I am excited to announce that I will be attending GenCon again this year to represent Villaintech.com! In order to hype up the events, I will be showcasing interviews with exhibitors, event hosts, and assorted GenCon attendees, beginning with an interview with Alex from Dancing Through The Recession.

1.) Tell me about your group. Does it have an official name? How, why, and by whom was it started?

Alex: We’re running several dance workshops this year because we both want to share our love of dance. In 2007, when the second Gen Con dance, the Black and White Ball, was announced a lot of people on the message boards were lamenting the fact they didn’t know how to dance. I ran the first Learn to Dance! workshop as a crash course in social dancing so those people could go to the dance and enjoy themselves. Terri Ann and I met earlier in the con at a belly dance workshop and I persuaded her to give mine a try. We’ve collaborated on several projects since then.

2.) Are you and your girlfriend professional dancers or instructors?

Terri Ann: I am neither a professional dancer, nor an instructor of dance…though I am an instructional designer in higher education. I have studied dance for nearly two years.

Alex: I taught professionally for several years, though last November I applied to have my amateur status reinstated for competitions. I still run a business for social dance instruction and performance.

3.) How can other gamers join, and when/where does your event take place?

Alex: We’re running four workshops throughout Gen Con: Swing Dancing (SPA0900163) is in the Westin Grand Ballroom I on Thursday, 8/13, from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM.Latin Dancing (SPA0900167) is also in the Westin Grand Ballroom I on Friday, 8/14 from 10:00 AM to Noon. Dancing For Larpers (WKS0900146) is in the Marriott Indiana Ballroom E on Friday , 8/14 from Noon to 2:00 PM. And Learn to Dance (SPA0900159) is also in the Marriott Indiana Ballroom E on Saturday, 8/15, from 10:00 AM to Noon.

You can join by pre-registering or showing up with a generic ticket. No special shoes or clothes are required, and in my experience very few people show up with partners. Even if the event sells out (Swing is already sold out and Latin is close) show up anyway and we’ll see if we can fit you in.

4.) Is there story behind the header on the Villaintech site?

Terri Ann: I think this is a good pic of us.

Alex: We took that at Balticon last month, at their Steampunk dance.

5.) Any additional information you’d like to add, such as contact info or a website?

Alex: If you’ve never danced before this is a perfect way to try it out. Each of these classes will be taught from an absolute beginner perspective and will move at a beginner’s pace. Our main goal isn’t just to teach people to dance, but to make sure everyone has fun doing it! If you have any questions, please e-mail me at alex.w.jacobs@gmail.com or check out my blog www.DancingThroughTheRecession.com