoy doing a cha cha to unconventional ballroom dance songs like Another One Bites Da Funk, but not everyone seems to share that feeling, so maybe we could establish a good ratio of modern to classical songs?

There needs to be some control over the dances. If you are on the dance floor, I expect you to be doing some form of partner ballroom dancing. Instead there were people standing in a circle dancing as if it was a rave/a club. That's not so bad on slot dances, but it's not so great for the dancers on traveling dances when the dance floor is crowded. I guess that might be a bit unfair to those who don't know how to dance formally, but we have lessons for that and they are willingly attending a ball, not just a dance. I don't want to get to a point where we are all super strict and take away from the fun of the evening by being so focused on enforcing dancing standards.

Thank you to the people who broke up the congo line that started forming at one dance. Maybe we could add that to the rules? Like "no congo lines, no just jumping up and down during a dance (as it kills the dance floor and interferes with those trying to do traveling partner dances.) I'm not against having fun, but there is a rave dance every night for that type of stuff in my opinion. Maybe we can vary up the rave dance music so they can have music appropriate for congo lines?

Could we add some samba maybe? We could have samba lessons too.

With the demos, maybe limit it to one per type? I think there were two argentine tangos or maybe one was tango and one was argentine tango. I guess maybe you want to show off the difference between the two if that's the case? BUt I think I could of done with less demos.

Most important thing though is a larger floor.

Overall, I had an excellent time and it was a fantastic night, thanks again.
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: Wabbit98 on June 01, 2011, 08:34:59 AM
Quote from: mrjojoyoyo on May 31, 2011, 01:27:39 PM
this was my first year at fanime and i was most excited about about the black and white ball. however, as soon as i got close to the door i noticed that the music was not that of an actual ball. as a musician and one of the few people who are still in love with ball room dancing, i was very disappointed that the dj's would classify "forget you" or any modern pop music as formal ball repertoire. i was very disappointed to hear that the music was picked by the very people who read and comment on this forum. i know that more people would rather dance to rap and pop but thats just not for this dance. if they don't like it, there is always the raves that go on every night during fanime. there are many fantastic compositions that can be waltzed to or tangoed to found in your everyday anime series' as well as video games but to dance to the pussycat dolls is just taking you to a dance no more formal than a junior prom. i was excited about this ball because like many others, i planned my attire and was expecting one of the last formal dances that the youth is willing to attend to. all in all, i was very displeased with the black and white ball. i hope next year the music will be more formal ball appropriate.


I would just like to address a misconception about the music.  People on the Fanime forums can request music or even give us samples of what they think would be good swing, cha-cha, waltz, etc.  The staff of the Black and White Ball will listen to the suggestions.  But the playlist itself is put together by the staff, whether we use any of the suggestions posted on the forums or emailed is up to the staff of the Black and White Ball.  The people on the forums do not pick the music for the Ball, they can make suggestions.  But in the end it is the staff of the Black and White Ball that puts together the playlist.

Thank you,
Kevin
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: Nina Star 9 on June 01, 2011, 09:47:57 AM
Pros:
- Despite the smaller room, you guys seemed to make do pretty well with a good ratio of dance floor to tables, and with the atmosphere, etc.
- Plenty of water!! There seems to be more and more every year, which is great.
- Posting the playlist online afterwards. Love that!!

Cons:
- The music. I know that some people liked it, but there was too much modern pop music for my tastes, and it gave the ball more of a club feeling. It didn't help that it was nearly impossible to hear the music aside from a bassline over everyone talking. All the sound in that room just sort of greyed out to an indistinct roar, and it made it really hard to dance without hearing the beat. (Also, personal gripe, but you removed Tank! last year and Waltz for Zizi this year? D: Those have been played at every ball! I did love the use of the Menchi theme from Excel Saga, though, I'll give you props for that. :D)
- Again, the room size. I had to wait a long time in line, then wait a long time for my friends to get there, and when they finally did, we hardly even danced because the room was so packed that we couldn't move without crashing into someone. Even later on in the night (I left ~11:30), the floor was still totally packed. I don't mind standing in a long line if I can actually dance when I get to the end of the line. This was the biggest ball-killer for me this year, and this was the first year that I've left early. I understand that it was out of your hands, but maybe if there is a smaller room, let in fewer people so there is space between them? (You also can't control people not following the line of dance, which was a problem as well, but a less densely packed room would help with this because those not following it would at least have a cushion of space around them) I'm hoping for the bigger ballroom next year, or maybe an even bigger one, if there is one available.
- Someone mentioned the floor opening up, and while I didn't personally have any problems (unlike another year where the floor opened up and my heel got stuck in it in the middle of a dance), it's still a problem.


