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did it really have to be so far away from the convention center? it's a long walk on tired feed espeecially if you've been walking around all day already.

Honestly, the Fairmount is two blocks away. It takes no longer than five minutes to walk there, and you wouldn't be dancing if your feet were so tired. The extra room (and extra swankiness) is worth those two blocks.



I agree with Elizabeth as far as the safety goes. I understand that some people just want to get all dolled up and dance however they want, but there are a lot of people attending and not hitting them should be a concern. I'm not saying "If you don't do the dance we want you to then get out of the ball!" That's just rude.

My earlier point about etiquette only applied to the safety concerns. Idling is hazardous not only to the dancers but to the idlers. Not to mention that, because of the crowds, idlers make it difficult for people who want to dance (in whatever formal/not-so-formal style they want) to fit on the floor. It's dangerous and pretty rude.


As for conga lines... while spontaneous ones have their appeal, an organized GINORMOUS conga line including all the attendees on the floor would be not only safer but more epic. Epic conga line... imagine it... you know you want one.  :)



Sammi-Jo

[A few quick NO's]

Sammi-Jo (or Samantha... not that it matters), another assistant turned instructor. I'll do my best to not beat a dead horse as it were when it comes to certain issues.

We tried something new this year with the demonstrations and the dance mixers.  It looks like they were both well received by everyone.

1. I thought that the second mixer (Foxtrot) could have used a demonstration beforehand like we quickly showed for the waltz, that way people would at least know what it should look like before going on the dance floor and freezing.

we should be teaching less dances, not more.

2. I disagree. I think the variety of styles we taught brought in different crowds. If we limited what we were going through, I doubt as many people would show up. Besides, there were many people that I noticed kept coming back for different dances or even the same dance different days.



3. Here I go being a stickler for etiquette. There should be stricter rules when it comes to dancefloor etiquette. My apologies, but if you think that idling on the floor with your friends chatting is okay, you're mistaken. The conga line was, let's face it, intrusive. It was already a disproportionate dancefloor compared to the amount of attendees; the last thing we needed was a line of people shuffling across the area. I understand that there might be some dissent, but save the conga lines for the rave. Oooh! ORRRRR we could have a song specifically dedicated to making the entire dancefloor a conga line. Similar to how the dance styles were projected on the screen, we could just say "CONGA LINE!" and I'm sure it would be fun while not interrupting people trying to dance normally.

4. If we went with the ticket-at-lessons route, then we wouldn't have to announce what the white arm-bands mean. Also, for experienced dancers who don't need lessons, we're not jerks at the con. I'm sure if anyone made the effort to show up to Ballroom J and said "Hey y'all. I've been dancing this many years blahblahblah I've had lessons blahhhh" the reaction they'd get would be "Super duper! here's a ticket", and then they could leave and go to the con festivities.

5. I also gave a few impromptu lessons while at the dance. I didn't mind, and most people were quick to learn... but I'll admit I started to get irritated when everyone I partnered up with (who wasn't an instructor or assistant) would get on the floor and tell me they don't know anything. Yeah, I might be a mean person, but I also went to the ball to dance and enjoy myself... not to train every wallflower in basic techniques. It was sooo much easier to teach the people who had gone to at least one of the lessons the other dance styles because they had something to compare it to. "You remember that step from that dance you learned? Well here are the similarities, but this is what's different." So much easier. An hour out of the con won't kill you. Drop the controller for a spell, save your wallet from the Dealer's Room for a bit, and we all win.

A few quick NO's
+ age restrictions
+ crappy dancefloor
+ limits on what genre of music is played (this doesn't have anything to do with what dancestyle they'd apply to so long as they apply.
+ segregated dance floors. If we made attendance a bit less for "anyone", it wouldn't be an issue.

A few quick Yes's
+ Clocks. It's a formal ball. Watches just don't suit the attire more often than not. Outfits that do are few and far between (except pocketwatches! those are cool).
+ Projector with dance styles listed (regardless of whether the songs applied or not)
+ VIP's joining! how fun!
+ arm bands. If nothing else, I felt special.