Let´s talk BACHATA! (in Iceland)

For whom is this talk? Everyone in Bachata here in Iceland (well, everyone who loves and cares for the scene as a whole). For example: Are you dancing Bachata? Did you just start or have you danced for ages? Are you teaching it? Are you DJ-ing? Are you travelling for Bachata? Are you hosting events or practicing at home? Are you a Bachata-lover hiding at home? Are you showing Bachata? Are you leading Bachata? Are you a follower in Bachata? Did you used to dance but don't anymore? Do you like Bachata? IF YOU HAVE ANY INTEREST IN BACHATA THIS CHAT IS FOR YOU! Join us for an hour of chatting, asking questions and learning about all the unwritten and unspoken things in Bachata. AND LET´S KEEP IT POSITIVE :D :D :D In every social dance community there are different tastes, likes, wishes, pet peeves, boundaries and A LOT of misunderstandings, sometimes frustrations and judgements, often lack of communication, awareness, education but SO - MUCH - LOVE. In a small community like ours I feel it´s important we come together. :) I don't know how many people here in Iceland share my views but I also feel it is VERY important to respect the origins and be aware of the history and culture so that we don't take part in disrespect or exploitation. A lot of people talk behind the scenes here in RVK about what is "wrong", talk and talk and talk..... and then either quit, break their own boundaries or are frustrated. And often people need to learn by negative experiences because we are too much shy to talk and also there seems to be a lot of Bachata dancers who don't attend courses where these kinds of things are shared, taught, discussed and practiced. In our community a lot of people only attend the classes on social nights, learn from the internet etc. and it would be great to take a look at that. :) After dancing here socially for over 16 years, teaching for about 8 and DJ-ing, hosting events and last but not least travelling and learning widely abroad, a lot of people vent to me (share their experiences with me, ask questions and tell me things) and very many people leave our dance scene due to all kinds of reasons that could be fixed. I have no idea if teachers, hosts and dancers know about how many people love Bachata but left our community because of various reasons, but often the same reason. Sooooo that is why I say: LET´S TALK! Let´s come TOGETHER and ask questions, express ourselves and share our experiences, knowledge and opinions, listen to others that dance the opposite role of us (lead/follow) etc. Let dancers hear from anyone working in Bachata, lets have all organizers/teachers etc listen to the social dancers. Let´s come together and see how we feel and how we can make our community stronger, better, safer, more inclusive, more transparent, higher in every kind of quality and HAPPIER for everyone, and bring what could be better up to the surface. I hope everyone who is passionate about Bachata, everyone who attends the social nights and very much everyone who has any responsibilities/power/influence in Bachata here in Iceland joins us. VERY IMPORTANT that social dancers join also! :D What is Bachata to us? How do we feel during courses or socials? Can we do anything better? Are social dancers feeling heard by us hosts of courses or events? What do teachers have to share to their students? What do social event hosts want to share with others? Do people in general feel safe and secure? Is there enough conversation going on in our community? In what ways are we different than B.communities in other countries? Is that a positive or a negative? What is our personal experience on dancing abroad and dancing here. Do leaders know how their followers feel? Do followers feel respected and do they make sure to have good following technique? Does this matter? Are people here happy with the level of leading and following techniques? What about dips at a social or shoes? Are there rules? Improvising and mixing different dance genres, is that encouraged or not? What about different terms of things? Leader/lead/follower/follow/ women/men/Dominican/Modern/ real/sensual/authentic/traditional etc etc etc etc. Are people confused? What is happening in the countries around us? Are we up to speed with development of social etiquette and general awareness of this art form? Why have many people stopped dancing Bachata here in Iceland? Or in other countries? How can we grow more and be more inclusive? How can we make sure we maintain physical safety and mature social level when it comes to what is ok and not ok, what should we normalize? What is normalized that shouldn't be? Do I have to dance all types of Bachata? Do I even know what is concidered ok and what is not? How can we all, each and every partisipant, help to strengthen our community? These things are amongst those that people are experiencing, talking about etc so we´ll address some topics that are on peoples minds. Let´s have a friendly and open conversation, that people have been having in private for years and years in our community, and often in a negative way where sadness, frustration and sometimes judgement is present. Let´s rather come together and try to be on the same page and listen and learn from each other. At Sessý´s home, unless a LOT of people want to attend, I'll find another place.