Gathering a group at your place?

Hosting Tips!

Here's a few tips to optimize your mini-party before and while joining us on Zoom:

1. Know and follow your city, state, and federal guidelines about gatherings, social distancing, and safety.  Prepare your space accordingly.
2. Prepare a clear and safe space for everyone to take the lesson and dance, while social distancing.
3. Load Zoom on your computer or the app on your ipad or phone ahead of time.  Go to www.Zoom.us.  If you already have it, make sure it's the most up to date version.
4. Set up your video camera in a spot we can see many of you at once.
5. Connect your computer, tablet, or phone to a large screen TV so you can see the instructors, hosts, and other dancers clearly and feel immersed in the experience!
6.  Connect really good and loud speakers so you can hear the instructors and music clearly.  Let the music fill the room!
7.  Test and make sure your internet connection is fast and solid.  Being closer to the router, or connecting through ethernet is recommended.  Make sure other devices aren't draining your bandwidth.
8.  Make it festive!  Add your own personal touches with decorations, food, beverages.
9. Make sure everyone has some "Screen Time."  We'd like to see you all having fun over our Zoom screens.  If you can't all fit in the screen at once, then take turns dancing and saying hello.
10.  If your camera is portable, then take turns having someone carry the camera around highlighting different people.
11.  Spend some time watching others on the Zoom screen, see your friends from afar, and chat with us!
12.  Make sure your lighting is good for us to see you clearly on camera.
13.  Spend time in advance familiarizing yourself with Zoom.  It may seem complicated at first, but it's really rather easy.  We've had hundreds of people join us in April and May, almost all of whom have never used Zoom or any video conferencing before.
14. Join the Dance House Party Facebook page.  We will make announcements there with any last minute changes, technical difficulties trouble-shooting and share suggestions and more tips.
15.  Invite your dancer friends from other cities and countries to join us.  How wonderful would it be to spend time with them at a dance party, even though miles apart?!