Contra Dance Callers Survey

An extensive survey of approximately 400 contra dance callers throughout North America and beyond. Interesting and useful information for organizers and callers alike

From CDSS, 2013

Attracting Younger Dancers: Creating and maintaining a multigenerational dance

How can we find youth, incorporate them, and keep them? Getting younger people to attend dances (and keep coming back) seems to be the holy grail. Notes from this 2014 session cover two major areas: promoting youth participation (dancers, callers, musicians, board members etc.), and how to have a successful multi-generation dance. Includes practical ideas and tips from people who have successfully achieved this, and we will discuss things that have been tried but did not work.

From Karina Wilson & Laura Gorrin at the 2014 Southwest Regional Organizers Conference

To Market, To Market… Jiggity Jig

A dance organizer’s heart swells to see a sea of smiling dancers, just as an entrepreneur is gladdened when her business attracts happy customers. But how do we pull in those dancers and customers? Together, we’ll venture beyond the proverbial flyer table, discovering practical tactics for marketing our series, from the well-crafted press release to preaching to the converted.

From Chrissy Fowler & Lisa Sieverts at Puttin’ On The Dance 2011

Marketing 101: Finding and keeping the crowd you want

Notes from a session on how marketing can help you find and keep the crowd you want. Focuses on the scope of marketing has beyond just advertising and that organizers seeking to attract more people to their dances need to ‘market’ rather than ‘advertise’ their dance. Including the role and importance of the organizational vision in marketing; the benefits of thinking about your dance series as a ‘product;’ the importance of understanding your audience and their perceptions of the product (dance series) you are offering; and the all-important ‘marketing mix’ (a set of tools used to help pursue the marketing objectives).

From Michael Barraclough at the 2014 SW Regional Organizers Conference