More than ten years ago, Joyce and Chuck Allen came up with a novel idea of hosting a Bebop Dance once a month with ’50s and ’60s music played. October 5, 2019, marked their 100th dance.
This idea was born with the simple thought that bands are great, but the audience really comes alive when ’50s and ’60s music is played. From this very straightforward notion, a marvelous tradition was birthed.
According to the the Hot Springs Village Voice newspaper, “The next morning, almost simultaneously, we told each other, ‘The Village needs a ’50s-‘60s dance band,’” Allen said. Their idea led to the creation of the Beboppers, a dance group that has met regularly over the past decade.
“The Allens sketched out an idea in early 2009, and took it to the Hot Springs Village Property Owners’ Association’s Linda Mayhood. ‘She was delighted with the idea,’ Allen recalled. They set up plans for a March 28, 2009 dance.”
“The Allens initially hoped 40-50 would attend, and they planned the dance to take place at Cortez pavilion. Creating a playlist, music was recorded to cassette tapes.”
“Mentioning their plans to friends, they soon realized a larger venue was needed.”
“They booked the Coronado Community Center ballroom, and 259 attended the first dance.”
Fast forward to February of 2020 and the Beboppers are now at risk of closing their dance hall doors.
I received the following email dated, February 7, 2020:
“Hi there, Beboppers…”
“While a wildly popular event for many years, attendance has started declining and the Allens are faced with the reality that they cannot continue to host this event unless attendance improves. Whether the Beboppers’ monthly dance fades away into oblivion is completely dependent on whether they can attract more attendees to the event. What follows is a plea from the Allens.”
A plea from the Allens:
“We’ve been advised (ordered?) by several ‘regulars’ to be frank/blunt/honest about the situation.”
“The Valentines Day Dance a week from tomorrow (Saturday, February 15) is critical for the Bebopper Dances. The last three dances have lost money (for the first time in more than ten years) and Joyce and I cannot host them if that continues.”
“We need at least 100 folks to participate and only 72 has been the average the last three [dances]. If you wish to see these ‘50s – ‘70s great hits dances exist in HSV, try to attend…and we thank you for your past participation. Oh, yeah…’talk up’ this “most fun for fewest bucks event” among your friends, please!”
***
Where: Coronado Community Center
When: Saturday, February 15, 2020, 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Cost: $5.00
Details: Cash bar…bring food & non-alcoholic drinks if you like.
***
Can we help the Allens save the Bebop Dance? We can’t let this great institution just fade away into the annals of Hot Springs Village history.
What do you say? It is up to you.
Click here to watch the Beboppers of Hot Springs Village Video
(Photo courtesy of Chuck Allen)
By Cheryl Dowden, February 8, 2020
Lynda Narug
02/08/2020 — 3:57 pm
Is the music live or recorded?
HSVP C
02/08/2020 — 4:03 pm
Lynda, the music is recorded. For $5 a person they could not afford to pay a band. They have expenses with the rental and other things.
Lynda Narug
02/08/2020 — 4:11 pm
My husband plays in the Village Big Band and were frequent entertainers with the Merry Mixers dances. What a disgusting issue when the facilities we pay for are so expensive we can’t afford to use them. The Merry Mixers had to give it up also.
Joseph Vlasek
02/08/2020 — 6:22 pm
We can’t afford to support a dance that cost’s $5.00 but we can pay a half a million dollars for a CMP that we have to change to a NON gated community to even implement? BOD and CEO are Idiots!
Julie
02/09/2020 — 5:43 am
Please remember, folks, “ceo” is always to be lower case. Always.
Mary Szczepaniak
02/10/2020 — 1:09 am
agree
HSVP C
02/08/2020 — 7:03 pm
Lynda, it is a sad state of affairs! Thank you for the information.
Tom Blakeman
02/08/2020 — 6:24 pm
The Country Two Steppers dance has a hard time making it also. This is largely because of the cost for the venue.
