• Community Building - Congresses & Travel - Dance Discussions

    Are dance artists and event staff paid enough?

    June 6, 2019 - By 

    There’s a lot of conversations surrounding whether specific staff and artists at events are paid enough. Very often, these stories are either told from the perspective of an individual who (rightly) recognizes that an event isn’t paying the fair market rate for their services (and sometimes hiring a cheap replacement), or from an organizer lamenting the high costs of running an event. I’m both an organizer and an artist, but I also work as a non-artist staff member at Zouk events (running competitions). As a result, I’ve both hired staff and artists, and been hired by events. Regardless of what side of…

  • Congresses & Travel - Dance Discussions - Etiquette - Social Dancing

    The Ethics of Paying for Dances

    August 1, 2017 - By 

    We are used to paying cover to go social dancing, but for many people the concept of ‘paying for dances’ is both foreign and alarming. It is usually men who are ‘paid’ as a partner, and women who are paying. And, the practice is more frequent at large events than small socials. Paying for dances comes in several forms: taxi dancers, who are paid or given complimentary entrance/discounts to an event in exchange for social dancing; fundraiser dances, where pro’s are ‘tipped’ for a minute of social dance time and profits are donated to charity; dancer ‘rentals,’ where a high-level dancer is…

  • Inspirational - Leading - Social Dancing

    How a Lead Turned Our Dance from Nightmare to Dream

    November 5, 2015 - By 

    I recently arrived home from one of the largest Zouk congresses in the world. It was full of all kinds of social dance partners, but there are a few that truly stick out in my mind. One was a dance where, after the first 20 seconds, I became very scared for my safety. But, unlike every other rough dance I’ve had, the leader managed to transform this dance into one of my most memorable of the weekend.

  • Etiquette - Social Dancing

    The 2 Types of Social Dance Partners

    October 15, 2014 - By 

    On the social dance floor, there are two distinct groups that a lead or a follow will fall into. At its base level, a social dance will be either “Comfortable” or “Uncomfortable”. It doesn’t matter what level you dance at, you have complete control over which of the two groups you fall into. A complete beginner can give a partner a “Comfortable” dance, and a professional can give a partner an “Uncomfortable” dance quite easily. So, what (in my opinion) is the line between the two groups? To me, there are three main differentials: