RECRUITING FROM FORMER DANCERS
Excerpt from Callerlink Issue 202 (Editors Christmas message for 2011 December 2011)
By: Jeff Garbutt, Western Australia



What would you say if you found out that there is a big group of people out there who already know how to square dance and how much fun there is? Wouldn't it be a fantastic Christmas and New Year gift for your clubs if you could tap into this market? Well guess what, there is!

There are many former dancers out there who we haven't seen for a while just because they have had to deal with other day to day things. Things such as family and career, and they simply lost their spare time. They probably haven't forgotten how to dance, and they will still remember the fun and friendships they had. Many of them have are missing us as much as we are missing them. Many of them are probably now getting some of that spare time back and wondering what to do.

What we now need to do is let them know that square dancing is still fun, won't take a lot of re-learning and we are willing and able to allow them back. We also need to be careful to make them feel comfortable about coming back. Some of them may be feeling uneasy about coming back.

Try to imagine what the concerns would be, such as:
" Are there new moves to learn?
" Are the dancers and callers friendly?
" Is it still affordable?
" What clothing do I need?
" How much of my time will it take up?
" Will I be accepted back in?
And work out strategies to allay their concerns. The challenge is out there, but I think it is worthwhile.