The Soapbox Archives:
The late Frankie Manning once said in a workshop that I attended 18 years ago that (paraphrasing here) that "your partner (the follower) is a queen and you have to treat her like a queen". Somewhere along the line, I wrote elsewhere (probably in this editorial space) that while you are dancing, your follower is the most important person in the world because she is entrusting her happiness and her well-being into your hands.
It was with great surprise when someone told me that some guy threw her into other dancers at least twice (during the same song!) and himself bumped into other people twice. It was even more confusing that this leader "giggled" or laughed about it. Other leaders that night were spending a lot of time watching out for other dancers and making sure their partners didn't get hurt. What idiot would think that it was fun to throw their partners into other people?
There's not much I can do beyond warning this person so warning I will do:
I will be on the lookout from now on and I will tell my friends to be watching for this person. If this person continues to throw his dance partners into other people on purpose, I will post that person's picture on this website and tell the entire dance community that this guy is dangerous, tries to hurt his partners, and that everyone should avoid dancing with this person.We'll see how long it takes this person to figure out that no one wants to dance with a leader who doesn't take care of his follower.
I saw a couple sitting at a dance allegedly waiting for friends to show up. The organizers generously allowed them to stay for 30 minutes before they had to either pay the admission price or leave. The couple stayed for the entire 30 minute count before leaving. I didn't pay much attention to it except for the fact that I knew the people working the door and they told me that this couple pulls this trick regularly, except that sometimes that couple manages to sneak in during a busy time at the front desk. The woman, in particular, had been chased down in the middle of the dance floor in order to get her to pay.
How cheap do you have to be to sneak into a dance? How much gall does one have to have to continue to return to a dance where they've been caught sneaking in?
One of my other organizer friends once told me about a guy many years ago who wanted to get into a dance without paying because he wasn't going to dance; he just wanted to listen to the music. My friend replied that the admission fee wasn't a dance charge, it was a *music* charge. Every paid admission goes towards making sure the venue can afford to continue to bring live music to that dance.
I bet that some dancers assume the venues make a ton of money and that they can afford it if someone gets in for free. Live music is expensive and many dance organizers go out on a limb to bring in good live music to their dances. The organizers sometimes barely make enough to cover their rent and maybe pay the band. Some venues offer bands a portion of the gate, so if someone sneaks into a dance, the band gets paid less. Some venues sometimes lose money on their live music dance events.
The bottom line, though, is that sneaking into a dance is stealing. All the dance organizers talk to each other. Word will get around about these thieves and pretty soon these people will not be able to get into any dance venue.
"I think I finally figured out something about Canadians. I think they only let them out of the country if they can dance."
As a former Canuck, I have to say I'm quite pleased with that comment.
As a Massachusetts driver, though, I have to say that I was very surprised at one thing. I saw that a somewhat small car somehow take up *three* parking spots at the hotel. I wasn't sure if I wanted to key the door or give the guy an award. I was, though, annoyed that I had to continue driving to find a parking spot.