Email sent to ALL Swing Patrol

[Cliver]

I seriously feel that the comments here also apply to ALL our Rock N Roll Venues
Enjoy!!
"***Please care for our wonderful venues ***

Sadly, once again we all need to remind ourselves that we need to respect and care for the venues we hire. One of the fabulous things about Swing Patrol is the diversity of venues we have the privilege to use. Halls, studios, clubs, pubs - it's wonderful to learn to dance in such an array of places. We're not just located in one studio, but in a myriad of places around Melbourne.

This is all at the goodwill of the venue owners. Often they give us discounted rent and expect us to treat their place with care as any visitor would. Sadly SP does not have a good reputation regarding this and after cleaning up piles of junk, bottles, shoes, cardigans, foodstuffs after our events and classes, I know how it can be…

This week I received a lovely but pleading letter from my good friend David Backler of the Tiki Bar. He loves us dearly but is pleading particularly to the SUNDAY BLUES DANCERS to care for the venue. After having us in on Sundays he's encountered:

* broken lights
* food wrappers & bottles brought in from outside ("We frequently discover bottles of beer, cider, cans of pre-mixed spirits, that have been smuggled into the bar. All of which can get us and the perpetrator charged under the liquor licensing act. Food wrappers and containers, bottles of soft drink and water brought in by Swing Patrol and stuffed down the sides of chairs and underneath...")
* Disdainful arrogance in the attitude of the dancers ("If a member of the general public is warned about such things, they quickly acquiesce. When swing dancers are asked politely not to bring soft drink to the bar, it usually results in sulky defiance.")

We have been kicked out of this venue (and others) in the past due to such behaviour. I know this is hard and uncomfortable to read, and if you disagree about the behaviour of the dancers, I'm afraid that is really beside the point - we'll still get kicked out again!

Last time it took me 3 years of mending the relationship and building trust to then use the venue for Balpit. Please, please please, do not bring drinks and food into a bar. Any bar. I know we are used to carrying bottles with us wherever we go, and I'm sure the behaviour is not deliberate or malicious, but we need to be mindful of where we are.

We've been kicked out of several venues for this regardless of who is right or wrong. We can change the behaviour together, develop a more caring culture and retain the wonderful venues we dance in. I know in my heart that the current community can be more caring and respectful than those dancing 10 years ago who were more naive, did not change the behaviour, and we were asked to leave. There is no blame or fault or anything. We just need to be more aware, careful and realise we're at someone else's house. Over the years, Forever Dance, Dance Dynamics, CBD nightclub, Bridie O'Reillys, Tiki Bar have all given us this recurring feedback. This is not the first time or a one-off occurrence by any means.

So what do we need to do? It's time to build the relationship!
* Be nice and courteous to all bar staff and follow their direction regardless of what you think of it - it's their venue.
* Don't take food and drink to the venue.
* If you have a drink bottle in your bag - leave it in your bag.
* If you need to eat, go and eat elsewhere and do not bring rubbish into the venue.
* Make sure you leave the room as you find it. They should not even know we've been there.

I have been friends with David for close on 20 years. It is solely this history together that allowed us back to the venue. If we get kicked out again there will be no going back. My friendship with David would not suffer; we're both more mature than that, but it would be a very sad day. I understand the minutiae of the legalities, but this is about respect and how people treat people. Not about what's legal or arguing the toss. ("But it is really not just the legalities we are concerned with . It is the spirit, honour and respect (or lack of) shown by the dancers.")

Last word from David: "We absolutely love the teachers and the gorgeous music and dance and Swing Patrol. Please encourage the people of Swing Patrol to show respect to the venue, which is unique in its blend of being a "dancer friendly", high level cocktail bar, with fabulous ambience. We need your support both as a hirer of the venue, and also as an ambassador of the unique and beautiful "Tiki Bar""

Love to all.
Claudia"

We have lost some great venues because these guidelines were not respected
Just my 2 cents worth
Clive R

[Jitterbug]

Good post, Clive! Certainly need to do the right thing by the venues if we want to keep them open for rock & roll. And really it's not that hard to do.........

[Cliver]

thanks Paul....i would have thought that there may have been some more comments....& I must say thanks to Claudia from swing Patrol for having the guts to state the case so eloquently & with conviction....this needs to be addressed..... we see it happen everywhere ...spaeially at festivals (barham etc)....
if anyone of went to a pokies venue to play the machines...we would not have a problem with buying drinks at their bar prices....so What's the difference on a Rock N Roll night???