Overall, the ball is always fun, but this was probably the worst year for me since moving to the Fairmont.
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: phantasmagoricRS on June 01, 2011, 11:18:27 AM
I was disappointed by the B&W ball this year.  It had the feel of a high school dance rather than a real formal ball.  I think this is mainly due to poor choice in music.  Every year before now that I've attended the ball, I was refreshed by the formality.  You don't get that many other places these days.  But the overabundance of mainstream pop really irked me.  Though there were songs I did enjoy, the majority were definitely not what I would expect from a formal ball which demands formal attire and formal ballroom dancing.
Actually, I noticed that during the demos, the dress code was sometimes not followed.  I was really disappointed by that.  I did enjoy watching the demos, though I think they took too much time.
I did have some problems with the dance floor.  It came apart even after it was fixed and my heel kept getting stuck in it.  The smaller room was definitely a disappointment, especially since it made the line wrap around the outside of the building.  Actually, it was pretty difficult to move around with the cramped room.  My partner and I had to use less and less space while dancing.
There should be a bit more lenience towards people needing to use the restroom during the ball.  They really should not be asked to go and wait in line again.  Who can help but need to go sometime during a six hour period?  Especially while drinking water.  Or on their period, because that really can't be helped.
I appreciated the staff member listening to a group of us tell him of our concerns over the dance.  I really hope that next year will be a lot better.
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: le_momo on June 01, 2011, 01:04:47 PM
Quote from: phantasmagoricRS on June 01, 2011, 11:18:27 AM
I was disappointed by the B&W ball this year.  It had the feel of a high school dance rather than a real formal ball.  I think this is mainly due to poor choice in music.  Every year before now that I've attended the ball, I was refreshed by the formality.  You don't get that many other places these days.  But the overabundance of mainstream pop really irked me.  Though there were songs I did enjoy, the majority were definitely not what I would expect from a formal ball which demands formal attire and formal ballroom dancing.

Compared to last year, this years' ball had much less mainstream pop music, in my opinion. Comparing the two (as I have the playlist for both years), it would seem that last year should be the one getting more complaints than this year, though I guess it's just a matter of opinion. As Kevin had mentioned, we receive a lot of requests for music so we can have the opportunity to play what the majority of attendees would like, though the staff gets the final word in what gets played. We also put in a song or two from the guests of honor if we can, but this year seemed to have much more ballroom music than last year.

Quote from: phantasmagoricRS on June 01, 2011, 11:18:27 AM
Actually, I noticed that during the demos, the dress code was sometimes not followed.  I was really disappointed by that.  I did enjoy watching the demos, though I think they took too much time.
For some of the demos, costumes were a necessity to get a different feeling in the performance. And though they did take up some time, the additional hour we had for dancing allowed us to have that third time slot for the demonstrations. This gave an opportunity for those who had been on the floor most of the night to actually have a break and hydrate, which was rather important by itself. Each demo time slot we had, the wonderful gentleman who belonged to the company we got our dance floor from was fixing the floor as much as he could. The second demo slot would have been much shorter, yes, but safety for attendees was a priority at that point in time.

Thanks for your input!
- Rebecca
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: Wabbit98 on June 01, 2011, 02:08:19 PM
Welcome to the forums Rebecca.  Nice to get another staffers viewpoint.

In terms of the floor, we did take that break besides for the demos (which would have been a shorter break if the floor held together) for the safety of all dancers.  We kept a close eye on the condition of the floor of the rest of the night.

It is hit and miss with the music, even for ballroom dance places they play more modern music as well.  Even the classic ball music was new at point in its life.  We did not just play requests that were made on the forum.  It is hard to say exactly what the percentage was, if any, that we incorperate from the forum.

Yes if a Guest of Honor, or a staff member wants a particular song we work to incorperate that as best we can.  Also if the Chair wants to dance to a song we will also include that if possible.  Those type of songs are genrally towards the evening.

In terms of the line and the crowd in the room.  With the Masquerade going on at the same time we did not know if we would get as many people as we did last year.  Since a lot of people who attend the Ball also go to the Masquerade.  Obviously we were wrong.  Though we did get a smaller froom from the Fairmont which did not help matters.  Though the larger room at the Fairmont might have held about 300 more people, which wouldn't have gotten rid of the entire line.

Line of dance, we did mention it throughout the night.  But it would have been impossible to really enforce it.  With that many people on the floor and even if they all went in the line of dance and all that there would not have been a lot of room to move around on the dance floor.

These comments relfect my own opinions and how I saw things.

Thank you,
Kevin
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: lil_koala on June 01, 2011, 09:50:45 PM
This year's Black and White Ball actually went by a lot faster but I think that's mainly because I was part of staff this year. It was certainly tiring but fun nonetheless. I enjoyed working with everyone and teaching at some of the lessons.

I thought the decorations were really nice and the sound quality was pretty good for the most part. I'm glad that the water issue from the previous years has been addressed. Overall the demonstrations were great but perhaps we need a preview of each demo to see which ones we can cut if we have repeats.

We definitely need a bigger room for the black and white ball next year. At this rate, even the Imperial Ballroom will not be big enough. It's really hard to emphasize line of dance when there's no room for a line of dance. I hope that Parkside will be a good location for next year but we'll definitely need to plan more for decorations and to check the sound systems.

From the looks of the forum feedback, the music playlist wasn't a hit with everyone. I thought it was ok but I guess we need to focus more on ballroom music to give that classic feel people are looking for. It's actually incredibly hard to find ballroom anime music especially when all the requests in the forum are actually just Viennese waltzes. As for not having pop music, we can limit them but actually a lot of social dance parties incorporate a few nowadays.

