Hosting a Dance Event on a Homestead 120918
This is an article for the Gorean Special Interest Group by Mily Sandalwood. It also applies to non-Gorean events.
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Things to consider if you're hosting a dance event on a homestead.
By Mily Sandalwood
By Mily Sandalwood
Some time ago I wrote, with the aid of a lot of dancers, an article called "How to smoothly run a dance event" This is a sort of update/additional to this card. I am attaching it so you can read it if you wish, I still stand by what is said in the article. However if you are intending to do a dance event on a homestead there are some serious considerations to take into account. Some, I have realised, people do not know of so I hope to deal with them here.
1. A Homestead is only able to have 20 people on it at any given time. This means that you need to consider the amount of dancers. 8 is the norm but for a homestead I would argue aiming for 6 is better. It is a bit of math here. For an event you need usually 3 judges, 6 dancers, the organiser, a dj, the Owner of the sim, that is 12 people before you have even started. This leaves only 8 guests to watch the dancers. Most dancers enjoy having someone they are close to along so if you assume 1 visitor per dancer you are up on 18 leaving only 2 of the sim to be present.
2, Make the sim 'invite only' for that event. Look at the math above. How will you deal with a dancer inviting 3 people? This will mean that other dancers cant get in or have anyone there to support them.
3. Make it clear in your dance invite this is a homestead and hence will be by invite only (Consider using the group I mention in the how to smoothly ...)
4. Consider lag. Lag is the ever present enemy of dance events also if your doing it on a homestead. Some homestead organisers place a script limit on each visitor using a privacy orb that will automatically return a person who has to high a script count on to their home spot. I know the one Thomas Conover has produced can also make a safe list so the dancers can enter with their hud on. Others will use a "door" to walk through (search for script lag gate on market place to see the sort of thing I am thinking of) that simply wont allow the person to walk through unless they de-script. The problem with these is they rely on trust that once walked though the door the person will not return all of their scripts (I freely admit to having done so as I usually can not walk through these with my dance hud on)
5. Lag can also be created by sim surrounds, They can have a high script count in them. I would suggest that you remove them for the dance event. You can use restore to last positions to replace them after.
6. Go through your sim and for the time of the dance event take down highly scripted items they will also lag the sim out.
7. If you are permitting props consider making the prim count a max "this amount" in the invite plus max scripts in it. (Or make the event no props)
8. Music. How do you plan on streaming it? Not all the radio stations are willing to do this from a homestead so this is something to seriously take under consideration. Remember to let the radio station know when you go to book it is a homestead as it would be a disaster if you end up with a 'no' on the day.
Having said all of this, I really don't want you thinking, "Oh, this is impossible", I have been to very successful dance events in homesteads. They key is to simply be organised and ensure you have done all you can to give yourself less stress. Following the above will make this possible. Icantanka Unegv Wohali (Mikal Snakeankle) ran some amazing events in the Dustlegs prior to them moving to a full sim. I know from organisers of other events He has been very willing to share his knowledge. I hope He doesn't mind my mentioning this here (he is not online as I write to ask).
Personally, I think anything that furthers and promotes dance in Second Life should be applauded. Due to this I very much hope that you will take the challenge on to create a homestead event. You will discover the willingness, eagerness to help and wonderful sense of community that dancers in Gor have. My very favourite thing about Gor.
mily