Beginners - How do we keep them ???

[Gordon J Pownall]

Ok, so as a teacher, one of the things we can do is make sure that we make people feel welcome, not out of place or even out of sorts by coming to learn to dance.

Taxi dancers do their bit and hopefully the regular dancers and intermediates grab a beginner and have a boogie with them.

Beyond all the basic stuff, financial incentives etc., what else can be done to keep those new vict...oops - members coming each week.

Practical advice would be useful and interesting as busking season is upon us and those bright faces coming through with their free membership flyer need to be retained...

No doubt lots of us will be out and about generating trade - keeping it after that first or second visit however......

What do you think???

If you are a new member / beginner, what kept you coming back for more..???

[Gordon J Pownall]

Do you think watching the JiveMasters 2003 video would inspire beginners to stay? - we have a few available from www.cerocmetro.com

Can't believe I forgot that....

[Dreadful Scathe]

If you are a new member / beginner, what kept you coming back for more..???

Hot babes, it was fun and ..er..hot babes.

Why is there no option for that ?... there are others as shallow as me - i know I've met them

Hey..Mixing your tenses there... "if you are a new member" ? , "what kept you coming back" ? I took it to mean if you were a new member, which i was - longer ago than my ability seems to point towards

[Gordon J Pownall]

Hey..Mixing your tenses there... "if you are a new member" ? , "what kept you coming back" ? I took it to mean if you were a new member, which i was - longer ago than my ability seems to point towards

I assume that at some point, everyone who is now a dancer was a new member / beginner therefore,

If you ARE (as in now) a new member (i.e. have been at least once) what kept you coming back.

Logic indicates that if they are reading this forum and are a new member and have been more than once, they went once and went back again.

If they did not go back after the first visit, then they would be unable to answer the question "What kept you coming back" as the qualifier has not been fulfilled ie. a second visit.

Phew - can I have a rest now please......I might put my feet up and watch a video.......ermmmmmmmm what can I watch...???

[Gordon J Pownall]

So - back to the thread...

What are some of the ways in whcih we can tempt the lifeblood of Ceroc / MJ - the beginner - to stay, develop as a dancer and maintain the cult...?

I've heard of offering 1-2-1 classes for each new person on the evening during freestyle as opposed to just having a dance with the beginners / new members.

What do taxi dancers think would keep them coming back for more - they, more than any other teacher / demo etc, spend most time with beginners ???

[TheTramp]

I've heard that chains work best....

Trampy

[Emma]

Apart from the teacher and taxi dancers being generally fabulous:

-The class atmosphere was laid back and unthreatening.
-Everyone was welcoming and friendly, which meant it didn't matter that I didn't know anyone.
-People asked me to dance even though I didn't have a clue.
-People didn't care that I didn't have a clue.
-I got in half price for three weeks.

I think that the friendly atmosphere was the most important, once the cheap entry got me through the door. Smile at your beginners, and ask them to dance.

[TheTramp]

I still think that chains work best.

Much better than ropes. They can bite through the ropes if you give them enough time....

Trampy

[Emma]

Well yeah: failing the above - chains are good

[Gus]

Well yeah: failing the above - chains are good

One would have thought that chains (and a little imagination) INSTEAD of would be even better

[under par]

You haven't got an option for...."Thought I'd never see my wife(Mrs PAR) again unless I kept going" As she was out there jiving most nights of the week.

[Emma]

One would have thought that chains (and a little imagination) INSTEAD of would be even better

As a social menace I have many answers to that, none of which are postable!

[Andy McGregor]

I still think that chains work best.

Much better than ropes. They can bite through the ropes if you give them enough time....

Trampy

They can't bite anything if you have a properly secured gimp mask

[Emma]

They can't bite anything if you have a properly secured gimp mask

What's that, Andy??

[Andy McGregor]

What's that, Andy??

Wasn't there a gimp in Pulp Fiction? And you can find out if you are a gimp here.

I'm not sure what the masks look like because my masters and mistresses have never let me use a mirror - all I know is you definitely can't bite anything when you're wearing one

[Forte]

I still think that chains work best.

Much better than ropes. They can bite through the ropes if you give them enough time....

Trampy

I came back for the music and the dancing...then someone invited me to the pub afterwards and suddenly it was a social thing, too. (For months I had been too shy to go to the pub when asked then when I did go I realised droves of them in Glasgow went ! Very nice people they are, too!!) Then when I moved city I had to start all over again and this time it was an experienced dancer (who pretends he is just a beginner) who kept asking me to dance each week and really made me want to improve...

[thewacko]

Apart from the teacher and taxi dancers being generally fabulous:

-People asked me to dance even though I didn't have a clue.
-People didn't care that I didn't have a clue.
-I got in half price for three weeks.

Ahh Charlton those were the days

I still occaisionally ask you to dance

[snow1962]

Yes,
How do we keep them, I have only been attending for a short time and have noticed that an huge percentage of people do not come back a second time.

I think it might be because of what the nights are, "quite difficult" for a beginner or the uncoordinated (like me) and "social" but not realy "sociable", as per another subject on the forum. Although you may dance woth many people in one night you probably never say more that "would you like to dance" and "thank you".

I have to admit that one of the reasons i did keep coming back was because people were generally nice, several ladies did ask me to dance on my first night and were not put off by my complete lack of any ability (thank you).

So what have i been trying to say, perhaps Ceroc is too many things, dance class, night out, singles club, etc etc, and in being all those things perhaps fails in what most people expect from a "Dance Class". So maybe it needs to have more of a core identity.

But who knows i am sticking with it for now but having difficulties with the intermediate classes may change things.

[Clive Long]

.... perhaps Ceroc is too many things, ..... singles club, etc etc,

Oooooh .... you'll make yourself real unpopular round here saying things like that Andy McGregor must be out of the country as he hasn't jumped on your comment.

But who knows i am sticking with it for now but having difficulties with the intermediate classes may change things.

Well don't rush into it. Occassionally I go to beginners classes and get really simple things pointed out or didn't even realise - like keeping my elbow down when doing a slow comb.

Welcome.

Clive

[bigdjiver]

Yes,
How do we keep them, I have only been attending for a short time and have noticed that an huge percentage of people do not come back a second time...

Try and think of all of the shops, pubs, eating places in your home town that you have only been in once. Ceroc has a very good retention record, which is not to say that it could not be better.
It is possible that such a high retention rate is an indicator that it is not getting enough people along to try it in the first place. On the other hand introducing the more agressive marketing policies may actually damage its growth. The people introducing friends approach may be the secret of its success.