Friday, November 23, 2012

"Dance-friendly" Cities

For this post I am scoring many of the various cities and towns in which I have lived and spent time on a scale of "dance-friendliness."  This is to say, given the same live music performance, how likely are people in that city to get up and dance rather than sit/stand and watch.  I am generally inclined to want to dance at shows, so I personally appreciate a high rating of "dance-friendliness" in a city, it is easier to dance at a show, not be in the way, not be a spectacle.  The ratings are on a scale of 1-10, and the cities are in no particular order.  Read on to see the list.

Tucson - 7.5
Here in Tucson, folks like dancing, but it is often a mixed bag.  The strong presence of Latin grooves combined with the free-wheeling, for lack of a better term, "hippie" vibe results in a crowd that is usually on board for some dancing given the opportunity.  However, I have also noticed plenty of reticence to dancing during shows which seem rather conducive for some moving.  There is sometimes a sense that dancing is not cool, so I am going to be detatched and not look like I am having too much fun.

Denver/Boulder - 8
Lots of great venues, and a crowd that is eager to groove.  Boulderites are generally more inclined to dance than their Denver counterparts, but folks travel back and forth for shows, so there is a lot of spillover.

San Francisco/Bay Area - 9
Northern Californians seem to support live music with dancing, enthusiastic and free-form dancing.  San Francisco is a great town for live music, it is a city which supports the arts, and has such a diverse population that you can catch most anything on any given night.

New York City - 7?
I have not spent a susbstantial amount of time in NYC, so I cannot judge with any real confidence how dancey the crowds are.  My sense is that many Brooklynites might fall into the "detatched and not wanting to look like they are having too much fun" category, but there are just so many people that someone is always dancing somewhere.

Pittsburgh - 4
I spent a couple of years in Pittsburgh a while back, and those were some tough crowds.  I saw Paul Simon's Rhythm of the Saints tour at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh.  He had like 20 musicians from all over the world, playing those Graceland and Rhythm of the Saints songs, which have trmendous dance potential, yet most of the crowd was incredibly stand-offish.  This went for many shows I saw in Pittsburgh.  Maybe it has changed since then, but this town was not very dance-friendly at all.

New Orleans - 10
Folks are dancing every which way in New Orleans.  In the clubs, to the jukebox, in the streets, you name it.  As far back as 1802, a Northern visitor to New Orleans remarked that “New Orleanians managed during a single winter ‘to execute about as much dancing, music, laughing and dissipation as would serve any reasonably disposed, staid, and sober citizens for three or four years’ even if the latter were given all year to do it in."  Then in the 1830's, a visiting actor called the city “one vast waltzing and gallopading Hall."  This trend continues to this day.  Many of my friends who are not inclined towards dancing visit New Orleans and find themselves letting the backbone slip and continually getting their groove on.

Am I off the mark?  Any input on the Pacific Northwest?  Texas?  Los Angeles? Elsewhere?  Feel free to add to the list or dispute any claims I have made.  Cheers, Brian

2 comments:

  1. I feel like Tucson used to be a 9 or a 10 for dancing back in the 80's. We're still recovering from the "cool" grunge era.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I actually think you're being generous with Tucson's rating--I'd only give us a 6 at best. There's been many a time where I've made a spectacle of myself because no one around me wanted to dance. I'm not gonna let those boring types get me down--unless they're giving me the evil eye and then I'm forced to sit down. No fun at all.

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