Ouuch!
Are organisers total liability absolved by announcing the floor is fast and to take care?...
The professionals who danced that evening had the floor sprayed with water just prior to performing, for the rest of the public who danced before and after the floor was like ice. Professionals who are fully trained are aware of the risks and choose to perform that is informed choice but for members of the public who have paid to dance and are advised that the floor is very fast, the extent that that advise is useful is only as far as their knowledge and experience extends.It was too fast for safety, I danced only a little with well known partners.
It was the second year I had watched someone fall at this annual event. The floor this year seemed even faster. This year I think the lady broke her wrist, a totally foreseeable tragedy.
I felt for her. My mum broke her ankle last year and it took ages to heal, it had to be pinned. I'm much more careful who I dance with now and where but realise that for people who haven’t seen someone in such pain (and totally bored, not able to drive, not even to get into the shower unaided) they would probably not even see the risk
Very interesting post, Lizzy. Having suffered an injury myself, I believe that the injured has to accept a bit of the responsibility. A dancer, like an athlete, should learn first and foremost how to fall. Then, we must also put our safety before all things on the dance floor. When we think that the lead suggests something dangerous, we don't take it. Tango need not be a dance where the leader forces the follower around. A leader's suggestion may be avoided, when the follower sees that it might lead to a collision or a fall.
ReplyDeleteSaying that, as an organisor and a control freak, I believe that all health and safety measures should be taken in advance to avoid injury. The responsibility is shared between the dj, who can put songs that will relax the dancing craze on the floor, the organisors, who can take precautions depending on the conditions at their venue (poor lighting, fast or sticky floor, crowded dancing conditions) and the resident teacher, who should educate the affiliated community about how to follow the music, respect one's partner and protect oneself from injury.
I think all these go together.
That is why I am a warm supporter of joined efforts. Not one person should act as an organisor, teacher, dj and host. The whole community should take part in organising the tango events they like, take responsibility, try their hand in djing, help with hosting and even write about their experiences. This way we can all ponder about what to do next, how to do it better and communicate about it. I'd love to hear what other people have to say about tango and injury for example.
Dearest Lizzy, your efforts on this blog are greatly appreciated.
1) Dancers have to take a reasonable level of responsibility for their own safety - unless they are beginners you have to assume they are able to make some kind of risk assessment regarding the surface they're dancing on
ReplyDelete2) Organisers need to ensure that venue owners don't mess up a floor by over-polishing etc - we have to assume the floor was good at the time the booking was made (otherwise why book it) - so it's wise to advise the owner against actions that may change the state of the floor. I regularly talk to my venue owners about how best to maintain the floor surface for dancing
3) You've done your best to preserve the quality of the floor but then some well-meaning duffer applies a coat of polish... (god knows why... would there have been anyone or any activity that might have benefited from that very slidey surface? What can you do?
- Actively warn people that the surface is slippery
- Get your DJ to avoid music that'll encourage over-fast or extravagant dancing
Ideally, you'll have invested in some of that dancers talc that actually makes a floor more grippy (as opposed to the body talc that makes it faster) - water isn't much use, except for a short period of time, and for guys actually causes over-gripping which can result in a different set of ankle strain injures (if people haven't already slipped over on the water...)
4) One thing you're probably well-advised not to do is to play a salsa track and a jive track one after the other. They're faster music tracks and you're getting people who've been dancing careful step tango all evening to suddenly switch to a completely different rythmn and style - very dodgy. Added to which, as the room is filled mostly with tango dancers it's a fairly safe bet to assume that any salsa or jive dancers are probably not the best in those dances (an assumption, I know, but I don't expect to find many great tango dancers at a jive dance etc etc).
So if I had to predict when an accident was most likely to happen it would be when those tracks were played. The lady in question danced the salsa track with me - I teach that stuff so maybe my experienced saved her a tumble... she then danced the jive track with a guy who may not be as experienced in that dance - and whilst she'd danced with me previously I don't think she knew him... it was an accident waiting to happen... someone with an eye on potential insurance claims should perhaps have seen it coming and ensured the music didn't get silly.
I wonder, as well, if a contributing factor may have been the first performance dance - maybe that made people think they should and could dance more flamboyantly?