The dress code was better enforced this year but I think ladies shoes are still an issue. We might need to post up pictures next year so that we're a bit more clear. I saw stilettos and shoes without straps to hold them in. I think we'll also need to have a meeting before the doors open to have consistence between everyone who has door duty.

And lastly, I thought the dance lessons were great! I was so happy to see so many people attending the lessons and even signing up for private lessons. I loved the use of the mic because it made it easier for everyone to hear the instructors. However, I think we'll need to discuss with the instructors to make sure everyone uses the same names for the steps because each of us learned from different syllabi so I hope we didn't confuse anyone. Although this didn't happen often, I didn't appreciate people talking on the side or over the instructor's voice. We also need more lessons in foxtrot, as we only had one, if we'll do a foxtrot mixer again. I don't know how popular merengue/argentine tango is but I really think we should teach samba next year instead.

I believe that is all for my feedback. I thoroughly enjoyed being part of the b&w ball staff this year and I hope that my schedule will allow for me to return next year.
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: Okach on June 01, 2011, 11:23:40 PM
Just a few fast observations before I collapse back into bed:

Having a smaller room increases the high-school dance feel because the acoustics increase crowd noise.  We probably had the same generated volume last year in the Imperial Ballroom but it was possible to have some hushed areas precisely because it was a large room.  I noticed based on looking on last year's comments that there weren't as many 'formal feel' objections and the playlist last year had more mainstream pop.

As for the intent of the Ball, my impression from previous years as an attendee/staff to this and similar, late lamented Balls (i.e. AX Masq Ball) was that the Ball provided a venue to expose varied styles of partner dancing to the con at large as well as a more formal atmosphere than other dances at FanimeCon.  This in turn means that the music should also be varied. Ergo, it's not going to appeal to everyone all the time.

For those people in this thread who have complained about the lack thereof of formal ballroom music in the playlist I ask of you two sets of questions:

1)  What constitutes ballroom music for you specifically?  Is it music that you can actually perform International Standard/Latin to?  Or are you bemoaning more that there's actually pop music in the playlist?  What about dances which are not considered part of Standard/Latin, i.e. Salsa/WCS/NC2S?  Would music that you could dance those particular dances to be also considered ballroom music?
2)   What proportion of ballroom music as determined by 1) would therefore satisfy your desires?        

Your feedback in this is duly appreciated.
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: SOawesomeness on June 02, 2011, 01:55:31 AM
I'd just like to suggest maybe having the dance lessons somewhere nearer to the convention? Or was it mandatory to have it at the Fairmont because of the hardwood floor? It was super cold and walking over there when I know that I had to leave a busy Registration kinda made me sad. o: The fairmont is farrr. >>;; And when I went, there were only... maybe 20 people who were at the lessons so... that kind of space didn't seem too necessary.

(though maybe it was the distance or lack of schedules that made the attendance kind of sparse...)

Err annnywayssss, maybe just have a staff-only after hours lessons (or if there were some, announce it in an e-mail during a meeting)? I disliked having to leave Reg Friday, Saturday, or Sunday to attend dance lessons. o:
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: Nina Star 9 on June 02, 2011, 09:31:30 AM
I think that my complaint about the type of music is more about the fact that I couldn't -hear- the music aside from a bassline. Modern pop music and "classic" ballroom songs sound pretty much the same when they are obscured by crowd noise, and when you can hear only a bassline, the pop music tends to stand out.
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: Wabbit98 on June 02, 2011, 09:37:00 AM
Quote from: Chiri Kcrinh on June 02, 2011, 01:55:31 AM

Err annnywayssss, maybe just have a staff-only after hours lessons (or if there were some, announce it in an e-mail during a meeting)? I disliked having to leave Reg Friday, Saturday, or Sunday to attend dance lessons. o:

If I am remembering correctly our department head, Jim, mentioned private lessons at staff meetings and he said he sent out an email to various other departments mentioning private lessons as well.  We did have private lessons, for everyone not just for staff, Friday and Saturday night.

-Kevin
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: jemz on June 02, 2011, 09:47:32 AM
Quote from: Chiri Kcrinh on June 02, 2011, 01:55:31 AM
I'd just like to suggest maybe having the dance lessons somewhere nearer to the convention? Or was it mandatory to have it at the Fairmont because of the hardwood floor? It was super cold and walking over there when I know that I had to leave a busy Registration kinda made me sad. o: The fairmont is farrr. >>;; And when I went, there were only... maybe 20 people who were at the lessons so... that kind of space didn't seem too necessary.

(though maybe it was the distance or lack of schedules that made the attendance kind of sparse...)

Err annnywayssss, maybe just have a staff-only after hours lessons (or if there were some, announce it in an e-mail during a meeting)? I disliked having to leave Reg Friday, Saturday, or Sunday to attend dance lessons. o:


The dance lessons were moved because the General Programming Division Head was working with Dance to utilize the J (where the B&W Ball's dance lessons were previously held) for other programming.  The lack of printed schedules impacted the attendance of the lessons as well as the fact that all the lessons were held in the Fairmont. But I think it's nice to have all that space to practice in without having to bump into people while trying to remember where your foot is supposed to go next.

