FAQ

Here are a few answers to common questions about YDW. Have additional questions? Contact us…

Q: Is YDW just a fun excuse for young people to dance together?

A: YDW is very fun and younger people comprise the majority of attendees. But, as you can read in our mission, YDW is more than that. We at YDW believe each individual has a role in shaping our community. To that end, YDW is a place for making connections and building the next generation of leaders, whether they be dancers, organizers, musicians, callers, or sound people.

Q: What’s with all the “Bread & Butter” and “Community Master Classes”?

A: The YDW schedule features lots of dancing, but the discussion sessions we host are an important part of our mission to help young people develop community-building skills. To emphasize how central these sessions are, we called the one held during the first YDW our “Bread & Butter.” Large-scale conversations about dance community will always be a part of what we do, though the format of how we achieve this may change from year to year. We are interested in finding a variety of ways to fulfill this goal, such as the “Community Master Class,” introduced in 2010. We’d love to hear your ideas about how we can effectively incorporate this goal into sessions that you would enjoy.

Q: I’m significantly over 35; can I come to the dance weekend?

A: Our event targets participants under 35 but is open to anyone over 18. If you are interested in being a part of the event and are over 35, we encourage you to choose a payment option that will help cover a young person’s admission. Or, consider bringing a younger member of your dance community along with you. Our focus on youth is not meant to be exclusionary, but we want to ensure that there is space available for younger dancers to attend so that they can benefit from our programming.

Q: Why can’t my 17-year-old friend come to this event?

A: We don’t allow underage participants because of insurance & liability. YDW gets better every year anyhow, so bring them next time.

Q: How much does it cost for me to attend YDW?

A: In the past, we’ve opted for a sliding scale based on age. Starting in 2011, we switched to a “pay what you can” pricing structure. Read more about it here.

Q: Can I get a scholarship to come to YDW, or a discount in exchange for volunteer work?

A: One of our most important goals in organizing YDW is to make it affordable for young people. We’re proud of putting on a great weekend while keeping our expenses down and the cost of attending low. (Similar events that offer a weekend of dancing, lodging, and food often cost two or three times as much as YDW.) Our pricing is set up to essentially offer a scholarship to everyone, recognizing that most young dancers have limited disposable income. In return we ask everyone to do an hour of volunteering during the weekend – sweeping floors, chopping veggies, cleanup, setup, etc. This is a great way to meet folks, learn about the nitty-gritty of running a dance weekend, and contribute to the overall success of the event.

This year we are also offering a limited number of travel grants (supported by CDSS) to help defray the travel costs for people coming a really long way to attend YDW.

If the cost is still prohibitive for you, we suggest asking your local dance group to sponsor you or contribute towards your travel costs. If you’ve got disposable income to spare, we encourage you to sponsor someone else or pay more than the basic rate to help someone else attend.

Q: Kinhaven is way out in the middle of nowhere. Why not pick someplace in a city? I could have used public transportation!

A: We chose Kinhaven because we wanted a feeling of community over the course of the whole weekend – not just when we’re dancing. At dance weekends held in cities, participants often end up spread out all over the place for housing and meals. Kinhaven allows us all to be in the same place all weekend, which provides more opportunities for meeting people and making connections. Plus, it’s gorgeous, relaxing, and has an orchard full of delicious apples. (Are you sold yet?)

We do recognize that transportation is a serious issue, though. To help with this, we have a Rides Coordinator who has historically been terrific at getting people in touch for carpooling and other transportation needs. Please feel free to get in touch with us if you have transportation concerns.

Q: I’m coming from afar. What airport should I fly into to get to YDW? Can I get a ride from there?

A: We’re excited you’re going to make the trip to attend YDW! The nearest airports are Hartford/Springfield (~2.5 hours), Burlington, VT (~2 hours), Manchester, NH (~2 hours), and Boston (~3 hours). We want to do everything we can to help make the travel logistics manageable. Our ride coordinator can help you find a ride between one of these airports and the weekend. The best options for rides will probably be from Hartford, Boston, and Burlington.

Q: Have you considered hiring X famous band or caller?

A: We love hearing suggestions for musicians and callers! Keep in mind, though, that part of the goal of YDW is to highlight younger performers and instructors by hiring them to be on staff. Luckily, there are plenty of musicians and callers who are both young and extremely skilled. Some of them are already nationally known, while others are just beginning to work outside of their local community. We’re psyched to include all of them – to help newer bands and callers get exposure, and to highlight the depth and breadth of talent amongst the younger generation of performers. We don’t know everyone, though, so keep the ideas coming. And rest assured that even if you’ve never heard of some of our staff, we’re positive that you’re going to have a blast dancing to and hanging out with them at the weekend.

Q: What if it rains?

A: It rained all weekend in 2008, and we had a blast. It rained part of the time in 2009 and we still had a blast. 2010 was gorgeous, and so was 2011. The dance hall is indoors as is the dining hall (though if it’s sunny we highly recommend picnicking on the lawn). Please check the weather before the event and bring appropriate clothes!

Q: I heard it was dusty…

A: That’s true. 2008 was killer. Subsequent years were much, much better. We are perfecting our anti-dust regimen involving shoe-cleaning, mopping, anti-dust compound, and no rain. If you’d like to know more about how you can help keep our hall clean, get in touch.