Name tags?

[bigdjiver]

I can remember names. I just can't match them up with the people they belong to.

It would help me if name tags were available for new members, as an option.

Perhaps for everybody?

Perhaps mainly for use in the beginners review class?

Regulars seeing a name tag could introduce themselves.

What do you think?

[emmylou25]

Beginners would hate it - some already feel a bit out of depth, and in some venues they could feel ostracised for being newbies (although may prevent some leaders flinging them around the place in freestyle even when warned that they're new and go easy on them!). I did hear about one venue that had them for beginners but they didn't go down well. Personally I'd hate it - it's bad enough in workshops where there's only a few people's names to actually remember

I'm generally good with names once I know them, but unless you ask people on first meeting them, 2 years down the line is a bit late.

It always bemuses me that after taxiing for close to 2 years at one venue, being dragged up on stage to be introduced as taking the beginners practise session etc, people still have no idea what my name is (usually by intermediates who talk through the beginners class, even though they came to the beginners sessions that I ran!).

[Lee Bartholomew]

Funny enough, we are just about to do them for beginners.

We will give them the option of using them. One of our problems is we have alot of dancers starting with us from other dance classes at the mo so our crew and more experianced dancers don't know who is new and who's not.

Also I think it's quite important that men don't fling new ladies about and that ladies have paticance with new men , however, it is important not to make beginners feel as if they are not part of the bigger crowd

[Twirly]

Funny enough, we are just about to do them for beginners.

We will give them the option of using them. One of our problems is we have alot of dancers starting with us from other dance classes at the mo so our crew and more experianced dancers don't know who is new and who's not.

Also I think it's quite important that men don't fling new ladies about and that ladies have paticance with new men , however, it is important not to make beginners feel as if they are not part of the bigger crowd

I’d have thought that men shouldn’t be “flinging about” ladies they’ve never danced with before, whether the ladies are new or not! If they’ve danced with them a few times and got the measure of how they dance, then sure, make it a bit more challenging. But until you know what your follow is capable of, take it easy!

There’s a simple solution to the name problem – get the newbies to joint the Ceroc Scotland forum with a memorable name! I can rarely remember fellow forumites real-life names (or other dancers who aren’t on the forum), but am quite used to introducing the like of Georgious Dancer, Lemoncake, etc. Although it is a bit odd when you have a non-dancer in your midst and you start referring to people by their forum names… (happened on Saturday when Beo and I met up with Genie – quick explanation was required as to why we had a mutual friend called “Lemoncake”!)

[Lee Bartholomew]

I’d have thought that men shouldn’t be “flinging about” ladies they’ve never danced with before, whether the ladies are new or not! If they’ve danced with them a few times and got the measure of how they dance, then sure, make it a bit more challenging. But until you know what your follow is capable of, take it easy!

Yup. Unfortunatly alot of the dancers that have started coming have come from other dance clubs and are not always clued up with dance etiquette, even though we give all new members a beginners booklet outlining things like this.

In an ideal world every single dancer would bide by the rules (unwritten or otherwise) but when you have up to 80 odd dancers, you can't keep an eye on everything

[whitetiger1518]

Would love name tags for everyone - am soo hopeless at names Sorry everyone - Can even forget the most obvious forum names

My memory for faces is superb - it is just matching names, and forum names to the faces (known or unknown) that I have a problem with


Funnily I dont have the inclination at the end of a superb blues dance to ask " Err...And what was your name again???"

Cheers

Whitetiger the Forgetful

[SPROGGS]

Yup. Unfortunatly alot of the dancers that have started coming have come from other dance clubs and are not always clued up with dance etiquette

Lee give it a rest, this is untrue and you know it. All the local clubs teach Dance etiquette...

Will you please stop using this Forum to run down other clubs.

This site is to promote dancing...and NOT for you to try to belittle other organisers.

[Lee Bartholomew]

Lee give it a rest, this is untrue and you know it. All the local clubs teach Dance etiquette...

Will you please stop using this Forum to run down other clubs.

This site is to promote dancing...and NOT for you to try to belittle other organisers.

I didn't say local classes don't teach it. What I said was that dancers are not always clued up on it.

Maybe you should read post properly instead of always trying to make what I say negative. An old trick of a friend of your from Brighton.

[SPROGGS]

I didn't say local classes don't teach it. What I said was that dancers are not always clued up on it.

Maybe you should read post properly instead of always trying to make what I say negative. An old trick of a friend of your from Brighton.

We all know what you were digging at, unless you have 80 dancers coming from over 40miles away.

Nice try but please try to stay on Topic.

What works well for us is that we welcome everyone at the door, if they are new we ask their name and ask them to fill a registration form - which is optional.

If they are new to our club or MJ or on their own we introduce them to some of our regular dancers.

We have considered name tags but it does make them stand out as Newbees, which I do not think is a good thing, as it is better to ask someone name rather than read it on a self adhesive label stuck to their top. Also it does not make them feel part of the club... Sometimes it is difficult enough for them just turn up, let alone set them apart with a label.

As you know we also try very hard to remember new peoples names... This is a target to aim for but not always possible on their first couple of visits.