I've made announcements about the hours for staff lessons for the past 7 staff meetings before the B&W Ball Head opened up the private lessons to the general public. I'll see if I can get our awesome note-taker at the meetings to include it on the emails he sends out in the future.
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: SOawesomeness on June 02, 2011, 12:49:14 PM
Quote from: jemz on June 02, 2011, 09:47:32 AM

The dance lessons were moved because the General Programming Division Head was working with Dance to utilize the J (where the B&W Ball's dance lessons were previously held) for other programming.  The lack of printed schedules impacted the attendance of the lessons as well as the fact that all the lessons were held in the Fairmont. But I think it's nice to have all that space to practice in without having to bump into people while trying to remember where your foot is supposed to go next.

I've made announcements about the hours for staff lessons for the past 7 staff meetings before the B&W Ball Head opened up the private lessons to the general public. I'll see if I can get our awesome note-taker at the meetings to include it on the emails he sends out in the future.
Yeah, I did remember that one of the staff emails had mentioned it, but I didn't see it posted anywhere during con. ): I WILL GO NEXT YEAR O:!!! Thanks~~ :D
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: Eri Kagami on June 02, 2011, 01:54:39 PM
Alfred asked me to rank the ballroom dances through the years. I've been going since the very beginning. This is how I see it.

1. Fanime 2010 - great demos, nice atmosphere, lots of room on the dance floor, great mix of different genres of dance, awesome music selection, nice balance between otaku prom and a PEERs-esque ball
Brad DeMoss wrote on his Facebook, "The Black & White Ball is now officially THE reason to attend FanimeCon!"

2. Fanime 2009 -  great demos, nice atmosphere, spacious dance floor, people had issues with the dance floor, music selection was nice (save for metal macarena...a few seemed less romantic and out of place)

3. Fanime 2011 - So-so set list, small room, nice decor, dress code enforced, lots of water, dance lessons, felt more like a junior high dance than a ball (assume the high school position!)

4. Fanime 2007 - Conga lines, nice set list, dark room, kept crashing into the conga line

5. Fanime 2008 - No water, dark room, not much of an enforcement, long line to get in, smells like teen fanboy, zombie macarena still gives me nightmares

Someone mentioned something about shoes for the ladies. I don't know if this is worth suggesting, but is there a way we can discourage girls from wearing super stilettos? I got heeled during the dance and when high heel meets foot, it hurts like hell. Just wanted to add that in to prevent and accidents.
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: Okach on June 02, 2011, 08:47:43 PM
Thanks for the feedback!
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: unluckycharm13 on June 02, 2011, 09:56:30 PM
Hi everyone,

I am glad to have come back for this year's Black and White Ball as an Instructor and Assistant and hope to come back next year. I was pretty satisfied with this year's B&W Ball. But from a volunteer's perspective, I would like to give some feedback:

- At the door,there was some inconsistencies about whether people should be able to come back into the room after going to the bathroom. One person I worked with stated that people could go back, another person said that this was not okay. I believe that attendees should be allowed bathroom breaks due to the duration of the Ball and how hot the room got due to so many people in the room at once. Perhaps we could make laminated bathroom passes or offer some other solution to this issue?
- Also at the door, in order to make enforcing the "no stiletto rule" easier, I suggest that we have a ruler on hand. I found it difficult to keep track of who was going in and trying to check everyone's shoes and clothing at the same time.
- I thought the demos were great and gave people a chance to rest and hydrate.
- I'm praying that we get a bigger room next year.
- For those who did not care for this year's music, please suggest songs that you would want to be played at next year's B&W Ball.

Constructive feedback would be greatly appreciated. :)

-Elizabeth 
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: NekoMiki on June 02, 2011, 11:14:27 PM
Quote from: White Rose Assassin on June 02, 2011, 01:54:39 PM
Someone mentioned something about shoes for the ladies. I don't know if this is worth suggesting, but is there a way we can discourage girls from wearing super stilettos? I got heeled during the dance and when high heel meets foot, it hurts like hell. Just wanted to add that in to prevent and accidents.

A new rule was added into the dress code about stilettos (defined as any shoe with a heel that comes to a point).  This was more about the dangers of the small gaps in the floor though.  Heels in general (flat, flared, etc.) are allowed regardless (although I don't remember if there was limit in height...whatever you can handle I suppose). Getting heeled by any type of heel hurts like hell anyway, heh.

Also, thank you for the ranking!  It is highly appreciated.

Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: JiiiWiz on June 09, 2011, 05:31:14 PM
From my 2 experiences of the Black and White Ball of 2010 and 2011, 2011 was great, though I have to agree that the music was a bit off for a "Ball". A Ball is NOT a dance. But everything else was pretty nice, despite the small room. But the "Forget You" song wasn't...so formal. If it was a pop, then it would have to be an anime/j-pop genre of music. Dance lessons seemed pretty good, though private lessons is a must as well because some people may not have the time at home to look on online tutorials. But the ups about it was that the room was not so bad, beautiful decors and all. And the staff there were pretty nice, with dress codes and all. By god, 2010 ball staff, well this one girl in particular was absolutely RUDE. She was the rudest person I've ever met, and she literally had an ATTITUDE with everyone that wasn't formal. She, herself was not formal at all. I'm so glad they had nicer people that enforce the code correctly and politely. Though, I do agree rovers were a bit mean to the press, but they are just doing their job to try keeping things in hand. Anyway, it was slightly better this year, and the staff were definitely more polite. Music was alright, though needs to not have so many modern pop music, needs more music that people can ballroom dance to. I found that some of them were so hard to dance to...and even keep up.