That milonga was very enjoyable. Barry, the previous weekend was fun, but, apart from the floor, this one had the edge. I also noticed that various tango dancers who, in the past, I've felt have compromised their axis when dancing with me, did this less so because they had to ensure they wouldn't slip on the floor. Most still maintained a good connection - so the dances were actually, on balance, better from my viewpoint. This comment does not, of course, apply to the owner of this blog, who always dances with exceptional control of her axis!
Eleni makes some good points but I think it is probably too much to expect someone to be able to fall in such a way as to protect themselves from this kind of injury... maybe professionals can learn that kind of stuntman skill, but the rest of us will tend to reach out, rather than roll.
It's tricky Elani and Anon and thank you for your comments. Not having the experience of putting on events I only see it from the point of view of the dancer.
ReplyDelete@Anon
The floor was fast, the music was jive and as I think about it now I find myself agreeing with you. Was it appropriate music for the floor and the crowd?? Even as jive as my first dance (8 years experience now) I wasn't tempted. Spins, turns and the speed were all against me and I was wearing tango shoes with high heels. Not a chance.
With hindsight it was really obvious that the floor wasn't safe and the music at that point would lead people into a position that they would have an accident.
I watched the floor and noted who was dancing safely and mentally conducted a "no go" list. I had a mild stomach issue so dancing wasn't on the top of my priorities in any case.. So feeling one step removed, it was easier to watch, wait and choose my dances carefully.
I like the idea of dance talc to slow a floor down. Can this be applied directly to the soles of your shoes Anon? I often dusted my bloks with body talc to speed them up when I wanted a smooth ride...Where do you get it from?
I remember before we danced I think I commented that I was having difficulty with traction with the floor and you made some suggestions about technique... I can't recall them now but at the time they were very useful...
Any chance of a recap?
Ultimately I'm really pleased that you enjoyed it. I love the event and go every year. The organisers are very professional and highly competent. The workshops were exceptional and apart fronm the floor the night was top notch!
@ Eleni
ReplyDeleteI didnt know that you were in the country, such has been my withdrawal from local life here.
Thank you for your contributions Eleni. I think that as you comment as dancers we need to take our own responsibility. I just played it safe. Very Safe...
Having said that I had some stunning dances with some excellent partners. Unusually for me I choose to dance in the closest embrace imaginable(!) but the work we have done together on connection, axis, connection came into it's own. Thank you.
When I danced I concentrated entirely on travelling together around the room, synchronising breath, so we moved ever move entirely as one. So all was not lost, but the closeness was enforced by the desire not to slip...
Time to sharpen my technigue for fast floors perhaps?
As I understand it, venue organisers need (or should have) various forms of insurance. Teachers should have liability insurance for classes, for example.
ReplyDeleteSo in terms of strict liability, the organisers should have insurance, and it's probably worth approaching them if compensation is required - I mean, a broken wrist, it's not something trivial like a bruise, it's a proper injury.
I don't believe (either legally or morally) that the organisers absolve themselves of all responsibility by simply announcing that the floor is fast. They have a duty of care to take all reasonable steps to ensure that the floor is safe.
From a moral point of view, I definitely don't think the performers should have sprayed the floor with water, that seems extremely dangerous to me. So the performers probably also have some responsibility for this.
To be honest, I don't think the DJ should worry about the state of the floor - I'd rather the DJ focussed on the music and atmosphere. I feel that the organisers are the ones who are responsible for the safety of the venue.
That doesn't absolve dancers from being adults and making their own decisions of course. A parallel example in the Jive world is the banning of air-steps at social dancing which Ceroc introduced a couple of years ago (after a good friend of mine suffered a far more serious injury). If dancers _still_ did an airstep and caused injury, clearly it's mainly their responsibility for ignoring clear rules on this one.
@ David
ReplyDeleteI've had to take a day to think about your comments. Very insightful, provocative and direct.
Just to clarify
The floor was sprayed to increase the grip of leather shoes on the floor not to make it slippy!
I'm pleased to hear that organisers should have insurance in place, if you are self-employed and have a break it could be quite disasterous!
Insurance is important, but not a solution, or even for me a first step towards resolving the issues of dancers injuries. Within schools dammit even conkers were banned, as was snowball fights, and walking on the cracks in the pavement...