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Hi,
I have a question to the swing scene at large... Where is the love? We have separated into 3 major groups: USU, BYU, and Salt Lake. There is a little cross over but only a handful of people. It seems to me that the spirit of swing is dieing in UT. Sad
I remember going to the Tropican every Th. to meet dancers from Salt Lake (I was at BYU at the time) and Logan. Everyone gathered there. If there was something big going on everyone would come from everywhere to support. Now the the cost or the distance or the people who will be there is the excuse for not going. We need to take a more active roll in building and unifing our scene. Don't just compain about it.
We need to get large groups out to support all 3 major areas of swing in UT. We should get to know other dancers and help promote dancing to our non-dancing friends.
Am I mistaken in my comments? What do you think? How can we change this?
I would love to help support ALL the swing dances in UT but if I did then I think I would die!!! I try and make it to things when I can, but I dont have a car I can trust to get me up to SLC let alone Logan. As it is I think I end up dancing about 4-5 times a week. I also think the group you are talking to on this forum is the group that gives the most support to all areas. I dont think the spirit of swing is dieing in UT I feel like Provo is getting bigger and better. I also feel like USU has a ton of growth going on. SLC seems to have Tommy working hard on opening doors for new people to come in @ studio 600. If anything I feel we are in a swing Boom drawing new people from tons of places. Im not to worried. It may be good for the skillet to start advertising in local papers and at the U so you can gain some more people every friday. My avereage swing week looks like this:
Monday: FHE maybe some swing at the house after/practice with team partner.
Tue: 6pm practice with competition partner, BYU club night 7-8:30, team pratice 8:30-10:30, Dancing at swing house after practice.
Wen: practice with competition partner/maybe dance at swing house
Thur:team pratice 8-10:30, maybe practice with competition partner.
Fri:about every 2-3 weeks go to skillet. Sometimes I also date on fridays scence the rest of the week Im dancing
Sat: BYU dance 7-11
Sun: sleep all day because Im worn out from dancing
I'm with scott as far as feeling that we're in a swing scene boom, or at least a blossom. I mean seriously, Steven, Virginie, Kenny, Ryan B. (who is a cool guy to hang out with, talk with about global health/development or welding), Mike Faltesek, let alone Frankie are ALL coming THIS week to UTAH!! I still can't believe it. I've heard of at least 5 cars going at various times from Provo, and I'm out of the loop. Amazing job with the exchange you guys. I heard TONS of positive feedback from visitors and locals. I think we just need to keep it up -- keep sharing the love. I just wish I could go to the Skillet more.
p.s. careful of posting multiple threads on the same topic. please help keep the forum tidy [Emoticon not found]
Oh and one thing that I think helps is chatting with people face to face or over the phone whenever planning and promoting, thereby depending less on the forum. The forum serves it's purposes but it is limited.
The other evil twin of this thread was deleted to keep all comments on this subject in one place.
Having said that, I agree with gumby. I think swing dancing in Utah is going quite well. But I might be an 'all is well in Zion' person because I am so involved in it. I spend at least 5 out of 7 days of the week with either my team or ULX (though that is pretty much over now... yay!) or BYU dances or something else going on.
I also think that a lot of new people are starting to stick around more. I see more people that are starting to become familiar to me. I would like to support USU and SLC more, and do so when I can, but like everyone else, it will generally take a semi-special occasion for me to make the 2-4 hour round trip drive for 3 hours of dancing. Though I do try and find all the excuses I can.
I'm also excited about Scott's involvement with the U's club. I hope it returns to some of its previous glory.
If I were to teach there regularly, I think I'd run out of material real fast.
t_roach:I'm also excited about Scott's involvement with the U's club. I hope it returns to some of its previous glory.
Not to be a hater... but did the U's club ever have an glory? I've been here for a while and never remember the U as being anything glorious.
We used to have a great time when we'd come down from Logan. It was back when M'shimmy hadn't learned to shimmy yet.
Wow, you are old school Grant
My "beef" is more directed at SLC. I know that Provo is doing well but the turnover rate is so high that you can only count on the scene being strong for a semester or so. Then you don't know what to expect. I want to build a scene of perminents. That is what California and Denver have.
Logan's scene is growing but it is still small.
This was not ment to be a "go to the Skillet" thread. I just remember Tropicanna and how fun that was. Studio 600 or the Skillet would be great ways to "share the love".
i disagree. the scene is in an upward trend, but a boom? i don't know. i don't think there is alot of support, just excuses and " yeah we're doing fine"
Such is the nature of the Provo scene. People graduate and move on. I think we just try and do the best we can to share the swing love. I know that a lot of people continue swing dancing after moving to those other places.
So how can you get "perminents"? Convince people to not move away from Utah after graduating, I guess.
PS - Good luck.
Buzz:Convince people to not move away from Utah after graduating, I guess.
