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This site lists events where people can go out dancing in Hamilton, both solo and partner dance events. Each event is added as soon as I hear about it and it has a confirmed date (please let me know about anything not yet listed, by Instagram message to @outdancinghamilton or by email to info@outdancinghamilton.com). Events must be:
There's also an Instagram, @outdancinghamilton. (1) Each event gets a post there, once that's possible (an Instagram-suitable image or video is needed, along with a certain amount of detail about the event), and the event listing on this site will then link to that post. (2) There's a Story each day that there's anything happening. (3) Every Monday there's a post and a Story listing the week's events.
This site is created and maintained by Rohan Jayasekera (@RohanSJ on Instagram). He likes to go out dancing in Hamilton, as covered by CBC News. He started this site because he needed something like it himself, and there wasn't anything already, and other people were also interested in having something.
Dancing is good for you – staying physically active is critical for continued health as we age, and fights depression, and generally makes you feel good. Rohan's doctor is very happy that he dances so much (though not thrilled that he'll dance even in dress shoes).
Event organizers: If you have an inclusive event in Hamilton where people will go specifically to dance, and would like it to be publicized here (no charge!), please email event info to info@outdancinghamilton.com or send an Instagram DM to @outdancinghamilton. Be sure to include all essential info such as date, start and end times, venue name and address, music genre(s), age restrictions (e.g. 19+), and cost (and where to buy tickets if that's an option), and preferably also an image or short video that would be suitable for an Instagram post (if you don't have one, the site can still list your event, but there won't also be an Instagram post). Although I don't post classes and workshops and things like that (I only post events where people can just go to dance), if you have a class that ends with dance time that the public can go to without the class, I'm happy to post that as long as I know the start time and price for just the dance portion. And if the event is a somewhat specialized one at which some people would feel uncomfortable despite being welcome (e.g. if they're queer events, or events that include sexual elements), that's fine as long as the nature of the event is made clear so that such people can make an informed decision about whether to go. And if you wouldn't want the maintainer of this site, who's an old straight brown cis man who's happy to go to most kinds of dance events, to be there, then you wouldn't want this site to publicize your event, because there's a good chance that he'll go!
Many thanks to designer Lauren Wickware for her design suggestions, which improved this simple handcrafted site enormously, and to dancer and artist Jacqui Oakley and Lauren for their encouragement to create this service.