Strictly fever is sweeping the nation once again, with the 14th series of the hit show now in full swing.
The good news is that our obsession with the show is getting us up off the sofa and out dancing. Strictly-themed events are being held up and down the country, while traditional dance socials are enjoying a renaissance, with participants both young and old.
If you fancy getting in on the act and organising a dance night in your community, check out these top tips from five experienced organisers and make sure your event gets full marks…
Scott Cupit, Swing Patrol
We always try to make sure our events have a really special and immersive user experience. We want patrons welcomed at the door and given good clear information in terms of cloak room, bar and format of the evening.
We tailor many of our events with the assumption that we have new people all the time who will be nervous so we ensure the MC is welcoming and that the environment and culture is one of inclusiveness and fun. We want people to feel the sense of community and look forward to being part of that.
Lighting, amplification, format and location are all important factors that we spend great detail working on behind the scenes. We want people to leave having had a great time in terms of the people they interacted with, the dances they had and the professional evening that worked seamlessly.
Sheela Joy, St. Cuthbert’s Hospice
We’re in the process of planning our second Strictly St Cuthbert’s event, recruiting contestants from across the region to undergo eight weeks of dance lessons in preparation for our Grand Finale on 18 March.
The competition involves tango, jive and salsa and the audience gets to decide which couple wins the title at the end of the show. The evening also includes a three-course meal, live music, social dancing and entertainment from professional dance schools.
Our top tips for anyone planning a similar event would be:
- Find partner dance schools in your area. We’ve been lucky to find two dance schools in the northeast, to offer tuition to our couples, free of charge.
- Start recruiting as early as you can. We’re finding it much easier this year to fill our dance partner places, as we’ve started our recruitment campaign early in the year.
- A good compere/host can make the night run as smoothly as possible and a confident panel of judges is essential to keep the crowd engaged.
- It’s a good idea to also have some professional performances dotted throughout the night so the crowd has a mix of entertainment.
- Atmosphere is everything! Make the most of the night by choosing a venue with a good-sized dance floor and good lighting.
View St. Cuthbert’s events on Eventbrite
Teresa Keenan, Belfast Argentine Tango Society (BATS)
Our Society is made up of volunteers. Some people have great talents and we draw on those qualities such as, people who can use the web to contact the right target groups, others can design flyers and posters to attract new people. People who have excellent organisational skills are an asset to our organisation.
The vital ingredients come from picking the right location which keeps an event in one place. The date is also important, making sure we don’t clash with other events.
As well as organising regular dance socials and classes we also host an annual festival and this can be very challenging. We have catering to take into account and we have to organise DJs to make the event worthwhile. If the right DJ is not picked, this would have disastrous consequences. People come to dance and the atmosphere has to be there from the outset.
The choosing of the teachers also has to be correct – getting the well-known teachers is very important while launching a festival. However, this can be very costly. To help with costs we usually try to host visitors in members’ homes.
We usually hold our annual festival Titango for three days, which gives a holiday feel. If people finish the festival with this feeling we know we have succeeded.
View BATS events on Eventbrite
Angela Caine, Stockport Dance Centre
Running a dance night at Stockport is always a special event whether it is a new class, a Medal Ball or a party night. We consider very carefully who our audience is and do our utmost to provide that audience with the kind of thing we think they will be interested in.
Depending on the age of the students, we look at different music genres that we think would appeal. We carefully consider the time of classes and make sure they’re not too early – it’s best to leave enough time for people to get home from work and eat before heading off out for the night. However, on the other hand, you don’t want finish times to be too late, especially on a weeknight.
Limiting class numbers and ensuring that the class is not oversubscribed is also important so that people have space to move around and practise their newly learned skills on the dance floor.
We also monitor the ratio of men to women at our classes so that they are not oversubscribed with women and hardly any men. We do not promote ladies dancing together as we feel this spoils the enjoyment somewhat for ladies.
We are very hot on customer service and welcome feedback and are always looking at ways we can improve the whole experience for our students. We have created a club type atmosphere and the feedback we get from our students is fantastic.
View Stockport Dance Centre events on Eventbrite
Amanda Burt, Highland Hospice
We have run our Strictly Inverness competition for the last seven years and it’s proved hugely popular, raising in excess of £630,000 for the hospice. We also organise other dance fundraisers throughout the year and encourage our supporters to host their own dance socials. Here are our top tips:
A dance night always benefits from a theme, whether it is an 80s disco, a Scottish country music evening, a Ceilidh, a salsa night or another theme which you think would appeal to your local community.
Decide which type of people you are targeting for your event. Do you want an event for young people such as an after school dance, or maybe a social gathering for older generations?
Discuss sound system requirements with your DJ or band. There is nothing worse than realising on the night of the event that the sound system isn’t suited to the size of the venue.
Keep in mind that you will need a lot of help on the night including setting up tables and chairs before the event, decorating the room, manning the door, bar and food points as well as tidying up after the night is over. Do try and enrol as many of your friends and family as you can to help you.
If you decide to run your own bar, make sure you order supplies from a company which would let you have some stock on a ‘sale or return’ basis. This will mean that you will not be left with litres of unsold alcohol after the event.
Take a camera with you and take plenty pictures! They will be great for everyone to look at after the event on your Facebook page.
Conclusion
Capitalise on the popularity of Strictly Come Dancing to get people together in support of your cause or club. It’s a great way to raise funds, while encouraging members of your community to stay active and meet new friends.
