I'm thinking of relocating to Tenerife and starting a business.

[Dienvay]

Hi we are a couple Patrick and Cathy, we currently live in UK and are considering relocating to Tenerife. After many holidays around Playa de las Americas and talking to a few expats we have met over there, we believe there is something missing. That being a social dance night where people can chill out in the evening, listen to the music and generally relax enjoy oneself, learn a new style of dance called Modern Jive which is massive in the UK. This is also a very good way to keep fit and meet people in the community in a social environment.

We are considering starting this as a business over there and would like some feed back from the expat community in Tenerife as to how you feel about this.

I will have many future questions and if you are a little curious about the style of dancing, music choices, age groups, etc. We will be happy to oblige.

[fonica]

Hi we are a couple Patrick and Cathy, we currently live in UK and are considering relocating to Tenerife. After many holidays around Playa de las Americas and talking to a few expats we have met over there, we believe there is something missing. That being a social dance night where people can chill out in the evening, listen to the music and generally relax enjoy oneself, learn a new style of dance called Modern Jive which is massive in the UK. This is also a very good way to keep fit and meet people in the community in a social environment.

We are considering starting this as a business over there and would like some feed back from the expat community in Tenerife as to how you feel about this.

I will have many future questions and if you are a little curious about the style of dancing, music choices, age groups, etc. We will be happy to oblige.

If you have plenty of money to set up and tide you over the first year or so then give it a go,it may well take off.You will need premises with licences for music and entertainment,you will need insurance,you will need paperwork for yourselves etc.There are not many places to rent that have room for the kind of dancing that you want to do so that will require some investigation or you could approach an existing business maybe where thay have been offering line dancing in the past and offer your services as an "entertainment". Once you have set up and it has proved successful many othre people will try to follow.This always happens here! Anyway if you have plenty of money behind you,then give it a try ,it's a great place to live and I've been here for 30 years so can heartily recommend it.Good luck!

[TF1]

I'm sure this could be done without committing to premises, there are plenty of locations (cultural centers, etc,) who would host you for one or two nights per week. But you would require public liability insurance if you were charging a fee to the clients. As Fonica says, come with enough funding to carry you 100% for the first year, and be patient; for example if you calculate that you will need 6 weeks to set up, multiply by three. Good luck, sounds like a nice idea.

[bonitatime]

But learn Spanish as cultural centres etc need to be communicated with in Spanish. An ideal location would be where Metropolitan was
Walked past there yesterday which is how it came to mind.

[Dienvay]

Thanks for the replies and the positive support. One of the posts stated if successful others will copy the idea; that is so true. I could set this up in the UK if I wanted to but there are so many venues here it is ridiculous, for example tonight within a 25 mile radius there are 6 venues purely for this style of dancing each will hold from 100 to 300 people.

It is a very addictive form of entertainment, people become hooked very quickly as the music spans all genre’s from 60’s, Blues, Rock and roll, Latin, Motown etc, though I personally draw the line at Rap music. It is very easy to learn after 6 weeks guys tend stop dancing like a dad at a wedding. There isn’t any rule however it is a partner dance; the participants are encouraged to dance with differing partners. For example tonight I may have 40 dances however I will probably only have 5 dances with Cathy my own partner. There is no need to bring a partner you will always find someone to dance with there.

Fitness is also a bonus to this because you don’t feel like your exercising but you do burn off a lot of calories. I lost 2 stone in 3 months when I first started without even realising or trying to lose weight. So I do understand others will open other venues but hopefully we will be established by that time.

We could use community centres, hotel reception rooms, even sports centres, all these including town hall reception rooms are used in the UK. So I could use a little help on the type of venues that could be available over there. Initially I would be looking for a venue that could hold 100 people or more.

[kingbaker]

Unfortunately, economically this is not the time to invest any money in almost any business.
The attrition rate is very high (about 80-90 dont survive three years). Those who do survive
are likely to be people with huge expertise in their field of endeavour. Banks are unlikely to help,
so you'll likely be on your own.

I suggest that you keep any Capital 'SAFE'

[Red Devil]

I think its a really good idea and could be very popular, especially during the winter months when older people are staying for many weeks at a time.
The few places where there is dancing always seem very popular, Im thinking Lewinski's in LC gets busy with line dancing, also Club Atlantis hold classes, the trouble of course with only line dancing being available is people either love the music or hate it and it seems popular mainly with women anyway.
Your style of dancing sounds as if it would appeal more to both sexes so providing the right venues could be found it could be a winner, there is definitely a shortage of dance venues in the south at least.
I know nothing about the venture from a financial side, only you would know that, but I do like the idea and wish you luck if you decide to go ahead.
Speaking only from a personal view, I would be more likely to come to something like that if it was held in a bar or similar, rather than a civic venue or hall, but thats just me.
Just noticed you mentioned hotels, I could see that being quite a good idea as they all seem to provide evening entertainment so may be on the lookout for something new.

