Share your thoughts about your experiences at HCD dances, and we’ll include them here. It couldn’t be simpler: just write your testimonial in the Your Testimonial field of the form at the bottom of this page; include your first name and the town you live in only if you want to.
Greetings, My dear Friends. Reality sucks, but it cannot be ignored. COVID has changed so much in our lives. The fear, rightfully so, of the pandemic has caused many of our regular dancers to stop attending and the essential new dancers to find other entertainment. On top of that, the economic turmoil caused by COVID has increased costs for the Hall and perhaps the Bands. So, what to do?
> The costs for the Hall and Bands are only going to increase. Change here is out of our control.
> If our expenses are increasing to the point we are draining our reserves, then to remain viable, our admission costs must be balanced accordingly.
> Decreased attendance due to COVID fear. That is a Doctoral Thesis in Sociology! How do we get West Hartford Swing Dance to be the go-to Cool-kid activity, again? Social Media, but that is beyond my abilities.
West Hartford Swing Dance is surely a treasure to the community. I wonder if there is any help, financially or get out the word, available from the City? Come one, come all of you cool-cats and finger popping daddies, to the best live music emporium to shake your groove-thang this side of the Light-Fantastic! Leave your concerns at home and join us for the best time you will have on the dance floor; Swing, Waltz, Foxtrot and so much more. And it is all legal! My thoughts. — Paul, location unknown
I’m not sure who maintains the actual website and helps write the text for the different dances, but it all reads very nicely and I like the way you can now see a list of all the upcoming dances with links to them right on page 1 instead of having to go to each dances tab to see when the next dance will be. —Barbara, location unknown
We love you and miss you! Thanks for keeping us in mind! We will dance together again. —Jane, location unknown [sent during Covid-19 pandemic hiatus]
Hello, I have been to many of your dance lessons and continued on to enjoy the music and dance in the hours after that. Are you planning on continuing these at all in the future? —Dale, location unknown
Hi, Dale. I’m sure you’re as aware of the coronavirus situation as we are. Social dancing is one of the riskiest activities someone could participate in, in terms of virus exposure. We can’t resume dancing until the danger has really passed (i.e., some combination of available vaccine, effective and readily available treatment, and large degree of herd immunity). We don’t know when that will be, but probably not before 2021.
—Rob Lindaur, HCD President
“I went [to the HCD 2nd-Saturday Contra dance] with 3 friends! We had a total blast. It was a really special night. I had such a good time that I will be attending the New Haven dance this Saturday! I’m not sure if all of my friends will be able to come back, but I’m planning on bringing some new ones either way.” —Daniel, location unknown
“I had such a fantastic time at the Swing Jam last night. I had never danced the country two step, but by end of the hourlong lesson I felt so confident dancing it. Thank you, thank you, HCD, for bringing these wonderful dances to us, and for hiring such talented people to play the music and teach the steps. The instructor was a real pro, the music was terrific, and I went home feeling so satisfied.” —Brenda, East Hartford
“I’ve been an HCD dance fan for years now. I started with the first-Friday swing dances in West Hartford and loved them so much that I thought I might try another HCD dance so I gave cajun/zydeco a try. I had never even heard of cajun/zydeco, let alone seen it danced, but after a short lesson the first time I went I knew how to do it, and I loved it. So now I go to swing dances and sometimes to cajun/zydeco too. Next I think I’ll try the contra dances.” —Anonymous, Glastonbury
“My wife and I are new to Connecticut. We moved here from California, and one of the first things looked for when we got here was a friendly place to dance. We love to swing. When we did a Google search for dancing in Connecticut we came across your website, and are we glad we did. Our first dance was a West Hartford swing, and we loved it. You’ve got us hooked.” —Rodney, New London
“Bravo, HCD!!!” Love your contra dances in Wethersfield.” The atmosphere, to say nothing of the exercise it gives me, is just what I need every month. Keep up the great work. You can count on me coming.” —Anonymous, West Hartford
“Please bring The Cartells back. Your swing dance in West Hartford last night was the bomb, and the Cartells were fabuloso. I could dance to them all night. —Jay, Haddam
“I was more than a little disappointed when you cancelled the [contra] dance last night, but of course I understood you had to because of the yucky weather. I sure hope you don’t do this often because when you cancel a dance you cancel a great time for me and my family.” —Anonymous, location unknown
“Happy to learn that Quiet Corner Contra Dance, which we have gone to for years, is now part of the Hartford Community Dance organization. Now all our favorite dances are HCD dances. Goody! —Doug and Judy, Coventry
I am relocating to Colchester, CT after living in Washington state for the last 13 years. I love dancing and although waltz is definitely my favorite, a close second is the Argentine tango – followed far down the line…. by west coast swing and a few others. I would appreciate … connecting with anyone living east of the river in the greater Colchester area who is part of your waltz group. —Jim, Colchester
My husband and I want to thank whoever runs the contra dance in Wethersfield for your recent get-in-free promotion that allowed us to try one of your dances free of charge. We had a terrific time and plan to come back for lots more. —Jill, Bridgeport
I’ve got a beef! Why is it that so many of your dances aren’t held during the summer? I’m thinking here of your Swing Jams, Mostly Waltz, Cajun/Zydeco, and Quiet Corner Contra dances. Do you think summertime isn’t dance time? Come on, guys, let’s get with the program. Go around to the many outdoor concert venues around Connecticut to see how popular dancing is, even during the summer. I, for one, and I’m sure there are many others, feel you are doing yourselves and your dancers a disservice by not offering so many of your dances during the summer. —Anonymous, location unknown
I contacted you back in July of 2017 about Fifers delight. I had gone with my daughters to my very first contra dance July 8th. 2017. I have been meaning to contact you and tell you how grateful I am that you put me in contact with [my husband]. You see, I met my husband at your July 8th [HCD 2nd-Saturday Contra] dance! [We] were just married June 30th 2018. —Heather, location unknown
Hi. I’ve been going to HCD dances in general for about a year. Last Sunday afternoon I went to a ‘waltz’ at the Griffith. My first time to do a daylight dance. It was the best ever for HCD dance. —Roger, South Glastonbury
As someone who co-founded HCD I am so very glad it is continuing, and is in such great hands………”and feet”!! —Zel, Manchester
Thank you for your testimonial.