upcoming session dates: august 1, September 1, October 1!

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upcoming session dates: august 1, September 1, October 1! 〰️

Join the first ever virtual pen pal program for dancers!

In an industry where dancers are divided by their style, skill level, language, location, and identity, we created a community for dancers to forge meaningful connections.

UPCOMING SESSION DATES:

Monday, August 1

Thursday, September 1

Saturday, October 1

Tuesday, November 1

THE RUNDOWN:

  • MEET

    Once you fill out the sign-up form, you will be paired with another dancer from somewhere else in the world with a similar age, dance style, and other interest as yourself. Some time within the first week of the session, you will be notified by a D4D Coordinator with the contact information of your pal. For the next month, all methods/times of communication will be up to you and your pal!

  • CONNECT

    Meet with your Pal over Zoom, FaceTime, social media, text , email, or any other method of communication that you both prefer and can agree on. Membership in the program lasts 4 weeks, but you are welcome to re-apply to get a new Pal or continue meeting with your previous Pal for subsequent sessions. During your time in the program, please join our Slack server to engage with the D4D community at large and to meet the other program participants!

  • ENGAGE

    After participating in the program, we invite you to fill out this quick feedback form (linked here!) so that we can hear your voice and improve our program! Also, we encourage you to create some sort of digital remembrance of your time in the program and send it to dancerfordancercontact@gmail.com - whether that’s a selfie, video, or even a quick dance that you both choreograph together, we would love to see the creative ways that you guys were able to connect!

Sign up for the upcoming session!

safety FAQs

  • We do our absolute best to screen our participants by communicating before the session begins, checking out any provided social media profiles, and trusting that our community members have integrity and are good people who share our mission of uniting the dance community. Once we pair you up with your pal, it’s up to you two to decide how you want to proceed - please reach out to your D4D Coordinator if you feel that your safety is being threatened while talking to your pal. We recommend that you chat over text/email/social media to do a little personal pre-screening before setting up a video call.

  • No - once we have set you up with your pal, we are not responsible for the outcome of any communication that you might have. We hope that you use common sense and maintain your personal values while chatting with your pal - if you don’t want to give your pal your address to exchange physical letters or packages, then don’t! And, at any time during your session if you would like to be paired with a new pal or drop out of the program altogether, please let us know - we want you to be in control of your decisions and feel comfortable with your participation in our program!

  • If you find yourself in an uncomfortable situation with your pal, stop all communication with them immediately. Do not give them your address, credit card number, or social security. Contact your D4D Coordinator immediately with a full report of the details. If you feel that you are in immediate danger, call your local emergency hotline such as 911.

  • We have no confirmed reports of sketchy people/frauds/catfishes participating in our program… and we will keep it that way. If you suspect something sketchy with your pal, stop communication with your pal immediately and please reach out to your D4D Coordinator with what’s going on.

  • If your pal is not being responsive, we recommend that you reach out a second time (maybe using a different form of communication - try social media, text, and email, if possible), and then wait 1-2 days. If they still aren’t responding, then please contact your D4D Coordinator, and they will contact your pal from a position of authority. If your pal does not respond within 1 week of the pairing date, then we will work on getting you paired with a new pal, and we will extend your duration in the program by however many days elapsed between the first pal pairing and the second.

registration/pairing disclaimer

 

Once we have put you in contact with a new pal, we cannot be held responsible for the outcome of any communication made between you. If we have an odd number of participants for a session and you don’t get a pal for the session that you signed up for, we will kindly give you priority pairing in the next session. Please note that for safety reasons we don’t pair anyone under the age of 15. By confirming you have read this, you are acknowledging that you are 15 or older and you have parental permission to join our program, as you are still a minor.

We hope that you uphold good morals and common sense throughout the session. If you feel uncomfortable at ANY point for ANY reason during communication with your pal, please halt communication with your pal and reach out to your D4D Coordinator with what’s going on. We don’t want you to do anything that you’re not 100% comfortable with. If at any point during the session you would like to get a new pal or drop out of the program altogether, please let your D4D Coordinator know - participation in our program is completely voluntary, and participation in this program is not a binding contract.

We are NOT a dating site - this is purely for friendship, international exposure, and support.