2011 Ball ups: Beautiful decorations, video dance tutorials, some music, staff was nicer than last year.
2011 Ball downs: Semi-small room, modern pop (not japanese pop or anime genre or ballroom music), needed to have private lessons for some who don't have time at home to learn it.

Hope to get a bigger room next year with even better music!!! <3
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: Wabbit98 on June 09, 2011, 07:32:08 PM
We did have private lessons both Friday night and Saturday night.

-Kevin
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: obito916 on June 10, 2011, 03:00:21 AM
 I was very upset with the ball this year. I've been every year for 3 years and never have I been as upset as I was this year. I got to the foot of the stairs with three others and we were booted because of our all black vans because they have rubber soles, we were dressed very nice with tie and all. The rover who also booted us was rather rude might I add, I mentioned that this was a joke and left. Those same shoes I have worn the last three years and never was it a problem, it would have been nice for the rover at the end of the line to tell us this before we waited nearly an hour in line. I overlooked everything else that was off this year but the ball is by far my favorite every year. I hope to see this rectified next year, not all of us own dress shoes and are willing to spend the money for them, for one occasion a year.
>:(
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: SpiritOfKairi on June 10, 2011, 01:28:45 PM
This was my first ball, and I thought it was pretty good.  I enjoyed the music, the politness of the other attendees who were willing to teach me the dances I didn't know, and the demonstrations during the dance.  It's just unfortunate that the dance floor had to be repaired during, but I think the staff made up for that with the improv thing while the tiles were being put back together.  But overall, I don't have many complaints.  People were dressed well, there was plenty of water, and from what I could tell, many people were having a great time (including myself).  Only other criticisms I have to offer are 1) the room was a little cramped and 2) the freedom to go to the bathroom without having to wait in line to get back in would have been nice.  A friend of mine had to go but didn't want to wait in line again, so he wound up holding it in for about 1 1/2 hours (without complaint, though, since he was having a blast).
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: yukiko_no_niwa on June 14, 2011, 09:23:59 PM
This was my first B&W Ball this year and I would say it was so-so.

The theme and dress code were very much appreciated as it kept the atmosphere and overall look of the ball formal like it should be.
The room was small, even by my standards. When I was dancing the waltz with my partner, we kept running into people which made it difficult to enjoy the moment. I nearly got stepped on once.
And the line to get in. I felt sorry for everyone who had to wait outside to get in when I left around 9:30. I arrived a little after 7 and got the light end of the line. It was also a little unfair to not let people back in who just needed to go to the bathroom.
Though I had nothing against the choice of music suggestions by the attendees, some of the music I found a little off base with the theme of the ball. Some of the instrumental versions of songs were nicely selected from video games and anime, but other songs didn't go with the theme of dance in my opinion. If we did do vocal, it should be kept with the theme and not be modern pop music.
The demos were nice, but should be limited one per dance form.
The amount of liquids available was good.

Though there are things that could've been better, I still had a good first experience at the Ball.
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: Okach on June 20, 2011, 05:06:09 PM
Jim has posted a formal response to the BWBall feedback thread on Facebook, but I see that he hasn't done so here yet.  Jim? :)
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: tkdteo on June 21, 2011, 12:56:03 AM
Quote from: Okach on June 20, 2011, 05:06:09 PM
Jim has posted a formal response to the BWBall feedback thread on Facebook, but I see that he hasn't done so here yet.  Jim? :)

Pushy, pushy.  :P. I will post a response to things later this week.

- Jim
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: le_momo on June 24, 2011, 11:00:24 AM
Quote from: tkdteo on June 21, 2011, 12:56:03 AM
Quote from: Okach on June 20, 2011, 05:06:09 PM
Jim has posted a formal response to the BWBall feedback thread on Facebook, but I see that he hasn't done so here yet.  Jim? :)

Pushy, pushy.  :P. I will post a response to things later this week.

- Jim

Thanks, Jim! :D
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: tkdteo on June 24, 2011, 06:05:29 PM
Alright, going to try and post a response now, please let me know if I forget anything so I can make sure I address everything.

First off, thank you everyone for coming out to the BWBall this year.  I know there were a lot of hit and misses at the BWBall but I think overall, it was a good evening.  So here goes:

Masquerade vs. BWBall - With the weekend being so crammed full of events, we had to try to fit in the events the best we could.  Some people were upset that Mas. and BWBall were at the same time this year but because of that, we extended BWBall by an hour just in case anyone who was not tired from Mas. could come over and enjoy the Ball for an hour or two.  I think it Mas. got out around 10:30 or so... not sure.

