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Results 41 to 44 of 44
  1. #41
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    South East Melbourne
    Posts
    809

    Re: Getting young people into Rock n Roll

    Good point about the success of Swing Patrol. They have young teachers, appeal to a young crowd and have incredible energy. I just wish I'd learnt from them when my legs were young enough to do all those lifts and jumps. If you've never seen their performance troup Harlem Shout in action then you are missing a wonderful sight. How amazing would it be if some young teachers got a similar thing happening with rock n roll. Any 20 somethings RnR dancers out there getting some motivation from all this discussion? Lets hope so and keep talking about it and lets see if we can get things moving.

  2. #42
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, Australia
    Posts
    30

    Re: Getting young people into Rock n Roll

    Hi All

    Having read through the past few pages of everyone's comments it's clear that people definitely want to keep rock and roll / swing dancing going, which is great. I'm 23. I have been dancing for 7 years. I'd love to contribute more but TIME is the hardest thing to find! I dance 1-2 times a month if I'm lucky. To share a few of my thoughts...

    There seems to be a huge Swing Patrol VS 'everyone else' vibe. Swing Patrol are just an organised business. What everyone should be focusing on is the fact that they do what they do well - which is marketing, different social networks, many of the venues are catered to the younger generations and lastly, most of the teachers are great at dancing and interacting with students.

    1. Location convenience. I understand it's hard to get venues. There's the trouble of finding floors, space, somewhere where a bar will be attended to, insurance, costs etc. However, a lot of dances and classes by many of the teachers and event promoters run events away from public transport. When YOU were 18-25, how many of you guys had cars when studying uni, working etc? It's hard to get somewhere when you have no wheels.

    2. Marketing. Facebook. Twitter. Tumblr. Flier dropping in universities. Websites. Beat Magazine, etc... The younger generation is internet savy and convenience is the key. People might want to learn to dance but they can't be bothered looking through google for a website like vicrock (which is a great tool)... sometimes things need to be made dummy proof - social networking, UP TO DATE websites, MODERN websites - so many websites which will not be named are outdated, hard to read, and appear to be 10 years old. Refresh required!

    3. Dance classes outside of the classroom: hot rod / classic events, tattoo shows, bike shows. Teachers, what about classes at weddings? companies? Contacting schools for dance classes for formals, major school plays, rodeos, etc.

    I know all teachers and promoters put their heart and souls into what they do and am extremely grateful. I also know that for many teaching is not just their only job, so thanks and keep up the great work!

  3. #43
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    North Central Victoria
    Posts
    248

    Re: Getting young people into Rock n Roll

    Penny, when I was eighteen it was 1957 and I was a second year apprentice being paid 20% of the basic wage of that period. However, I managed to save to by a car - albeit a 1935 model - and was quite content in spite of it being somewhat unreliable. I didn't need to have the latest model. When I was twenty two I bought a new VW beetle. I also managed to get through uni later in life and was offered a PhD placement which I declined for personal reasons. And, I managed to do a lot of other stuff that tookup my time.

    The point I'm making Penny, is that we can do just about anything if we REALLY apply ourselves. I'm certain that many of the older folk in the scene have done pretty much the same as I have. We didn't have all the time in the world either. Yep, time is scarce, but planning helps one to allocate time in ones favour.

    I lived At Eltham which was nothing like what it is now. If we had to go any distance we went by train. Things were different then Penny. The efects of the second world war were still biting into our economy, but more importantly we didn't have the attitude that we deserve the best and we deserve it NOW. We often had to walk (yes, walk) the last couple of miles from the station to the dance or cinema and I often had to walk around ten miles home after I'd walked my girlfriend home and missed the last train. In fact after I'd finished National Service Training I used to run home. Life can go on with out 'wheels'. One simply has be prepared to make the effort.

    If people want to learn to dance and "can't be bothered looking through google for a website like vicrock ..." one has to wonder how much these "computer savvy" kids really want to put in the effort of learning to dance. Like I said earlier, some kids of today want instant gratification, but whats worse is that they really believe that they deserve it! I think that the reason that young folk are reluctant to partake in the dance of our era is because they are just not cut out for making any effort, and frankly, who want's that type? They're only going to whine and complain and moan about bull**** and there's enough of that happening already.

    People of any age can learn Rock and Roll, swing, rockabilly, whatever if they are really committed. Trying to suck them in as you propose may help, but are you prepared to organise these classes outside the classrooms?

    This form of music/dance will continue as has other forms. It can't be forced onto people of any age.
    Last edited by cirrus; 02-11-2011 at 04:33 PM. Reason: poor sentence structure rectified.
    Liberté, égalité, fraternité

  4. #44

    Re: Getting young people into Rock n Roll

    Okay here's my two bobs!...

    Being one of the younger generation, growing up in the industry. We were forced to go to the dances and dance classes. As much as we loved it too though. However Just Rock was our second home, our home away from home. We grew up there. But also loved it there. It was a family a place to belong. That has disappeared now. Then one by one a venue pops up being run by someone with this fantastic idea that everyone is going to love, it runs for a period of time and then the venues get the gist that they can make more money if they run it themselves and the venue just doesnt get run the same.

    Rock n roll has turned into an industry not a hobby (Done for pleasure, not benefits)

    I think everyone has lost sight of the big picture. Yes, you can show people that rock n roll is still around, but THEY have to want to do. In order to get dedication, its got to be something for them.

    You have all touched base on the style of music, the dress code, the accessories. When I and a larger number of younger people where involved in rock n roll. Nothing of the above had anything to do with it. It didnt really matter what you wore, what you listened to or what you drove. It was the people that made the attraction to the Rock n roll.
    Someone once said to me that Rock n roll has a cycle of around 7 years. For 7 years people are interested, then for 7 years it almost goes dormant. When I was growing up, the atmosphere was that everyone knew everyone. Everyone was friendly. Attending the venues of late (last few years) there is a very big competition between all the patrons of each dance classes. The ones that already know each other tend to stick together. People dont interact with people they dont know, or dance with people they dont know.

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