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How to include newer dancers as a dancer/caller?

• Ask one to dance
• But how many people actually do this, though they know it's a good thing (for somebody else) to do?
• Exactly my point
• Have a guest-caller program - one dance a night
• Dance in other sets (other than "experienced" set)
• NAME TAGS ALL the time every time!
• Caller should remind dancers to dance with people they don't know
• Caller should encourage dancers to switch line every dance (to not create a separate center set)
• Callers can personally ask experienced dancers to seek out new people.
• Newer dancers are less intimidated by doing a "circle" or non-partner dance to get their feet wet
• Experienced dancers aren't necessarily going to be willing to dance with new folks ALL the time - for many of us, we come to the dance for another kind of experience. But creating a culture of expectation where experienced dancers dance with two beginners per night would make a big difference.
• Caller could designate one dance per night where everyone is asked to dance with someone they don't know?
• would people DO this?
• Yes, ask new dancers, then introduce them to your friends or point them out and ask your friends to dance with them
• Chris Ricciotti gives AMAZING workshops on how advanced dancers can be "dance angels" to beginning dancers. This includes the line dancing blindfolded to get the experience of being a new dancer all over, as well as leading blindfolded dancers GENTLY.
• Try to not go overboard with booking ahead
• I think this question, and other similar ones, is actually two. 1. How do you make it a great experience for the newer dancers and 2.How do you make it a great experience for experienced dancers? These may be irreconcilable, especially if the experienced dancers are only dancing for that "amazing dance high" that we get. They are only reconcilable if experienced dancers see, and ACT ON the value of a real dance community, for its own sake. And not just for the sake of high-energy, amazing dancing.
• [written on the perpetual beginners sheet and then transfered here] In Atlanta there once was a dance "mama" - a volunteer job where one person who meets the beginners at the lesson before - and then throughout the dance would supervise and help move the beginners in the right direction and give tips.

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