[Squaredancing] What is a Singles Club

[Heinz D. Trost]

Dave et al,


>I don't know if there is really an official, or operational, definition of a
>single's square dance club.
>

a  singles club is the opposite of a couples club.

So, what's a couples club?

In a couples club 
1. you only can become membership if you are a couple,
2. mostly you can  join to the class only as a couple, some couples 
clubs accept single/solo students, but after graduation  a  single/solo 
can't become membership. 
3. some request guest to come as couples, only,
4. others accept singles as visitors, but only once,
5. mostly the couples dance just with the partner they broad with,
6. if you were member of a couples club and you are widowed, then in 
several couples clubs you will get forced to leave the club if you can't 
bring in a new partner immediately.
7. Couples clubs are mostly on the way to die,- because more than 60 
percent of the living people are singles or solos. Some some couples 
clubs try to survive by opening the club for singles/solos. Others open 
their clubs for single men, they hope that single dance willing men will 
attract ladies...

So, what's a single?

Singles are people who don't have a partner,- no matter if they seek for 
one or just be a happy single

And what's a solo?

Solos are people who have a partner but this partner don't or can't dance.

So, what's a singles club?

A singles club is a club who welcomes singles, solos and usually 
non-singles (e.g. couples), too. Single clubs welcome guest dancers, no 
matter if they are single or non-singles. In a singles club it's used to 
change partners from one tip to each other,- and also non-singles who 
attends a club dance night or a special dance of a singles club should 
expect that other dancers will ask them for a tip, too. In singles clubs 
also student can attend a class as a single, too. In some clubs, 
especcially if the class has got a lack of men and the club can't fix 
that by angels, then some of the surplus women will be asked if they 
would learn the men part first...

Lot's of American singles clubs are members in one of the National 
singles club asocciations, e.g. "Bachelor & Bachelorettes" (sp?)

Here in Germany almost all clubs are open to singles, solos and couples.
We only have one Mainstream couples club and one Plus couples club,-
the revenge:
The Mainstream couples club membership get elder and  they need up to 
4-5 years to have a new class (they only accept couples as students).
For a long time they also only accept visitors if they arrived as a 
mixed sex couple, they ignored guests who were single, solo or same sex 
couples.
Actually the new board now accepts all guest, but doesn't change the 
couples club membership policy,- so the club is still on the way to die.
.
The Plus club  get an annual clas together (they accept single students 
(Maintream graduated), but after graduation only couples will be able to 
become members),- so usually this club get no new member or in best case 
one couple from any class. They are on the way to die, too.

Both clubs stay unregistered, this because here in Germany only clubs 
can get registered which are open to everybody.

Heinz
Germany