Having a Strictly Come Dancing-style dance event is a unique take on team building or just a fun surprise at an evening dinner. In this blog, I want to explain further how this activity is perfect in many corporate settings.
The popularity of the hit TV show Strictly Come Dancing is enormous but, out of the millions of people who watch it, how many ever get a chance to dance in those styles? You could be one of them.
We have been offering team building activities based around dance and movement for almost 20 years. Hip Hop, Bollywood, Scottish, Barn Dance and African Gum Boot are just some in a very long list. Of course, within the world of ballroom and contemporary styles, the options are even more endless.
Over the years, we have often been asked to bring in experts from the world of dance so that clients can recreate their own Strictly-style events. We are very lucky to have access to a dazzling pool of professional talent – people who regularly work on TV, theatre shows or competitions around the world.
Let me describe a typical format. Just last week, a group of 40 team members were having an all-day meeting. When they broke for coffee, we quickly set up in their room. We erected our portable PA in minutes and hid our amazing dancers in adjacent rooms. As people filtered back for what they thought was their final session, music erupted and our spectacular dancers burst through the doors. To astonished faces, they performed a show routine with kicks, lifts and twirls galore.
After the rousing applause stopped, our dance team introduced themselves and broke the news, “It’s your turn next!” We split the group into two different rooms and explained the plan. One group would learn a Salsa routine and the other the Charleston.
After a mild warm-up and some background to both these styles, our experts began slowly adding movement upon movement to create the routines.
Our expert dancers know exactly how unusual this feels for most people and always guide participants step-by-step to build success. Participants are always amazed at what they achieve. Learning to dance together may seem unusual as a team building method but in fact it’s highly effective. Participants are all having to work together in a completely new environment. Everyone is out of their comfort zone and the whole team will only succeed if team members support and inspire each other. Dancing is an immediate leveller and each participant has to overcome his or her own personal challenges to make it all work. The camaraderie generated and that inevitable hilarity that follows are priceless.
As we got closer and closer to performance time, we added some props and costumes for effect before focusing on the team’s strengths and weaknesses. Time was up! We brought both teams together to show each other’s perfected dance routines, ending the day on a high.
We also recently delivered an event with a similar format but with over 300 conference delegates, demonstrating that it provides a fabulous surprise at dinner. Get ready for sequins, cat suits and sparkly shoes! Our stunning dancers can first wow your guests with their performance, and then have some or all of your guests on the floor for a quick interactive section before continuing with your dinner.
Our Strictly dancing team activity is also perfect for mixing with any of our other events. Clients can ‘cherry pick’ their preferred options to create a completely bespoke multi-activity day.
We fully understand that there can be company guidelines about employees dancing with each other. All of our dance team activities can be done in formation, non-touching style if that is required.
Whatever the size of your team, music, movement and let’s not forget glamour will make an unforgettable day or evening. Contact us now to find out more.
Other pages you may be interested in:
Strictly Team Dancing | List of Our Indoor Events | Team Building for Large Groups