Dance communities have had many issues with problematic or unprofessional behaviour. And, despite best efforts, unprofessional situations keep happening. Sometimes, anonymous pages publish anonymous accounts; sometimes things get swept under the rug. Some organizers and community leaders have systems for…
Editors Note: This article is designed to be read start to finish the whole. way. through. đ We all love dancing! But, sometimes it’s hard to pinpoint why. Luckily, studies can tell us exactly why dance is the best hobby…
Right now, most of you are probably reading from a country in quarantine (or, close to it). I am; all of our classes, socials, and parties have been cancelled. I’m staring down the barrel of a potential event cancellation if…
Note from TDG: this is the most current information to date from physician Dr. Hsu. The situation is changing rapidly. Do not panic – that helps no one – but please consider this as a serious issue and re-evaluate whether…
A FOLLOW-UP TO THIS ARTICLE IS NOW PUBLISHED WITH REVISED INFORMATION BASED ON THE SITUATION AS OF MARCH 12, 2020 Note from The Dancing Grapevine: The Author, Dr. Hsu, is a physician actively practicing in both community and acute care…
You have probably heard (or said) some variation of the phrase “I love beginners! All I care about is that my partner has good, clean basics.” We think that it takes the pressure off of novice dancers who are still…
Today, I saw a video shared on Facebook. It was a girl dancing to a Bachata song with a guy. She and her partner were clearly having fun. She was also using a fair amount of twerking within the context…
I turn 30 today. I started dancing when I was almost 20 (except for the ballet class I got kicked out of at age 5). That means that I’ve been dancing just over 10 years. From my infancy in Salsa…
It is very easy for teachers to fall into the leader trap. Very often, it makes the most sense for many movements to teach the leads the structure, and then have the followers just “follow along”. But, this has unintended…
Almost everyone has been to at least one event that could be accurately described as not very organized. On the surface, that lack of organization seems like a minor inconvenience. Maybe the shows start an hour late each night, which…
You’ve seen Jack and Jill competitions. Maybe you’ve competed, maybe you think you may do one, and maybe you swear you’ll never do it. Regardless of which camp you fall into, it can be helpful to understand the nature and structure…
I was in a car accident last night. We were hit on the drivers’ side by a person who ran a red light. By the time I noticed the all-black car at night, it was too late to swerve or…
A while ago, I was in a workshop where the instructor told a story. She talked about a girl who spent the whole weekend waiting to be asked to dance. And, the entire weekend, no one asked her. She didn’t know why,…
Almost every scene has had a bad actor, ranging from lower-level he-said-she-said harassment to full, witnessed assault. Often, organizers and scene leaders are at a loss for an effective way to handle these issues. The default often goes one of…
There’s a lot of conversations surrounding whether specific staff and artists at events are paid enough. Very often, these stories are either told from the perspective of an individual who (rightly) recognizes that an event isn’t paying the fair market…