The size of the ballroom - This year, we were not able to secure the Imperial Ballroom so we were given the Regency Ballroom.  We did what we could to accommodate the number of people attending the BWBall.  But due to the smaller room and capacity, we had to limit the amount of people in the room so this caused a long line to form.  We are working on addressing this for next year.  One observation I made though, is that even if we did have the Imperial Ballroom this year, the capacity of the room would still cause a line to form outside of the event.  

The dance floor - Believe it or not, the dance floor this year was only shorter than last year's dancefloor by 3 feet, width wise.  Other than that it was the same dimensions as last year.  It may seem smaller due to the fact that we were in a smaller room but it was almost the same size as last year. The dance floor was from the same company as last year.  They assured me that if they come back next year, they will bring tools to make sure that the dance floor does not separate.  The main reason that the floor separated was because people were jumping on stomping on the dance floor.  This is one of the reason why I try to break up groups of people who are "stomp" dancing in a circle

Music - There has been a lot of talk about this.  So every year we post up a thread for requests for music if anyone wants a particular song played at BWBall.  Due to needing to have the slides up and matching the title of music, we have to have the playslist done early.  Many suggestions came in 1-2 weeks before the BWBall.  This makes it extremely difficult to screen music, cut music, and fit it into our playlist.  Also, on the threads, although there a lot of suggestions, many of the songs that were suggested were not danceable in a ballroom sense.  Many of the waltz and tangos that were suggested were Vianeze Waltz and Argentine Tango.  Although Argentine Tango was taught during the weekend it is a hard dance to pick up.  We did't have lessons for V. Waltz so we did not put it in.  But do keep in mind that we are always looking for good music to dance to, so please post on the forums if you have any suggestions.  

Playlist - There was an issue of having pop music in our playlist.  At FanimeCon we try to cater to everyone's choice in music.  We are here to have fun and encourage a safe and entertaining environment where people can dance and enjoy themselves.  So with that said, we tried to get a mix of different music in there.  The playlist from this year and last year are posted on the forums and you can compare them.  This year, there were less pop songs than last year.  Also, if you go out to the ballrooms around this area such as Dance Boulevard or Star Lite Dance, they play a mix of classical dances as well as more recent popular music.  

Rovers - Rovers and BWBall staff this year, worked together to ensure a safe and fun environment for everyone.  There was a bit of communication breakdown between the two departments,but I felt that the Rovers did a good job.  We will work on resolving the issue of having to go to the back of the line for bathroom breaks and photos for next year.  

Demonstrations - So there was some confusion as to why we were having demos this year.  Some people felt that we were showing off and that the demos did not have a place at the BWBall.  There were a couple of reasons for this, the demos were there to entertain.  Many of the instructors and assistants have been dancing for months to a few years so it was to show what you could do if you stuck with dance lessons and kept going.  It was also put there so people can get a break and get water and use the restroom and things if needed.  Also, it was used to clear the dance floor so we could get ready for a mixer.  We had 3 sets of demos this year.  1st set was followed by the Foxtrot mixer, 2nd set was followed by a Swing mixer, and the last set was more of a break to allow anyone from Masquerade to come in and get situated.  

Shoes - Shoes have become an increasing issue over the years.  People wear shoes for show and after dancing in them for a while, their feet hurt and they try to dance on the dance floor without shoes.  This is an accident waiting to happen so that is why we require shoes at all times. Sneakers and rubber soled shoes have been marking up the dance floor, they tend to leave marks on the dance floor and sneakers tend to grip the dance floor so more chances of accidents happening.  Heels like stillettos leave marks on the dance floor and indentations in the wood.  Also, the dancefloor is not one long piece of wood, there are gaps in between and if you have a small heel they can get stuck and cause an accident.  Height of the heel is an issue too, if you cannot balance well on the heel or turn on the heel it can lead to accidents.  The higher the heel, the more chances of a twisted ankle or foot injury.  The shoe requirements will be more visible next year so please keep your eyes out for them

Line of Dance - This is an issue every year. People are reminded about it at the lessons every year but a majority of people do not attend the lessons to hear it.  Announcements were made this year also but alas, not everyone was following it and it was hard to follow it due to overcrowding on the dance floor.

Venue - This year we had the dance lessons and the BWBall in the same place.  In previous years we had it in the J Ballroom in the convention center.  Every year, the convention grows and we have to make space for other events.  This year there was an event going on in the J Ballroom during the daytime.  Also, by having the dance lessons at the Fairmont that allowed us to have more dance lessons and private lessons later on in the day instead of cutting it off at 6pm at night on Friday and Saturday.

I think that is about it for now.  I do have a few questions if anyone wants to answer them it will greatly help out for next year's event.

