The Experiment is a week–long, intensive Balboa workshop for 24 students (12 leads & 12 follows chosen by application process) in a million–dollar beach house hosted by Nick Williams and David Rehm and featuring special guests Marie Nahnfeldt, Laura Keat & Jeremy Otth.
In addition to the obvious differences from traditional dance workshops, we will also be departing from the typical class format of 'students–
The name was chosen simply to highlight the fact that this is in every respect a completely new kind of workshop—hence it is an experiment in workshop format.
24 students, 12 couples, is about the largest you can make a small group and still maintain an intimate setting, which is the entire premise for the camp. Any fewer than that and it would have to be prohibitively expensive per student; any more than that (26, 28, 30...) and it begins to cross the line into a small class which has a different dynamic, not to mention the difficulty of finding a large enough venue which could still provide the shared live/work/play environment we envision. 24 is also divisible in lots of ways—2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12—
You do not need a partner. We will encourage rotation of partners.
Successful small groups require participants at about the same level with similar interests and the right kind of attitude, especially in such close quarters. The application process gives us a pool of candidates—who first of all have actively expressed interest in attending and confirmed that they are able to afford it—with information about them to help us try to achieve such a group.
We are currently seeking dancers at or near "masters' level" who are not only excellent students but who also have begun to find their own direction and have something to contribute to the group. (This last part is critical for the unique kind of sessions we will be using.)
However, after receiving interest from a wider range of dancers than anticipated (including Balboa dancers at every level and even several "masters' level" Lindy dancers who wouldn't usually be associated w/ Balboa), we've decided to encourage dancers of all skill levels to fill in the application in order to help us better gauge this wider demand.
The Experiment will start the evening of Saturday, April 18 and go through the morning of the following Saturday, April 25 (2009). The time of year was chosen for the following reasons:
We could either afford an average venue during peak season or an awesome one in the off season; we chose the latter since it would have a better impact on the environment for the actual workshop.
We were lucky to find a venue for which the off season extended to around the end of April, when it's still too cold to swim in the ocean but there is at least the potential for nice weather to enjoy the scenery and other outdoor activities.
This was one of the only times of the year when Nick and David could find two consecutive weekends free at the same time, since few other events choose to come between and compete with both the Rendezvous and the All Balboa Weekend.
(We shouldn't affect those weekends since we only have 24 students, many of whom will still attend such events. In fact some students will probably be using The Experiment to help prepare for competing in the American Classic Balboa Championship at the All Balboa Weekend.)
Applications are due by: September 26. Everyone who applies will receive notification (acceptance or otherwise) by: October 17, a full six months before the event.
Balboa dancers are some of the nicest, most sociable and creative people we know and we're confident there won't be a shortage of fun and interesting things to do during non–dance time, especially considering the setting. Plus we might have a few surprises of our own.
In order to be more accessible to European participants, The Experiment will take place on the east coast of the United States in Virginia Beach, less than 30 miles from Norfolk International Airport (ORF). The airport is competitively priced for many domestic flights (including most major airlines as well as budget airlines such as JetBlue and Southwest) and hosts a number of international airlines (including Air Canada, Air France, British Airways, Lufthansa, Japan Airlines, etc).
Virginia Beach/Norfolk is also accessible by bus from a number of other major cities in the region for as little as US$35. (It might be much cheaper for some, particularly international, attendees to fly into one of the larger cities nearby and take the bus or car–pool.)
In addition to the main house, there will be a second, auxiliary house (less than 100 yards away) to enable us to house everyone and to provide multiple levels of accommodations. The main house has 6 king or queen suites and 2 bunk rooms, with each of the bedrooms having its own private bathroom! The auxiliary house has 3 rooms with queen beds and 3 rooms with either a double bed or a set of twins, with 3 full bathrooms. Everyone will sleep on a real bed in a private room (not a common area) with only 2 people per room (!) except for the two bunk rooms which each hold 4.
All meals except for one will be provided by an on–site chef and are included in the price of accommodations. (For the one exception we'll be going out to a local crab–house where each attendee will be responsible for their own meal. Of course whether you get $40 worth of crabs or a $10 sandwich is up to you.) Be sure to indicate any dietary restrictions in the appropriate section on the application form.
There will be one or two head DJs who will coordinate along with students who wish to volunteer to DJ. (Unfortunately our contract does not allow us to have live music at the house.)
We are planning several competitions throughout the week although the details will be kept secret.
Alcohol is strongly discouraged with the exception that students may bring wine for dinner.
Tuition is US$375 plus the price of accommodations (including meals) which range from US$375–575. The base tuition price of US$375 will be due within two weeks of receiving acceptance letters, by October 31, with the remainder due after the first of the new year.
| Camp | Tuition | Acc. | Meals | Total | Notes on 'General' (lowest) Accommodations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Experiment | 375 | 375– 575 |
included except for one |
750– 950 |
real beds in private rooms (none in common areas) with only 2 people per room except for the two bunk rooms which each hold 4 |
| Herräng Dance Camp | 600 | 0–? | 150 for only two meals/day | more than 750–? | pictures: here & here (?=prices not available online) |
| Studio Hop Summer Camp | 410 | 355– 485 |
included | 765– 895 |
either "6 to 10 mattresses in a room" or "stacked beds... 2 or 5 people"; "bathrooms in common" |
| Beantown Camp | 425* | 429– 604 |
included | 854*– 1029 |
dorm rooms (*early registration price; $50 discount if international) |
| Swing Out New Hampshire | 645 | 0–75 | included | 645– 720 |
"rustic unheated cabins... 9–15 people sleep dormitory style in each cabin... simple wooden camp style beds..." |
(All prices in US Dollars. Prices and quotations taken directly from
event websites and converted where necessary—July, 2008.)
With such a small number of students, the budget has been designed requiring 24 fully paying students for the entire week.
Please direct further questions to: info@thebalboaexperiment.com.
