{"content":[{"text":"IN THE LONG RUN \n By Corben Geis \n (December 22, 2010)","bbox":{"left":0.404902,"top":0.078788,"width":0.19023599999999996,"height":0.051516000000000006}},{"text":"I’ve gotten emails from a lot of energetic people who love square dancing and really are \n on a quest and a mission for saving our activity from becoming extinct. Dont worry. I \n don’t think that will happen any time soon. The emails urge and encourage dancers \n and callers to shorten our teaching programs, consolidate the lists and calls, do away \n with the western duds and use modern music. Do you really think that will get more \n people into square dancing?","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.151515,"width":0.7648429999999999,"height":0.10606100000000002}},{"text":"A few years ago there were a lot of people on a crusade to change the name of our \n activity, but as soon as new dancers were trying out Diamond Dancing or CDP, they \n realized, “hey, this is square dancing”. I would personally like to say I like all the ideas. \n We do need to change, some things, with the times to keep square dancing alive and \n fresh. I agree.","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.278788,"width":0.764921,"height":0.08787900000000004}},{"text":"I’ve even thought that the approach to instructing in the colleges by teaching the \n tougher stuff first is a great concept. Each of these concepts are wonderful, just for the \n fact that people are thinking outside the box, and are trying to save something they \n love dearly.","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.387879,"width":0.7647649999999999,"height":0.06969700000000001}},{"text":"Here’s some food for thought. A couple of us callers have tried this in our neck of the \n woods, and though a majority of our local dancers think it’s a waste of time, we believe \n that down the road, this will eventually pay off. Please realize that I understand this \n is not a marketing strategy that will gain or attract a lot of new dancers immediately, \n but hopefully in the long run.","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.485,"width":0.7647649999999999,"height":0.08803100000000008}},{"text":"The main targets seem to be the Baby Boomers and the Empty Nesters, but far too \n many of them seem to recall ‘horror stories of square dancing in high school’. Not all \n of them, but a vast majority. I have always blamed the stereotypical gym teachers for \n our demise. (Ironically, my parents both taught physical education.)","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.600455,"width":0.7648429999999999,"height":0.06969700000000012}},{"text":"The problem was and still is, these health instructors DO NOT know the basic set up, \n rules, etiquette, calls, numbering, body flow, directions and formations of square \n dancing. To me, when someone is trying to teach something, that they are not fully \n aware of themselves, is setting many people up for failure. Even though I love square \n dancing very much, it was a disaster back in school. (By the way, my parents were \n never my P.E. teachers, they actually knew what they were doing)","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.697727,"width":0.7648630000000001,"height":0.10606100000000007}},{"text":"Setting up for failure means ‘horror stories’ such as the students constantly breaking \n down the squares and the teacher losing their patience by trying to resolve the maps \n and diagrams on the backs of the old LP records. So now you have a class that looks \n like a scene out from the Muppet Show. Chaos and confusion.","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.831212,"width":0.7648429999999999,"height":0.06969800000000015}},{"text":"And, what do the students remember and relate all of this too? Square Dancing.","bbox":{"left":0.117647,"top":0.928485,"width":0.7249209999999999,"height":0.015152000000000054}}],"images_bbox":[],"images_bbox_not_text_overlap":[]}