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Dude... is this a 2 or 3 prong plug?? [Emoticon not found]
Hot Chocolate:Dude... is this a 2 or 3 prong plug?? [Emoticon not found]
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Some stuff from the swingutah thread:
popthestack:eh, I agree and disagree. I think it'd be great to have more support all around, but I don't think anyone owes anything to anyone (I don't think that's what Julie meant though).
The question she asked at the end is the real question. How can we change this? How do we make our venues better so that people are more willing to travel to them weekly? What could we do to improve the skillet to make it more enticing to you? Gumby? What would get you coming to the skillet more often?
The BYU swing club should ask the same thing, "how could we improve the BYU swing club so more SLC dancers want to come down?" (BYU people might take notice that those of us from SLC are traveling down there less than before...)
The same goes for USU, the U of U, etc.
People will attend when they feel it's worth it. If it's not worth it, then we need to change something so that it is worth it... create more value.
How do I think the venues could improve (I know you're all dying to know what I think).
USU: I don't know, since I don't go up there very often.
UofU: advertise like crazy. find people in your club, who attend regularly, and that would volunteer to take flyers around campus. plaster the campus with flyers! Just once won't work, but an ongoing onslaught of advertising. also, play good music (I don't know what the music is like since I haven't been in forever, but I throw it in for good measure)!
Skillet: advertise. find people who attend regularly who'd like to help advertise. give people flyers to put up. Sometimes the music is lame (watch the floor, DJs!).
BYU: if you regularly read any of the forums you know what my main complaint is already... the music. The music is too hit and miss to make it worth it for me on a regular basis. Also, can't you do something about the lights? Turning off the bright lights with lots of Christmas lights or something would be brilliant.
(Props to the Logan dancers who come down as often as they do. We go up there far less than they come down here!)
SHORTYJOY:It's true-- back in the day we only had three swing nights--Tuesday at USVC, Thursday at Tropicana, and Saturday at BYU. People came from all over for these dances. The "Ricks" people used to come visit at least once a month. It was fun, but it was also needed because our Utah scene was just so small that we had to be unified to keep it FUN! Yeah! for reminiscing.
popthestack:That's exactly it. The scene has grown a lot. The more it grows the more the perceived need for unity will shrink.
So answer the question: what do you think each venue could do?
provide refreshments. and a spiritual thought.
hahahah... ha......
Well I know the shurtleffs were talking to Borky last weekend.. Perhaps they got some good ideas on how to help the scene... I talke to Mighty Mike.. All day on sunday about the scene here... his view on it and what he has seen and done in other scenes.. He had some really good things to say.. Some of them were already addressed by POPs so I think you guys are on the right track
UofU: Better room that's not really a garage.
Critical mass of people. I must just go on the wrong weeks (i.e. not summer and outside). A dance needs enough people to keep the energy going.
SpecialK:Critical mass of people. I must just go on the wrong weeks (i.e. not summer and outside). A dance needs enough people to keep the energy going.
I beg to differ. A good dance needs at least three of the following:
Good music
A snocone shack
Fun people
Bug repellent (if outdoors)
Iraj making monkey noises
...
Okay so that isn't the most comprehensive list of possibilities that could combine into a fun dance experience, but hey! It's a start.
Oh some Logan peeps have chimed in on the swingutah.com version of this thread.
I keep on suggesting a date auction, but that idea keeps on getting shot down. I don't know why......
Wasn't there one on Hitch?
No, I think that was speed dating....yeah....change dates at the sound of a bell. Actually, I think that would be a perfect activity at one of the BYU dances! [Emoticon not found] [Emoticon not found]
HAHA so that's why they have those steal dances...
That and 'Sweet Home Chicago' is friggin long.
But where is the bell sound?
popthestack:HAHA so that's why they have those steal dances...
Hey! That's a nice twist on it. The whole goal of the speed dating thing is whether or not you hit it off enough with someone to get a number before the bell.
Hmmmm.... A Speed Date Dance Off?
I think Fruity gets shut down with the idea because a lot of the club leaders are married or solidly connected.
And there is this kinda creepy lead....
hepkat:And there is this kinda creepy lead....
Hey little follow, want me to lead?... [/creepy old man voice]
So, Shane and Julie are now in charge of the Lindy room at Studio 600 AND Sylvia Skylar is teaching there for a very low price. How can that influence the Utah scene?
hmmmm... im wondering what kind of question that is
Everyone should go. See you Tuesday!
When we were brainstorming concepts and dances that we wanted Sylvia to teach us, Candice's first choice was Balboa. How stoked are you to learn this from Sylvia?
I'd love to learn more bal.... it's just hard for me to make weekday lessons. :-/
Thing 1 and Thing 2:UPCOMING EVENTS
Balboa Workshops - No dates have been set, but we are working to have a Balboa workshop with Sylvia Skylar. Potentially this will take place on a Saturday in March.
Oh, I forgot to mention this. Maybe at the Skillet ::shrug::
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