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RESOURCES
DANCER'S GUIDE
GUIDE DU DANSEUR
Do and Don'ts on the dance floor
Dance receives a diverse clientele, who participate for various reasons and who pursue various objectives, but who agree on one point: the pleasure of dancing.
★ Ask others to dance, don't just wait;
★ Smile: a smile can make a big difference to the person who receives it;
★ During social dancing, dance: never “teach” or correct your partner;
★ Unless explicitly requested, do not provide feedback: it could be
badly received;
★ Dance with everyone, from the most beginners to the most advanced, because we are all here to have fun and progress;
★ Focus your energy on people you can dance with, not those
who deny you a dance: you won't stay seated for long!
Dancing necessarily implies closeness with the other. To ensure that the experience is pleasant for everyone, the following elements should not be overlooked:
★ Having showered beforehand and wearing clean clothes is imperative;
★ Use deodorant or antiperspirant, and plan to bring some with you;
★ Brushing your teeth should be part of your good habits before dancing;
★ If you sweat profusely, bring spare shirts and avoid sleeveless shirts;
★ If you use perfume, do so moderately;
★ If you have long hair, take care to pull it up to avoid whipping your partner's face.
The dance floor is a microcosm of our society, where many people realize and value themselves. Respect is always there. Some situations may be
delicate: here are some points that require tact and civility.
★ An etiquette of touch: permission to touch your partner is limited to the duration of the dance and restricted to the following points of connection: hands, arms, shoulders, back,
waist and sometimes knees;
★ Knowing how to decline a dance: if the reason is that you have already been asked or have
need a break, come back for this person later. If you don't want
just don't dance with that person, politely say “no, thank you” with a smile;
★ In class, don't talk over your teachers, and ask for their help if you think your partner is making a mistake (don't openly blame the other).
We all have our part to play in what results in a “good” or a “bad” dance. Our attitude in this regard can make a big difference for you and for the other.
★ Learning to dance is never set in stone. This is why we encourage you to advance your abilities as a dancer by registering for classes and workshops offered by the community;
★ Be gentle: social dancing is never about pulling or pushing with your arms, whether you are a leader or a follower;
★ Be aware of your space to avoid collisions;
★ When you're not dancing, stand back around the room;
★ If your partner gets injured, stop dancing and stay together to take care of the injury.
WE ENCOURAGE:
★ Pleasure through dance;
★ Diversity and welcoming everyone;
★ Promoting WCS in Montreal;
★ The participation of all for the growth of our community.
WE DO NOT TOLERATE:
★ No form of harassment or violence, in particular any violence of a sexual nature;
★ No form of discrimination.
WE COMMIT TO:
★ Provide a safe and fun environment where everyone can learn, do
dating and expressing their creativity;
★ Provide a listening space for any complaints, and if necessary, take action to address them.
DJ EN DEVENIR
DJ'S BEST PRACTICES
For future djs
☐ Provide a continuous flow of music respecting the guidelines given by the organizer of the evening;
☐ Adapt to the particularities of the evening (thematic [however, avoid putting 100% thematic songs in an evening, which may displease the dancers], strong presence of new dancers, presence of experienced dancers, etc. );
☐ Appropriate the following professional qualities: punctuality, adequate preparation, openness and listening to the needs and requests of the dancers (while keeping his final veto, if the requests are not appropriate for a WCS evening);
☐ Make sure to prepare your equipment, both physical (computer, wires if necessary, headphones, etc.) and virtual (adequate software, updates made, Internet access, etc.) Always have a plan B, just in case);
☐ Demonstrate a good ability to adapt to imponderables during the evening;
☐ Collaborate effectively with the other DJs of the evening, if any, in order to prevent duplicates or wobbly transitions as much as possible.
☐ Music speed (slow = 90 bpm and less, medium = 90-110 bpm, fast = 110 bpm and more) depending on the evening, making sure to offer a variety and limiting at all times the fast music, especially in the early evening (slow music and constant rhythm);
☐ Variety of styles (Pop, RnB, Blues, Soul, Electro, Acoustic, Hip-Hop, Country, Trip Hop, Zouk [without overdoing it if it's a 100% WCS party]), priority for about 50% of music heard in competition and WCS events;
☐ Transitions between different speeds (frame a fast track of slower songs) and different styles;
☐ So-called “clean” songs: avoid long intros, commercials, artist messages at the end of songs, or so-called “explicit” tracks as much as possible (avoid completely in large-scale events);< /p>
☐ Songs for which you own the rights (purchased, or via streaming: Spotify or Apple Music);
☐ Balance between songs by female and male artists;
☐ Alternating rhythms and levels of popularity to create a musical polarity that will satisfy everyone's tastes;
☐ Effective novelty management (recent and little-known songs should beinterspersed with tracks better known and mastered by the dancers, and the same goes for the memory hits from several years ago).
Remember: we each have our own style, but the dancers are our priority! We want to make them dance and keep them on the dance floor! ☺
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