Starting a team?

I wasn't sure where to post this....

How do I go about finding interested people? I'm out of school and live in a small town where I don't know anybody. I don't attend clubs or some such things. I've tried fliers and other forms of advertisement without luck.

I'm sure most of you are going to say things like ask your friends, or school-mates, but I grew up home schooled and never had the chance to make friends or school-mates, so that doesn't work for me.

I seem to be alienating people because no one knows what Eurobeat or ParaPara is, and I don't know how else to advertise it.

I've posted before on ParaPara forums asking for people in my area, and I've got a record of zero people responding. There doesn't seem to be anyone out here who knows what ParaPara is and who goes to forums.

I've had a few people try dancing with me, but they weren't particularly dedicated, or they lost interest quickly.

I really want to have a team to dance with, but I'm losing hope on finding dedicated members out where I live...

Thank you in advance for help.

First of all where are you located? A general approximation is fine, for example Southern California, New England Area, etc. There may be people on the forums in your general area and could get in contact with you. They may not be in your exact town but even a 30 minute drive is better than nothing.

Do you have any friends that are interested in Anime, J-Pop, or Japanese Stuff in general? These types of people will probably already have an idea about parapara dancing and would most likely be interested in learning routines and hanging around. The key is to gradually introduce them to music and routines.

Have you considered traveling to an Anime Convention or Circle Gathering? People on these forums are always advertising their gatherings. I think in this day and age you can find a major convention in every part of the US and there is bound to be someone from PPS hosting an event.

It sounds like you've exhausted all the opportunities in your immediate area. You will need to work a little harder and go out and find people. If you are SERIOUS about making a team then you should easily meet people just by following the tips above. Sorry excuses like I don't have money or I don't have time will not cut it; if you really want to do this then you'll need to suck it up and go out of your area to meet people because there appears to be nobody in your town.

I'm in the upper part of New Mexico.

Like I said, I lack friends since I've been home schooled, and there are literally no clubs or activities where I could meet people out here.

I've been to one con, and a few people were interested, but nothing came of it.

I actually have tried other towns, even as far as an hour drive from where I live, and nothing has come from the people I've met with and shown routines to.

I haven't gone to any of the Para events at out of state cons yet, but I'm not sure how much help that would be, other than hanging out while at the con...

I really don't know what else is available.

Fortunately you are surrounded by two rather large parapara communities, California and Texas. Anime Expo and A-Kon are some of the largest conventions of the year; I know for a fact many people go to these conventions for parapara related activities. Definitely start by heading to Texas for A-Kon next year; meanwhile there are many people on these forums from Texas that you may want to get in contact with.

Have you considered going back to school like community college or a 4 year university? You can meet a ton of people and make many new friends there. I am sure you can find a nice clique and start up a team there.

Do you have a job? Make friends with your coworkers and see if parapara dancing is something you may have in common.

Are you religious? Make friends with people you know from church, temple, prayer, etc.

What about your siblings? If you have brothers and sisters try teaching them; you can be one of the few family teams.

Basically what I am trying to say is just because you were homeschooled does not mean you can never meet people. Don't be shy!

On a second note do not go out and try to simply recruit people for a team. It sounds like you are being too forward and people are intimidated so your meetings never lead to anything. This is not a professional sports team where people are waiting to be drafted and do not care who they play for. People on parapara dancing teams are usually good friends with each other too. Nobody will want to dance with you if you do not even try to be their friend. Try making a core group of friends and eventually introduce them to your other hobbies like parapara dancing and maybe they'll catch on.

I'll look into heading to A-Kon next year; I missed it this year, sadly...

I'm actually still in high-school levels, college is a year or two off yet.

I've exhausted my siblings; they lost interest.

Too forward? Hmm... Perhaps, I may be a bit overzealous since I'm so eager...

I'll definitely try your other suggestions though. Thanks much.

You can always post on the para_para lj community as well!

I suggest going to a local anime convention and buying a table and setting up some information and having some videos playing or dancing. That is pretty much how I got my team started. =)

There is also the idea of a parapara team that lives in different states/areas, like a parapara circle. Since I've had no experience with that I am unable to comment on how it would work out, but it is a possibility if you can't get anyone within driving distance.

Good luck!

*waves from Texas* I'd have to say I agree with a lot of the above suggestions. I can't say I've really met a lot of people that just pick parapara up and run with it. Most people get into it gradually. Conventions are a great resource for networking with people who have similar interests. You may not meet people in your immediate area right away, but people know people. Word gets around. If you go to different conventions, anime clubs, etc. and get the word out about what it is and why you enjoy it, then eventually people tend to come around. Best place to start is within your own friends, even if that's just a handfull of people. Once you have one or two, have everyone spread the word. It may be slow goings at first, but stick with it.

yeah, kinda what ba-tan said. my team, for example, is open to people anywhere in the country (so it's kinda becoming a circle instead of just a plain parapara team). i have one member who lives in little rock while i live in memphis (about a 3+ hour difference). but you have to decide whether you want a close knit team of just 2 or 3 people or a large team open for expansion. then you have to base your recruitment strategy on that. but yeah, becoming friends is the first way to obtain people and usually your bonds will be stronger.

This post has been edited by jessig on Jul 14 2009, 06:55 PM

Thank you guys so much for all the suggestions. I really appreciate it; I'll try them out.

don't give up! it was hard for me to get a team kinda together XD

Our fabulous team has members in two different cities with a distance of about 2 hours by train. And we're still doing great! I got response from the two other grounding members by e-mail after they were in a parapara basic lesson I had at a con. But yes, the key is to not press people into suddenly loving parapara, it will happen gradually if it happens. I didn't have any other purpose in my parapara lesson but to share this awesomely dorky dance with everyone else too, and that supposedly caught on then. So don't give up, and remember that it will take time.

Of course, in my case, I'm so god damn beautiful and charismatic that whatever I do, I get followers!

(That was a joke. )

*follows Sefie and her charismatic self*

Hah, Selfie you're funny. XD

Thank you again, everyone, for your suggestions, and support. It REALLY makes me happy.

I talked to this awesome guy at Youmacon 09. He told me that you don't need to live in the same area to have a parapara team. Find people online and maybe post videos back and forth for each other. It's better then not having anyone at all. Plus i think it would be more fun idk.