With the Salsa formation team in full Swing (ha ha; little joke there :-)
and with so many new club members from our successful summer classes, there
has been tremendous interest in starting a second formation team; a Swing
formation team.
A formation team is a group of dancers who learn a choreographed dance
routine and give performances. You typically spend a few weeks learning
the routine, and then a few weeks honing your dancing skills. There is
something in it for everyone. The team can even get costumes from
Krannert.
To bring the idea to life, we need someone (or a group of someones) to lead
the Swing formation team effort. The team leader's job involves collecting
names, finding a choreographer, working with the choreographer to pick
music/dances, finding a coach, and scheduling coaching sessions and
practices.
I'll pass along these options that the team leaders/members can discuss:
I have a video of a national swing competition that features several Swing
formation teams, to give you an idea of what can be done.
Amy Berger has a Swing routine that she choreographed 2 years ago when
she organized a previous DI formation team. It's ready to go and do-able.
Amy would be happy to teach the routine.
I can provide a long list of excellent Swing dance coaches in
Indianapolis and St. Louis.
Being a member of a formation team is a lot of fun and you're guaranteed to
make a bunch of close friends. Let me know if you can take the reins, or
just be a part of it!
Happy dancing,
Mark
m-balzer@uiuc.edu
PS - on August 20 an email was circulated by a DI Registered Participant.
Acting alone, this individual contacted a small group of people and
proposed an outline for a private Swing formation team. Through the
wonders of email, this proposal has now been forwarded to all the corners
of the earth, so I'm certain that you're all familiar with it.
I want everyone to know that your DI officers, as well as the instructor
and the team members named therein, had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with that
proposal. Many of us were immediately opposed to the outline, not to
mention shocked by the attitudes expressed therein. In fact, upon hearing
of the proposal secondhand (I wasn't even "cc'ed"), I wrote the following
to the officers on the very next day (August 21):
As far as formation teams go, the more the merrier! And of course,
anyone, anywhere is free to organize a swing team. However, in the
past 24 hours, I have received emails from numerous concerned club
members questioning the organization of this swing team.
I just want it to be clear that if a general announcement is not
made welcoming all DI members to try-out for the swing team, the
team won't be a "Dancing Illini" Swing team, won't get any DI money,
and won't perform at any DI events. Thanks.
I don't know what the status of that privately organized team is; it is not
my concern. However, I welcome and will gladly meet with all DI members
interested in leading a DI Swing team effort. As with the DI Salsa team,
the beginning and intermediate classes, the workshops and the DI
Invitational, my goal is to provide fun opportunities for DI members to
meet and have fun while learning to dance. Thanks for listening.