1) How do we get more music suggestions?
2) What would work better for you, smaller room with a ballroom feel (less people can fit in there so there will be a line) or a larger room or building where everyone can fit in but the acoustics for the music may be off and there is not quaint ballroom feel (no line though)
3) What dances do you want to see more of?
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: eHash on July 05, 2011, 04:14:22 PM
Quote
Venue - This year we had the dance lessons and the BWBall in the same place.  In previous years we had it in the J Ballroom in the convention center.  Every year, the convention grows and we have to make space for other events.  This year there was an event going on in the J Ballroom during the daytime.  Also, by having the dance lessons at the Fairmont that allowed us to have more dance lessons and private lessons later on in the day instead of cutting it off at 6pm at night on Friday and Saturday.
I think this worked out very well!
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: Kuudere on July 06, 2011, 02:27:00 PM
For how to get more music suggestions, I would recommend using your Facebook outlet for that. Get together with whoever runs the main Fanime Facebook page, and have them make periodic status announcements asking for requests. I think you'll get more of a response through that than through the forums, but both should definitely be used. Many people get discouraged when they find they have to sign up for things like forums to get their opinion across (no idea why, but I know a few friends who don't want to bother with it), so bringing everything to a source they use would probably help.
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: Okach on July 09, 2011, 08:12:53 PM
re: FB page - that'd be us, too :P. 

re: lessons - the major disconnect was that there really wasn't anything to point people to lessons until late Friday in terms of handouts/advertising...
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: Ruiichu on August 21, 2011, 02:53:04 PM
Uhms.. i dont mean to be a drag down... but... honestly... i think that the music didnt fit some of the themes... like i remember for this waltz song some kind of japanese country artist person came on... and it didnt remotely sound like waltz at all xD... Is there no way to get more popular songs? sorry again for this lame feedback xD;
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: tkdteo on August 22, 2011, 02:02:32 PM
Quote from: Ruiichu on August 21, 2011, 02:53:04 PM
Uhms.. i dont mean to be a drag down... but... honestly... i think that the music didnt fit some of the themes... like i remember for this waltz song some kind of japanese country artist person came on... and it didnt remotely sound like waltz at all xD... Is there no way to get more popular songs? sorry again for this lame feedback xD;

There were a few mixups in the regards to the playlist that was projected on big screen last year and the music that was playing.  We were able to fix that problem about half way through the song.  The music that was played last year was tested for danceability (if there was a steady enough beat for people to hear and dance to) as well as timing.  It just so happens that most of the Waltz music that is played in Animes are usually Viannese Waltz which is faster and harder to pick up.  The Waltz music that was played at the Ball was the slow Waltz where the music is 3/4 timing.  Without getting into more detail, we tried to find music that people could dance a slow waltz to.  The playlist of the dances and music used is posted up on the forums if you want to see if the songs have a Waltz beat. 

If you would like to request songs, we also have a thread for that on the forums.  We usually start the list early so we can compile a list, listen to the music, and cut the music.  Because of this, the list needs to finalized about a month or so before the actually Ball.  Last year we had a lot of people try to get in their requests a month or less before the ball and it was impossible for us to fit it in.  We are always looking for more music to use at the Ball so if you would like, feel free to post your requests on the thread and we will see if we can get them in.

Hope this helps. Thanks for the feedback.

- Jim
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: Nyanko on March 12, 2012, 10:09:24 PM
I've been going to the black and white ball since it first started, and i must say, every year it's gotten better..except last year. Hopefully we will have a bigger room for it, like in 2010, and that will solve alot. I agree that there was alot of music that felt very 'pop' like and not so much traditional-what-you-would-think b&w ball music, but this is an anime convention so having pop like anime/japanese music i expect. And i love love love that the dress code of actual FORMAL wear is enforced, it just gives it such a GREAT atmosphere. The only thing that really endlessly pissed me off was that i got hassled alot to see my shoes. Now yes, i was wearing a floor length dress (its a ball, so floor length for me :D) but i got checked at the door, at the elevator, in the line indoors, at the entrance, after being done dancing, i mean really its why i got pissed and left.

I've read around on the forums here some people being upset about this as well, so i wanted to give my thought or suggestion, i think there should be a dress code checking station. Not at the door where you are right there at the ball but at the beginning, or as far to the beginning as it can be. And at that station have someone or like 3 people (any more than that it becomes a power battle) who are KEEPERS OF THE CODE with rulers in hand, who check your attire and your shoes, and if you pass they give you a stamp on the hand, like a dark stamp so it dosent sweat off or wash off while your there, so that after that other staffers can see that you were checked and cleared. No more 'lift your dress' every 5 min, or confusing between staffers if what your wearing is cool.

Seriously thats my only suggestion, just put something on us so that everyone on the planet knows our attire and shoes were cleared so the only thing the other staffers there have to worry about are rude, overly crazy, etc etc peeps. I love the ball, it's really a highlight for me, and other than that you guys are really really awesome.
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: Okach on March 13, 2012, 06:32:04 PM
Sorry to hear about that.  Giant bullet point for us this year is to coordinate better with the rovers so that situations like yours don't happen.
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: Dr Mario on March 30, 2012, 01:33:55 AM
Just wanted to say that I love the B/W Ball. Been coming to Fanime since the old days at the Santa Clara convention center and love seeing the con get bigger and bigger every year. Since you started the B/W Balls it has now become the big highlight of the con for me to go to. Love to see everyone dressed to the nines, and I have always had a very nice experience when attending. (Would say 09 is at the top of my list among the dances.) I am overjoyed at the new venue that you gentlemen have secured and can't wait to see it decked out for us. I really do hope that the dance floor is taken care of as well, as having to stop 10 to 20 minutes every time to fix the floor really starts to add up to losing a lot of dance time, especially when you already had to wait for sometime to enter in the first place. So as I was saying, very excited about the new location.
 
