These are the dance entrenpreneurs and businesses who help cover the costs of providing DanceNet On The Web free of charge to you, the dancing public.

I've met alot of nice people since I started dancing in 1991. Among those are some of the professionals who have contributed much to my own dancing and that of the entire dance community. In addition, there are the amateurs who discovered the joys of dancing and want everyone else to find out too. Since I started the weekly DanceNet newsletter and especially after DanceNet On The Web came into existance, these professional and amateur dancers have been supportive and have offered contributions to offset any costs for this activity that directly supports their businesses and hobbies and therefore, the entire dance community.

Since I am not a dance professional, I make no money off my dance activities and I want to keep it that way. However, this website has begun to reach the point where it steadily costs money out of my own pocket each month so I have decided to select and accept sponsors for this website. The money raised will have two functions:

• It will go to pay for only those costs directly related to my website. Only those expenses relating to the number of hits or megabytes downloaded will be paid for by this fund.
• I want to pay my writers. Some of the people (like the lovely and extremely eloquent Grace) are professional writers and have done favors for me by writing dance articles. I intend to pay them [something] for writing for me from now on.

This will allow me to focus on getting as much information out to the dance community and encourage more people to visit my dance website and find out where to go dancing.

Sponsors policy

• Sponsors are not advertisers. As a result, I do not have to accept just anyone who asks to be a sponsor.
• Dance venues, whether professional or amateur, must lean heavily towards swing dancing. Alas, my favorite square dancing club won't ever be a sponsor. :^) Ballroom dance venues probably won't make the cut.
• Sponsors are typically the businesses that I'm familiar with and to whom I am willing to give my personal endorsement. That doesn't mean that a non-sponsor dance business is bad or shouldn't be used. There are a few dance businesses that I would love to have as sponsors and there are also a couple of venues that will never be DanceNet sponsors. I leave it to you to decide what you think of the individual businesses. I am, however, definitely interested in hearing any good or bad opinions about any dance businesses that you've dealt with.
• This is a private website and not a commercial website, and it's only about dancing. Don't take it so seriously. This website is about the dance customers, not about the dance businesses.

• Rugcutters' Dance Studio.
  I bet everyone was expecting this endorsement. That's because Ron Gursky (with Nancy Murphy and Lynn Foord) taught me to dance back at the Pilgrim Church on Magazine Street in Cambridge. I don't know who in Boston might have more knowledge about so many different dances. Throughout my dance education, the Rugcutters' staff have continually encouraged me to dance more and to make my dancing better. I've lost count of all the friends I've made while dancing at Rugcutters'. I strongly encourage all of his students to listen to the things that Ron tells you in the classes; the education doesn't stop at dance figures.
• Hartford Swing Dance/Jam
  Hartford Swing Dance/Jam is cool group of enthusiatic dance amateurs who run dances down in Hartford. They're really a part of the larger Hartford Country Dance organization (now Hartford Community Dance) and they spend a lot of time bringing in bands for dances and luring teachers into the area for workshops and classes. They've put together a great organization with many people ready to volunteer their time to make something happen.
• Shoreline Swing Dance Society
  Shoreline Swing in the Mystic, Connecticut area, is another growing group of amateur dancers who volunteer their time and energy to develop swing dancing in their community. They hold dances and classes for the dancing public. They work with their sister groups, such as Hartford Swing/Jam, in Connecticut to maximize the number of dance events that their members and the general public can attend.
• The Longfellow Dance Club/Club JoEllen
  The Longfellow Dance Club in Wayland makes itself a dance venue to pay attention to as it hosts regular West Coast Swing and Hustle dances as well as a variety of classes and workshops.
• Hop To The Beat Dance Studio
  I've watched Tony & Aurelie Tye start their dancing careers and build up their Lindy Hop venue from nothing to a solid studio with a loyal following of students. They've trained with the best in the world and built up a huge community of Lindy Hoppers in the greater Boston area. I think the dance community is lucky to have such persistent entrenpreneurs around to help grow the community.
• The White Heat Swing Orchestra
  The White Heat Swing Orchestra is composed of talent musicians under the guidance of clarinetist Craig Ball and is seen playing at many of the more prestigeous events. They were the house band at the Roxy back in the early 90's; they were the first swing band that I was exposed to at a public venue and the first swing band I (tried to) danced to. They're partially responsible for why I got into Swing dancing.
• Dom V and the Swing Out Big Band
  Dom Valarioti is the bandleader of his own swing orchestra that performs all over New England. As a dancer he also has empathy with the dancers so he knows what the dancers want to hear during time on the dance floor. Check out his band when they play at a dance venue near you.
• Vintage Dance Images
  Kristine Hansen turned a hobby into a home business that gets customers from around the world. She's not a swing dancer; I met her on the Argentine Tango scene in Boston. She works so hard to maintain her customers' satisfaction that I think she forgot that she was suppose to make money. I decided I wanted to her promote her business in a way that provided a better return than expensive print ads.
• Eight To The Bar has been playing in New England for 25 years. That kind of longevity is not surprising since they'll get dancers following them around all over New England to dance at their gigs. The fans are loyal and their CD's are worth shelling out your hard-earned bucks.
• Tempo Dance Center was founded during a time when there were fewer dance studios, when everone knew each other, and being a dance teacher was more social and less competitive. Gail Rundlett still works in that mode, opening her studio for workshops, classes, and private lesssons to other area teachers, as well as running the annual Commonwealth Classic competition. Tempo Dance Center has been known as the source of hustle classes and dancing in the Boston area for many years.
• The O-Tones were the house band at one of my first swing dance camps. It's great to have a band that plays at swing dance where several of the band members are also dancers so they'll know what will get us on our feet and out on the dance floor. They're also play music that can be used at *West Coast Swing* dances as well as East Coast and Lindy Hop.
• Boston Swing Dance Network has been a backbone of the Boston swing dance scene since 1986. Their goal was to bring great dance music to the Boston scene and make it fun.
• Connecticut Swing Dance Society
  Yet another amateur-run dance club that holds dances and brings in world-class teachers.

Sponsors Emeritus

• Bob Thomas Dance Productions
• Sara Brodsky and Best Foot Forward
• The Hooked on Swing Society of Western Massachusetts
• Maxwell Ho
• Jane "Jitterbug Jane" Dumont
• Doc Scanlon's Rhythm Boys is not a swing band. Nosiree. They are a *dance* band that plays to packed crowds wherever they play. They play for their audiences whether they be swing dancers or your baby sister's wedding. It doesn't matter who they're playing for; it'll be exciting and energetic. This band plays for *you*.
• Swingin' 88's is a great bunch of fun people to dance with.

These dance entrepreneurs have been around for a while honing their craft and enhancing the dance careers/lives of a lot of people in the Boston area.

This doesn't mean that there's something wrong with groups that aren't listed here; I might not be as enthusiastic about ballroom or other kinds of dances. Also, how a dance teacher or entrepreneur treats their students and peers (and me) has a hugh impact on whether they get asked to be a sponsor. Also, how well I know a dance organization will influence their involvement here. These dance businesses and organizations listed above receive my personal endorsement for their contributions to DanceNet, to the dance community over the years, and making it possible for me to enjoy swing dancing. I hope to see their dance businesses continue to flourish. See you on the dance floor.

Benson Wong
dancenet@havetodance.com

Last updated September 26, 2013