Sometimes, finding a
dance partner for a swing dance workshop or festival may be tricky. Your
favorite dance partner from your local community may be taken, or may not be
planning to attend, or may even be applying for a different level. So what do
you do?
You can always apply alone and go on a waiting list, until the event organizers find a partner for you. However, there’s not always a guarantee that a partner will be found, so your application may be rejected, and some events do not accept solo applications. So before you apply alone, the first thing you want to do, preferably way ahead of application time, is to ask around. Your Lindy Hop friends and acquaintances may not be attending, or looking for a partner, but they might know someone who is. I once found a dance partner for an international event by word of mouth. The next thing you want to do is post on the event’s Facebook group page – most events nowadays have one. You can also post on the individual Facebook pages of your local dance communities. Still, you may not always feel comfortable posting on the page of a group to which you do not belong; unfortunately, there are cliques even within the Lindy Hop community.
You can always apply alone and go on a waiting list, until the event organizers find a partner for you. However, there’s not always a guarantee that a partner will be found, so your application may be rejected, and some events do not accept solo applications. So before you apply alone, the first thing you want to do, preferably way ahead of application time, is to ask around. Your Lindy Hop friends and acquaintances may not be attending, or looking for a partner, but they might know someone who is. I once found a dance partner for an international event by word of mouth. The next thing you want to do is post on the event’s Facebook group page – most events nowadays have one. You can also post on the individual Facebook pages of your local dance communities. Still, you may not always feel comfortable posting on the page of a group to which you do not belong; unfortunately, there are cliques even within the Lindy Hop community.
That’s why some friends and I
thought that there should be neutral ground for anyone from the community to
be able to go to when looking for a dance partner. Swing Dance Partner Match is an open-to-all Facebook Group for anyone looking for a dance
partner, and why not also for a co-traveler, or roommate for international swing dance
events. Since we live in Greece, we are initially inviting our Greek fellow
hoppers to join, but anyone from anywhere could use it, if they wish to find a
dance partner for an event in Greece or elsewhere.
Remember that dance
can overcome national borders, so it's not bizarre to look for a partner in a
different country than your own. Besides, partnering is merely a typical
matter, since it’s useful mainly for the registration process. During classes
we almost always rotate. So if your partner is not proven worthy of your
expectations, you don’t have to marry him/her. Unless, of course, you do…
Join our group and feel free to invite your friends! You may not have a life partner, but we wish you never have to find yourself without a dance partner!
Join our group and feel free to invite your friends! You may not have a life partner, but we wish you never have to find yourself without a dance partner!
