Some Tips to Make Your Dance Party a Success!
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Line-dancing is great fun and can be done to any kind of music. But for people who are new to it, it can also be a challenge. There are a few very important things you can do to make your dance party an enjoyable experience. (If you rent a hall, these things should not be an issue.)

The most important thing is the dance floor!

  1. If you rent a dance floor, you MUST place it on a level surface. If it rests on a slope and/or bumpy ground, it will probably come apart as people are dancing. This can make it extremely frustrating for dancers. It is too much to ask of them to pay attention to the steps while trying to avoid pitfalls.
  2. Surfaces that are NOT acceptable for dancing: concrete, pavement, bumpy ground. Grass is real iffy.
  3. Surfaces that are passable: packed dirt, a smooth wood deck with no spaces between the planks (and no furniture in the way)...and grass super-short and smooth like the "green" around the hole at a golf course (your lawn is NOT that short).
  4. IDEAL SURFACE: a hardwood floor, of course! Other very good surfaces are parquet floors (if free of buckles and cracked wood), tile, etc. Linoleum is pretty good and so is a floor made of plywood planks if they are smooth and painted with a glossy paint.
  5. How much space do you have? You need to have a big enough room if it is inside...a room free of ANY stitch of furniture. For only 6-8 people, you need at least a 12' x 12' space (144 square feet). If you have 20 people, they'll need triple that (432 square feet)

Some other things to consider:

  1. Where are your outlets? Some people have outdoor outlets on their house. In any case, know how far it is from the outlets to the dance area. An extension cord with multiple outlets is a good idea...please check with me, I have one, too.
  2. Where can I put my equipment? You should have a sturdy table set up, or at least a couple of benches or something...at many private parties, I can use just my boom box if I can't use my professional equipment. For more than 15-20 people and/or in a function hall, I need my pro stuff.
  3. Will we be dancing outdoors or inside? If outside, you want to make sure there is adequate light and people have protection from bugs...repellant ground torches, citronella candles, pass around the bug repellant...SOMETHING.

Once you've got the urgent stuff covered, you need to think about what your dancers will want. Giving me this information ahead helps me plan appropriately.

  1. Dance Level: Are they mainly first-timers? Are they beginner-level dancers with a few months' experience? Are they intermediate or advanced dancers who REALLY want to party?
  2. Musical Preferences: Do they listen to Country, Rock, Pop, Latin, Techno, Hip-Hop, or a mixture? There are dances for everything, but it can be difficult to find beginner dances that go to non-Country.
  3. How Long to Dance? Two hours is pretty much the max for rank beginners. It's enough time to get in 4-6 dances, which is more than enough.
  4. How old will your attendees be?
  5. How many people will be at your party? How many are actually likely to participate in the dancing?
  6. Just line dancing? Or do they want to learn parnter dances, too?
  7. Where are your guests from? I can do your guests the service of preparing a list of places to dance if I know where people live. To really enjoy dancing, it's best to go 1-2 nights a week every week. A private party is just a great way for people to get a glimpse of what line-dancing is like.

TELL YOUR DANCERS! It is best to dance with smooth-soled footwear...something safe that will not be easy to trip with. Sandals, clogs, and open-backed shoes are NOT a good idea! Wear something that will stay on your feet. Don't wear shoes with treads...they will stick to the floor whenever you try to turn, which will not only annoy you but also give you sore knees, too!