Free Ballroom Dancing?

[luvsmusic]

We have recently moved to The Villages. We have attended ballroom dances at Seabreeze and Ezell that were free of charge but also attended dances at LaHacienda and Everglades where we have paid a fee to dance. We were told that the dance at LaHacienda is recreation department sponsored and tickets must be purchased at a regional rec center in advance. However, Everglades is pay at the door and is not rec sponsored. Why are some dances that are organized by Village residents free and other dances charge an entry fee? It seems the format of the resident sponsored dances are similar. Typically, a spouse is providing the music. Can someone explain why this is? We are just curious. Thanks.

[Bogie Shooter]

Recreation Administration
984 Old Mill Run
The Villages, FL 32162

Phone: 352-674-1800

Also good source for info.
Village Community Development Districts (https://www.districtgov.org/)

[Florida Fan]

We have recently moved to The Villages. We have attended ballroom dances at Seabreeze and Ezell that were free of charge but also attended dances at LaHacienda and Everglades where we have paid a fee to dance. We were told that the dance at LaHacienda is recreation department sponsored and tickets must be purchased at a regional rec center in advance. However, Everglades is pay at the door and is not rec sponsored. Why are some dances that are organized by Village residents free and other dances charge an entry fee? It seems the format of the resident sponsored dances are similar. Typically, a spouse is providing the music. Can someone explain why this is? We are just curious. Thanks.

This has been an ongoing issue that the Rec. Dept. has chosen not to monitor or take any action. The people that are hosting the free dances are volunteers who chose to give back to the community, which should be the basis for all the activities here since they are using Villages rec centers, employees, etc. There has been a rapid increase in the amount of paid dances (most around $7 per person). It appears they are supplementing their income by using Villages amenities. Other than paying the cost of a disc jockey, there is really no other expense involved. Some will provide bottled water or a light snack, but they are certainly still turning a profit. And some hosts are using their significant others to be the disc jockey, which is clearly stated in the volunteer rules from the Villages as being unacceptable. Some dances are 70-100 people paying $7 per person and they probably pay a DJ $250-300. Some people are hosting multiple dances per month. This has been brought to the attention of the Rec Department and other than re-stating the rules to the various hosts, there is no enforcement. If the people in the community knew that our rec centers were being used to generate income, maybe something would be done correctly. If the dancing community can get by with charging admission to use our rec centers, then why can't the other clubs charge such as the arts, various exercise classes, music classes, etc? This sets a dangerous precedence to the future, but this has been brought to the Rec Department's attention and they are fully aware of this.

[EnglishJW]

This has been an ongoing issue that the Rec. Dept. has chosen not to monitor or take any action. The people that are hosting the free dances are volunteers who chose to give back to the community, which should be the basis for all the activities here since they are using Villages rec centers, employees, etc. There has been a rapid increase in the amount of paid dances (most around $7 per person). It appears they are supplementing their income by using Villages amenities. Other than paying the cost of a disc jockey, there is really no other expense involved. Some will provide bottled water or a light snack, but they are certainly still turning a profit. And some hosts are using their significant others to be the disc jockey, which is clearly stated in the volunteer rules from the Villages as being unacceptable. Some dances are 70-100 people paying $7 per person and they probably pay a DJ $250-300. Some people are hosting multiple dances per month. This has been brought to the attention of the Rec Department and other than re-stating the rules to the various hosts, there is no enforcement. If the people in the community knew that our rec centers were being used to generate income, maybe something would be done correctly. If the dancing community can get by with charging admission to use our rec centers, then why can't the other clubs charge such as the arts, various exercise classes, music classes, etc? This sets a dangerous precedence to the future, but this has been brought to the Rec Department's attention and they are fully aware of this.

I agree with you completely. I think it would be simple to put a rule in place that says IF there is any charge to come in, the room MUST be paid for. The precedent risk of what is going on with dancing is substantial to all other clubs and their activities.

[SIRE1]

I suspect it may have to do with whether the event is restricted to Village's residents ONLY, or if it is open to the public. Our College Alumni club is open to the public so residents from the surrounding communities (like Stone Crest and Del Webb) can join too. And since we are open to the "public", we actually have to pay rent for the use of the Rec Center for all of our activities. So unless those ballroom events put a check station to verify Villages resident cards and turn away those who didn't have one, they would also have to pay rent. That may be why there is a charge. Just guessing, but it makes sense.