[bulldog]

Thanks for the replies and the positive support. One of the posts stated if successful others will copy the idea; that is so true. I could set this up in the UK if I wanted to but there are so many venues here it is ridiculous, for example tonight within a 25 mile radius there are 6 venues purely for this style of dancing each will hold from 100 to 300 people.

It is a very addictive form of entertainment, people become hooked very quickly as the music spans all genre’s from 60’s, Blues, Rock and roll, Latin, Motown etc, though I personally draw the line at Rap music. It is very easy to learn after 6 weeks guys tend stop dancing like a dad at a wedding. There isn’t any rule however it is a partner dance; the participants are encouraged to dance with differing partners. For example tonight I may have 40 dances however I will probably only have 5 dances with Cathy my own partner. There is no need to bring a partner you will always find someone to dance with there.

Fitness is also a bonus to this because you don’t feel like your exercising but you do burn off a lot of calories. I lost 2 stone in 3 months when I first started without even realising or trying to lose weight. So I do understand others will open other venues but hopefully we will be established by that time.

We could use community centres, hotel reception rooms, even sports centres, all these including town hall reception rooms are used in the UK. So I could use a little help on the type of venues that could be available over there. Initially I would be looking for a venue that could hold 100 people or more.

as others have said ,pitch it to hotels first no outlay get a really good demo c.d. made come
over on a week,s holiday present yourselves to the entertainment managers with a demo disc
and easy contact details make sure its got the wow factor go home and check your e.mails
good luck

[carpenter]

What has changed in Tenerife over the past 30 years?
Answer is not a lot. Tenerife is not a place for new ventures unfortunately. People will say "what a great idea and Tenerife really needs something like this" but how many will come? Sadly not a lot of residents will.
Holiday makers maybe but only in all inclusive resorts I should think. The Tenerife Ex Pats are creatures of habit and you will never break that mould.
New ideas have been tried and failed much to the disbelief of the entrepreneur.

Newsagent
Cafe
Bar
Restaurant
Beach
Karaoke

Anything else forget it sadly. I tried and I failed as have others. If you can get into the AI's then you laughing but just remember no one in Tenerife is in any rush to do anything!

[Tickey]

People that live here only have so much disposable income and the British population is quite minute really!

[Red Devil]

I really dont agree with you there Carpenter, this is entertainment the OP is talking about, didnt think you were in that line of business? (sorry that sounded rude, really didnt mean it to sound like that)
My post was referring mainly to winter but Tenerife from Nov through to March is full of longer term visitors (I was one myself for many years) who on the whole have a young at heart attitude, which explains why they are in Tenerife for the winter instead of grumbling about the weather at home. They are up for a good time and this sort of idea sounds good - as I said I know nothing about the costs of starting up but I'm sure these have been worked out, its not as if they intend sinking thousands of pounds into a bar..

[carpenter]

People that live here only have so much disposable income and the British population is quite minute really!

True which is why you will only ever "get by" in Tenerife at best you'll never set the world alight

[Tickey]

However if you speak 4 languages you may be on to something better

[carpenter]

I really dont agree with you there Carpenter, this is entertainment the OP is talking about, didnt think you were in that line of business? (sorry that sounded rude, really didnt mean it to sound like that)
My post was referring mainly to winter but Tenerife from Nov through to March is full of longer term visitors (I was one myself for many years) who on the whole have a young at heart attitude, which explains why they are in Tenerife for the winter instead of grumbling about the weather at home. They are up for a good time and this sort of idea sounds good - as I said I know nothing about the costs of starting up but I'm sure these have been worked out, its not as if they intend sinking thousands of pounds into a bar..
Ah but I set up a business directly aimed at the entertainment and bar/restaurant businesses of Tenerife providing outdoor cooling systems but the phone didn't ring! not entertainment admittedly.
people do not travel for entertainment (very few anyway) so unless this dancing class is mobile or in an AI resort I can't see it working

[casabonny]

The idea sounds good but I agree more aimed at tourists rather than residents but many residents enjoy line dancing and Salsa classes so why not this?
To enjoy life in Tenerife you do not have to run bar/ restaurants / news agent but you need to know your product or service very well and have researched it thoroughly before embarking on the venture as one should expect you would do in your native country before setting up any business.
It always amazes me how many millionaires there are here who were so successful in the UK yet can't even get a job or begin to start a successful business here and fly back to the UK with their tales between their legs and blame Tenerife not themselves for the failure.:wow:

[penelope pitstop]

The grass is always greener on the other side. We spent 8 yrs struggling to make a living in Tenerife. Spent a lot of money setting up home in a lovely rented apartment, bought a new car, furniture etc. Ended up returning to the UK in 2009 a lot worse off than when we left in 2001.

