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... page updated: February 28, 2001
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Stated simply, London Ontario is NOT a dance-friendly city compared to other places in Canada and the US! This is not to say everybody, everywhere enjoys 'partnered' dancing!! Rather, where London fails relative to other cities this size (and smaller!) is that, for adults age 25+ who want to dance, even occasionally, there simply is no place to go ...at least none that they consider
- clean, well-ventilated, adult-friendly and safe,
- where the dance floor can hold more than 5-6 couples,
- where the it is kept free of spilled food or drink, encroaching tables, etc.,
- where the music is suitable for dancing, not too loud, nor poorly-performed (or DJ'd),
- where even some of these conditions occur before 10 pm at least one night each week!
The absence of these elements is accepted as the 'norm' in most London niteclubs.
One example: London is the only city we know of in North America even close to this size which does not have a single hotel -- including the ones we have from major international chains -- where the 'in-house' lounge/bar includes a dance floor... even a tiny one! Granted, some hotels have a ballroom for use in running private events and/or 'pricy' fundraisers, etc.. But none offer visitors (or locals!) the option of going out, casually or regularly, for drinks and dancing. (Perhaps because of our recent involvement with dancing, we frequently hear from other Londoners who are completely frustrated by this local void ...eg. whenever they have guests coming from out-of-town!!) Even Ripley's might be intrigued by London!
Mind you, although many Londoners have complained to us many times, the situation here does beg a 'chicken-and-egg' question: "Which came first? ...people who don't want to (or can't) dance? ...or the lack of places in which to do it"?
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The bottom line is that most people in London have absolutely no terms of reference with which to understand what we (and thousands of others in North America and beyond!) do for fun ... let alone 'why'! ... or 'how'! Few residents here have even heard of this activity ("what is swing dancing?" is a common question we get locally), let alone the wide variety of swing and other styles of partnered dancing that we've 'brought home' with us.
And while we're only too happy to share with others what these dances look like, the opportunities for doing so here are extremely limited. There simply are no suitable venues locally in which to do them socially so others may see!
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Our own development as dancers (indeed, our whole interest in this hobby!) stems solely from our ability to travel ...affording us the opportunity to escape from London's limitations. So if you want to know about us and our hobby, at the very least you need to be aware of the motivation London provides us to look further afield!
During our travels, we have put London Ontario "on the map" for thousands of Americans and, we suspect, not for terribly positive reasons. We are continually being queried about our home town... including the kind of dancing done here. Guess what? We tell them!! Without exception, they are amazed at what this city's residents placidly accept as "normal" in the social, entertainment and/or recreational front.
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If you're reading this in London Ontario, we realize you may not share, or particularly appreciate, our views. However, since we have lived here for 30 years, we do have some legitimate insight, and our travel gives us perspective. Whatever, please accept that our views are not frivolous! Yes, it'd be a lot easier for us just to boast about our home town. We only wish that we could!!
For those residents (and we've met many) who persist in behaving as though this city is the centre of the universe on social, recreational and/or entertainment matters (ie. if it isn't popular here already, it isn't worth doing) we'd invite you to "remember Copernicus"! Consider just how few people in Toronto, New York, LA, etc. check their local media each day to find out what's going on here! Like it or not, London, there really is a big world out there!! ('Nuff said!!!)
Finally, for those in or beyond London who wonder why we simply don't move, the answer lies with our family obligations... at this point in time. For now, we'll just continue to travel as much as we can. But, in the future... !!!
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REMEMBER: Add yourself to our Swing Dance E-mail list for London!!
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