As we have spoken many times about ‘Socials’ I thought it might be handy to have a little primer.
There are several different options for socials dependant on who is running them, when they are and also where they are.
There are 3 main types of social but there will be many different types that aren’t covered here as it would be impossible to cover all of them.
Weekend Afternoon: These are generally 2-3 hours long and take place on a weekend afternoon. These types are normally recorded music only and while the organiser will have a general play list, requests are welcome and often solicited. The dances done will depend entirely on the ‘local dancers’ that often go to that social, whilst there will generally be some overlap with very popular dances you might find that a lot of the dances you don’t know at all. It is an excellent opportunity to learn new dances on the fly. Afternoon socials generally cost between £5 and £10 per person.
Weekend Evenings: These are generally Friday or Saturday nights, sometimes these have live music alongside recorded music but entirely dependant on the organiser. Again there will be an element of a playlist but requests are generally welcome. Depending on where you are and the oganiser there may even be some line dance instruction for a new dance or two. If there is a live act, they could either be full country or a mixture, giving you an opportunity to dance to different tracks than you would normally do so. Evening Socials generally cost between £5 and £10 per person.
Workshop Days: These are generally ticketed only events where a workshop by a well known choreographer or intstructor will teach 3-4 dances over the course of 2-3 hours, followed by a break and then an evening of dancing, generally again with a live act included. Workshop days generally cost between £20 and £30 for the day.
Raffles: A lot of socials will also include a raffle, if there is a raffle, you may be invited (absolutely not required) to bring along a prize for the raffle. These generally are that box of chocolates or bottle of wine that has been hanging around in the back of the cupboard or any item that you think might be of use to someone. If you are invited to bring a prize it would generally mean that the raffle is for charity. If no prizes are solicited from anyone then the raffle may go towards club funds.
Irish Bingo: Another popular addition to socials is Irish Bingo. You buy a bingo card and all people taking part stand up. If any number on your bingo card is called out, you’re ‘out’ and must sit down. The last person standing is the winner.
Food and Drink: Again this is entirely location dependant. If there is a bar at the location of the social, bringing your own food and drink are frowned upon, and potentially banned. If you are unsure, contact the organiser in advance to check. If there is no bar you generally can feel free to bring you own drinks. Again check with the organiser in relation to bring alcoholic drinks as some venues do not allow this at all. If you are bringing food along please ensure that it isn’t heavily aromatic. For afternoon socials, bringing snacks is normally ok but again for any others check with the organiser.
IF there is a large group of you planning to go to a social, it is always a good idea to check with the organiser to ensure that they have the space.
As with everything else in the world, lots of different types of people Line Dance. There are chatty ones, friendly ones and ones that prefer their own company.