Dancing & The Economy

Commentary to Ron Bess’ Editorial on DanceTalk® 4/14/08

“Dancing vs. The Economy”

“The impact of the economy effects us all. As the price of oil rises it changes our thought processes.

The Economy is most certainly in a downturn & while the Government’s numbers haven’t caught up with the streets, ironically Dancing is at a high point in the Nation’s psyche, providing refuge, relief, pleasure, respite and decompression, all which we get from Dancing (and so much more).

The retail cost of food is up, job security is a concern, the subprime mortgages have sent a scare throughout the country. Will this cause a dance recession?”

Sadly, a Dance recession looks inevitable; Why? Because Dance like other sectors in the economy has over-expanded and needs to tighten it’s core.

Some may disagree as a heated discussion ensues over music speed as the magic potion that will recruit young people into saving Hustle; yet new events continue to unveil relentlessly in an already clogged Calendar.

“How do we, as a dance community, stay connected? If folks for financial reasons, stop attending dances, conventions and competitions, it will have a downward impact for everyone; paying their utility bills, filling their vehicle with gas and cutting a check for the mortgage may wipe out any extra discretionary money”

Some dislike this topic, but some are quietly relieved the glut of mediocrity in the Dance community will now have a chance to edit itself.

“How do we keep dancers in the circle? Keep encouraging your friends to attend dances. Car pool, take turns driving. Chip in for gas and tolls. If you haven’t seen a friend out for a couple of weeks, investigate. Are they okay, do they need a ride? Friends don’t ask - they just get involved. Organizers, teachers, club owners, do we extend discounts to seniors or those on fixed incomes? “

We keep dancers in the circle by going back to our core values; quality, pride of work, integrity and sustainability, the timing is good for us to unite, join forces and work as one; this is also how we stay connected - join together.

Now is the time to exceed expectations and over-deliver to loyal repeat customers (such as seniors give them their discounts they are on limited incomes), stay connected to your best supporters.

While all of Ron’s suggestions are caring, pragmatic and apt, let’s drill down to the larger issue; Managing and sustaining the Industry. Not a sexy topic within Dance, probably the least so, but important nonetheless.

A down economy is the correct time for any business, to be aggressive in Customer satisfaction solutions. It’s an excellent time to shift paradigms, or change business models; otherwise tough in an up economy.

I ask everyone to review these and other ideas and - get involved. Lets all re-energize the events, socials and encourage others to join us. We are all in this together, lets keep on building.

A troubled economy represents opportunity, Opportunity for those who are truly willing to earn the Dancer, the paying end-user, the event attendee, the average dancer who invests their time, money and energies dancing, the Dancer is who we all serve.

When the economy swings back up; which it most certainly will, the competition will be fierce, the cost to compete will be prohibitive, so invest now in your best Customers. We can build, expand and grow once again and we dance folks will patronize those Dance businesses who have worked hard to earn our loyalty, business and hard-earned dollars.

[Editor: The first in a series of Editorial Commentaries, we will highlight some of the more serious issues regarding Dance. We welcome you to comment, voice your opinion or submit ideas for future commentary]