Meanwhile we have layers of “management” here in the village which we don’t need and boondoggle projects and consultants we did not want and can’t afford. And don’t forget marketing which has been a failure (see the recent report on this site) and a penchant for lawyers and poor project management.
Where will it end?
Lynda Narug
02/08/2020 — 6:37 pm
When we moved here 20 yrs ago, we joined the 2-Steppers, what fun we had. Went to various country dance venues, from LA to TX, was a great introduction to our retirement and a different dance variety than we were used to up north. Then the 2-steppers faded, some moved to assisted living or “back home” and others passed.
Mary Szczepaniak
02/10/2020 — 1:11 am
agree
Karen Daigle Lundberg
02/08/2020 — 9:23 pm
Cheryl, thank you to you and Chuck and Joyce Allen for posting this on the website. I have never heard of this dance, and I would have been attending had I known. I can’t dance worth a darn, but my husband, Buz, doesn’t mind me stepping all over his toes. LOL What a lovely way to celebrate Valentine’s Day. We will be there.
Melinda Alvord
02/08/2020 — 10:08 pm
Yes, the cost of renting the venue may have increased but from what I read here the issue is lack of attendance. If the ticket price has remained the same, it seems that villagers are just not coming out. We’ve been a few times but it’s not something that we are interested in doing every month.
Chipmunk
02/10/2020 — 7:41 am
The ticket prices have not remained the same.
Julie
02/09/2020 — 5:42 am
We paid for the Coronado Center. It should be free for non-profit use by any residents. At most just a fee to cover any setup costs.
‘ceo” and “bod” are so out of touch on this issue it is unbelievable. That is why so many clubs and other orgs use churches for their events.
The churches don’t attempt to profit from supporting community events. HSV is so poorly run that the little “ceo” can’t even figure this out.
Step up and offer the venue at a setup only charge. Please. Do the right thing.
We all know they won’t.
They are incapable of doing the right thing.
Misty Rowan
02/10/2020 — 5:14 pm
I completely agree with this comment. 💯 percent
Lorri Street
02/10/2020 — 2:13 pm
When I first moved to the Village 5 years ago I attended several of the Bebopper dances. After dancing to mostly the same playlist each month it soon became not-so-fun. IMHO I think there might be more attending if the music was 70’s, 80’s and 90’s. I certainly would start ‘dancing’ with them once again. It might be worth a try?
Mary Szczepaniak
02/12/2020 — 5:42 pm
Please, no 80’s & especially no 90’s. Maybe some 50’s.
How do we sign up?
Bob Peters
02/15/2020 — 4:10 pm
Who is in charge of the rent rates? Maybe we can discuss the issue snd the impact if the higher rates.
For those in position to lead this village forward there has to be a sense of urgency to keeping these type of activities going.
david
03/06/2020 — 1:35 pm
just moved here, is there a dance in march????
HSVP C
03/06/2020 — 3:58 pm
Hello David! We are so happy to have you as a new neighbor. The information for the Beboppers dance in March is:
BEBOPPERS DANCE SATURDAY MARCH 14
5:30 Pm – 9:00 Pm Coronado Community Center, 150 Ponderosa Lane
TIME
(Saturday) 5:30 pm – 9:00 pm
LOCATION
Coronado Community Center
150 Ponderosa Lane
ORGANIZER
Charles & Joyce Allen
BeBopper’s Dances
501.209.0817
Dana Leleux
04/15/2022 — 10:22 pm
I go to the fitness center many days a week and have been looking for a flyer with details on the next dance. Is advertisement limited in HSV? In searching Explore HSV website I couldn’t find any info about the April dance
HSVP C
04/16/2022 — 7:18 am
Hi Dana. “Please join us for the Beboppers dance Saturday, April 16. The dance will start at 6:30 and go to 9:30 at the Coronado Center (150 Ponderosa Lane) here in the Village. Everyone is welcome, bring your neighbors and friends. Admission is $5 per person … the bar will be open and you can bring food. Hit tunes from the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and a few Cajun and Country songs will be played. Please come out and support the club’s efforts.”