I ended up with a stress related illness, which I still suffer with now at times

Only good thing about it was making some wonderful friends, who we still go over to see once or twice a year.

Please think VERY carefully before you go. As others suggest, do your homework, go over & see if you can get into hotels etc. If you do decide to take the plunge, don't cut your ties with the UK. Keep your bank accounts, rent out your property if you have one rather than sell it. Keep registered at the Dr & dentist (visiting them when you go back to the UK). That way if you need to move back you will not need to take the Habitual Residents test if you need to claim benefits.
Good Luck & please keep us up to date with what you decide to do & how things are going.

[callaopam]

There are a number of dance schools here that may be interested in doing this in addition to what they already offer, It is very sound advice to make sure there is a market before you risk your capital - premises are not cheap
Treating it as pure entertainment at first - e.g demonstrations, and you would soon find out if there is a market. Don't rely on the ex pat community as clients !!

[Dienvay]

To clarify what I am trying to achieve, my original idea was for residents and the long term (6 month) visitors as these would be the core group of people that would be regular patrons and would be the foundation base.

Yes if we did not get enough people from this, we could then target the tourists to bolster the numbers, but it is not just the English that love to dance the Spanish German, Dutch etc would all be welcome and it helps to expand ones circle of friends.

To give an idea of how it works

The format we will be using has taken the world by storm from Australia to USA to the UK. It is a partner dance that is very easy to learn within 6 weeks you can look like an accomplished dancer. You will dance freestyle to all genre’s of music for up to four hours in the evening from 7pm to 11pm with a couple of 20 minute teaching sessions where people can learn a few more moves to add to their repertoire.

Cathy and I went to a function last night, in Winsford, Cheshire, there was probably about 300 people at this venue, and within a 25 mile radius of where we live there were 6 dance venues for this style, all holding from 100 to 300 people. I had probably 40 dances, but only had about 5 or 6 with Cathy as it is encouraged to mingle and dance with others. Men ask women, a woman asking other men to dance is the norm here. In all honestly I rarely get to ask another female to dance, I normally get asked by a female to dance prior to exiting the dance floor from my previous dance and many people arrive as singles but still have no trouble finding a partner to dance with. So you are basically looking at going for a night out where you can have a drink, chat dance and listen to good music from 1940’s swing to Blues, Latin, 60’s, Motown etc.

Many of the ballroom dances especially the Latin styles like salsa, tango, samba, cha cha cha etc can be added to this style of dancing but that is more for the advanced. People tend to begin to mix the styles once they have been doing this for 6 months or so.

So I would be looking for a regular venue initially for one night per week, with bar facilities large dance floor and a 2nd room with few tables chairs maybe couches, where people can have a break from the music and chat with others if they wish.

[penelope pitstop]

Sounds really good, I hope no-one else beats you to it now by stealing the idea from you! I have never heard of what you are doing, I live on the South coast of the UK & am not aware of anything like it here. What do they call it & I'll google it in my area? I think it must be great for people trying to lose weight too.
Good luck, & as I said in a previous post, please keep us updated on here. It would be lovely to hear of a success story for a change.

[penelope pitstop]

I have to agree with Kingbaker, i have had my fingers burnt in the past few years
and my wife is Spanish!!!

To be honest it doesn't sound like they have to invest any money. All they seem to need is to hire a large room in an hotel, which can't cost much. In fact some hotels may not even charge if it brings people in to spend money at the bars. People could use the hotel lounges if they want a break from the dancing. They could publicise the events with posters & nothing else is needed. It really sounds like a winner to me.

[Medanoman]

http://www.jivemecrazy.com/catalog/#/products-88

:dancing::dancing:

[caroll72]

And bear in mind that a lot of winter residents don't like spending money.
Iv'e worked in a bar where some (not all), like to make half a pint of beer last all night rolleyes2:

[Malteser Monkey]

And bear in mind that a lot of winter residents don't like spending money.
Iv'e worked in a bar where some (not all), like to make half a pint of beer last all night rolleyes2:

That's the Scots for you:D:scotland::bolt:

[Dienvay]

Thanks for the advice guys. We will be doing my final assessment in a few weeks when Cathy and I will be flying out there for 7 days. My head says Costa del Sol would be better in terms of sheer numbers, but we do prefer the atmosphere and environment of the islands. If we were doing this for the money the obvious choice would be to go more metropolitan but so long as we can make a living wage we would be happier doing this in Tenerife.

Medanoman hit the nail on the head with his link as to the style of the dance.

I include this You Tube link that is part of a promo video for a company in the UK, Cathy and I did a showcase dance there (if you were wondering about our dress) we are the couple dressed as Cowboy and squaw doing a lift-spin.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtyOv0pgNC0

:dancing::dancing: <--Love the smilys medanoman