Might be a little late to say this but it's just a small thing that has bugged me about the recent B/W Balls. I've never had a problem with the music. Sure there are some songs that I'm not into that I take a break from the dance floor from but I'm sure some else just jumped up on the dance floor because of it. My song style of choice is Waltzes, they always have me on the floor. Really my one main gripe about the dance is the format of the latest Balls. Having a big screen that shows what type of style you should be dancing for every single song. Like I said I love to Waltz but have no idea how to Salsa or Tango, so anytime I see those types of songs I feel I should exit the dance floor and let those who know what they are doing have the floor. I know there are dances classes and trust me I would love to take some lesson but at the same time it is an anime con, and between Cosplay photo shoots, tv and movie screenings, and panel discussions, I either don't have time, or completely forget about the lessons that are held away from the convention center. The fact that you have dance tutorials at all is a great thing so really that is not about a complaint about where and when the lesson are and just more to point is that there is just too much to do at Fanime in so little time.

Getting back on point most of the time I head to the ball as a single guy looking to have some fun on the dance floor. The way you have it set up with each and every song being designated as a this type of dance or that, really prevents a lot of mingling on the dance floor. Lets just take salsa for example. I bet a large portion doesn't know that dance, and the ones that do more than likely went to one of the classes either with a partner or some friends. So when a salsa song comes on they already have their dance partner and that's that, very little mixing happens, but lets say you put on the same song without the screen declaring "Salsa dance to this song" more people are inclined to get on the dance floor and find their own groove to the song. Even if it is a ball the object should be to have people on the dance, instead of limiting people to only the dance styles they know. Of course the music should be something fit for a ball (have the raves that perfectly cover the other end of the spectrum) but really the DJ should just play a song and let the dancers figure out for themselves what type of rhythm takes them.  Have some dedicated songs throughout the playlist that involve the choreograph numbers instead of all of them. Sometimes it's nice to hear a fine song to slow dance to instead having to Waltz, and follow that up with some YMCA and everyone would still be having a great time with more people on the dance floor.

Anyway that's just my two cents and feel free to take it or leave it as you guys have been doing a great job year after year. Sorry for being so long winded. Looking forward to polishing up my shoes and pressing up my lab coat. Can't wait to see you at the Ball.
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: Okach on March 30, 2012, 04:05:28 AM
First of all, thanks for the thoughtful feedback.  I'll try to explain the thinking behind the slides and the music with the same care that you had for your post.

We are offering this year 24 total hours of classes covering 13 different dance styles over the course of the con, not counting the evening semi-private lessons on Friday and Saturday nights which some of our instructors are generously donating their time to teach.  The music played at the ball has to be as varied as the styles taught.  As such, to reduce the confusion for those students who have gone to one or more lessons and who'd like to exercise their newfound prowess at the Ball, we list the styles that can be danced to the particular song on the slides.  It is NOT a requirement that you have to dance only the listed styles to the song listed.  If you so choose to break out East Coast Swing with your partner during a song that has Rumba listed, the staff will not try to indicate their aesthetic displeasure in any way unless you are being a nuisance or a danger to others (i.e. crashing into people, stepping on their feet, accidentally smacking them).

So, while we would like to get tons of people up and dancing, we'd also like to reward those who came to the lessons.  It's not an easy balancing act.  
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: bluebomber on April 25, 2012, 02:52:09 AM
I'd like to see a policy banning swastikas and Nazi costumes from the B&W Ball, as well as the con overall. It was really offensive to see the guy dressed as a Nazi SS officer with the red swastika armband last year at the Ball.
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: udonoodle on April 27, 2012, 06:12:13 PM
Haha it's almost time for B&W 2012! (And I'm still thinking about 2011)
I always love the black and white ball. I thought the 2011 B&W was classy (albeit crowded), and fun.
I didn't miss the huge holes in the dance floor :)
So excited for this year!

I liked the "divide-the-boys-and-girls-up-and-pair-them" method (was it 2010? 2009?) of getting the ball rolling more than the "infectious-dancing-virus technique: people ask different people who ask different people" (2011) mostly because it removes the "asking" part. I was one of the first ones picked to go out, so (silly me) I went back and ask a friend, who ask another friend (but we never left our friend circle). I guess "forcing" is a good icebreaker. :)
Title: Re: 2011 Black & White Ball Feedback
Post by: Okach on April 28, 2012, 06:38:54 PM
@bluebomber - We regret that your Black & White Ball experience was an unpleasant one based on what you experienced.  There was no mention of a proposed Nazi uniform ban in any staff discussion.   

@udon - We are going with a different floor vendor this year who has assured us that we will not have panel separation...but if we do, putting it back together will be faster than jumping up and down :P. 

We did in fact offer both forms of mixers for both years of BWBall - the swing mixer is the "viral" one (we call it a snowball) and the waltz mixer is the paired up one (we call it a waterfall).