[geoff332]

One of the benefits of MJ is that it's a casual and relaxed environment. Name tags just have too many echos of hideous conferences and team building events. These connotations are fairly strongly established. I can't remember going to an event in the last 10 years that I had to wear a name-tag and that I actually enjoyed. I believe it would have a significant, negative impact on the culture of the classes.

For beginners, part of the joy of MJ is that it's anonymous. This has a number of benefits in helping people step over that line of self-consciousness. It allows people to control how much everyone else there knows about them.

It may be a good idea for taxis, but I have my doubts (like most ideas, so much of it will depend on the execution: if well executed, it might work; if poorly executed, it'll just be naff. I suspect it would be poorly executed).

Personally, I have a terrible memory for names. But it's had no affect on my ability to enjoy a night of dancing. I'm curious to know what 'problem' name tags are intended to 'solve'? And how, exactly they would solve that problem?

[Lee Bartholomew]

the tags that I have just done for tonight don't have names on (after all you can't predict who with what name is going to come as a total beginner), but just states New Dancer.

They would be optional and will be given as a bundle in our welcome packs.

I have seen venues do them and always thought that they worked well in the fact that they got the more experianced and willing dancers asking them for dances

[Filthy Monkey]

Karen, Paul and Glen from Ceroc Nights, over in Essex, have a great way of identifying new dancers. All people in the beginners' class are given neon bands to wear around their wrists. You know, the kind you used to buy at raves years ago. You shake them and they glow. By wearing these, regulars and taxi dancers are able to identify beginners and adjust their dancing accordingly. It seems to work and everyone seems happy to wear them. I think it's a great idea...

[bigdjiver]

Ceroc Central gives out beginner stickers. Nobody has to wear them.

Too often I find myself not being able to remember (if I ever knew them) the names of ladies I have been dancing with for years.

I have a better memory for the written than the heard.

[Lee Bartholomew]

Karen, Paul and Glen from Ceroc Nights, over in Essex, have a great way of identifying new dancers. All people in the beginners' class are given neon bands to wear around their wrists. You know, the kind you used to buy at raves years ago. You shake them and they glow. By wearing these, regulars and taxi dancers are able to identify beginners and adjust their dancing accordingly. It seems to work and everyone seems happy to wear them. I think it's a great idea...

that is a pretty neat idea and one i might nick if the beginers stickers don't work.

Better to have tried these things than to just wonder if they work or not

[Gojive]

Karen, Paul and Glen from Ceroc Nights, over in Essex, have a great way of identifying new dancers. All people in the beginners' class are given neon bands to wear around their wrists. You know, the kind you used to buy at raves years ago. You shake them and they glow. By wearing these, regulars and taxi dancers are able to identify beginners and adjust their dancing accordingly. It seems to work and everyone seems happy to wear them. I think it's a great idea...

This is something we're looking to introduce at Staines/Windsor too. At Staines, it's less of a problem for us Taxis since it's a smallish venue and easy to keep track of who's who.

However at Windsor it's quite a large hall, and once the lights go down for freestyle it's quite hard to find the beginners again (and of course they do tend to shy away to the back rows to try and hide ;-).

We also use stick on name labels in our workshops, and everyone seems quite happy to wear them. I certainly remember the names of workshop attendees much more than names I've gleaned by asking on a normal class night

[Gav]

They insisted on people wearing sticky name labels at a Lindy Hop night I went to a little while back.
However, that was a progressive 13 week course and at the start, pretty much no-one knew each other and everyone was a beginner.

As a beginner, I wouldn't mind wearing a label of some kind (preferably a name label because I'd rather that people did remember my name) because in general, some of the best/friendliest dancers seek you out when you're a beginner. Only the ones that think their sh1t don't stink will avoid you and you soon learn that they're not worth the effort anyway.

[Gojive]

...in general, some of the best/friendliest dancers seek you out when you're a beginner. Only the ones that think their sh1t don't stink will avoid you and you soon learn that they're not worth the effort anyway.

Good point Gav. Maybe labels/wristbands/whatever would encourage more of the nicer dancers to seek out and encourage beginners, as well as helping out us Taxis

[Lee Bartholomew]

We gave it a go last night with beginner badges and found that only 1 dancer didn't want it.

Crew found it helpful as did the friendlier dancers so we are going to keep them for the time being

[Dreadful Scathe]

the tags that I have just done for tonight don't have names on (after all you can't predict who with what name is going to come as a total beginner), but just states New Dancer.

Well they are hardly name tags then are they.

Good point Gav. Maybe labels/wristbands/whatever would encourage more of the nicer dancers to seek out and encourage beginners, as well as helping out us Taxis

Good idea, then the hotshots know who to avoid

[daveb9000]

I help out as a lead in the beginners' class, this way you get to meet most of the beginners and can learn from doing the beginners' moves who is a beginner and who is more experienced. It makes it easier to seek them out during free style and ask them for a dance. If they have already danced with you, and were comfortable dancing with you, then they are also more likely to come and ask for a dance. Helping out in the beginners' class also helps you to develop your leading skills.