The Importance of Giving Back

My Local Dance

Since I moved to Durham, my local dance group is the Triangle Country Dancers (TCD). We contra dance 2nd and 4th Fridays each month, and 5th Fridays if there is one in the month. David DiGiuseppe and Buzz Lloyd fill up the 1st and 3rd weekends with their series' if you want contra. However, you can also find blues, English, waltz, swing and other styles in the area on a regular basis. Needless to say, I am getting plenty of dancing in.

Shortly after moving here, I was asked to join the TCD Board and began serving in January 2014. I am currently serving in my last year on the board, as President. I continue to enjoy working with wonderful, committed people, to promote great dancing in our community.

The Dayton Dance

I got involved in dance organization because I want contra dance and square dance to continue into the future. I want to still have a vibrant community to dance in when I am in my 80's.

In early 2008, I began thinking about ways to give back to and support my dance community. One main reason was that my local dance was having a leadership crisis. Since this was the dance that I had grown up attending, I did not want to see it die!

The current organizers had been running the dance for many years. Initially they had been part of a team but over time help dwindled until a very small group was carrying the load. They struggled for a while but eventually reached a point of burn-out and the dance was in danger of collapsing. Four dance gypsy friends stepped in to keep our local dance alive!

I assisted in leadership for the monthly Dayton Contra Dance series from May 2009 through June 2013, and with planning and execution of the first big weekend event (Shenandoah Shindig) in the fall of 2012. Through this experience I learned a lot! Dances do not just happen. Even the best run series needs committed volunteers to complete a myriad of tasks- large and small. Book talent, open the hall, sweep the floors, manage the door, make announcements, do publicity, run sound... the list goes on and on.

Seeing people discover the magic and community of dance makes all these efforts worthwhile. Although often small in numbers, Dayton has a great hall with a beautiful floor, and prides itself on having a warm, welcoming atmosphere. Stop in if you are ever passing through the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia on the 2nd Saturday of the month!

Happy dancers after the 2nd Shindig (2014)

The Charlottesville Fall Festival

You may wonder WHY when I was already involved in organizing my local dance, and beginning calling, I also took on organizing a weekend Festival. The simple answer is that I was nurtured into this leadership role.

Beginning in 2006, I helped with the Potluck committee. By 2008, I was asked to serve as the committee chair for Potluck while the previous chair took on other tasks for the Festival. As chair, I attended meetings, lined up committee helpers, and generally cared for the Potluck aspect of the Festival. It was fun and not too large of a responsibility.

Then came the year when no one stepped forward to be the overall Festival chair. I was asked at several meetings, and in passing several times whether or not I would consider taking on the role. My response was always no... I was busy with work, was beginning to take on an organizing role at my local dance, and was learning to call dances. How could I fit that in organizing such a large event too? Also, I didn't really know much about the big picture pieces of the Festival and I also didn't even live in Charlottesville! Surely someone else would step forward.

In March of 2010 I got a formal request from the ACCDSS board asking me to consider serving as Festival chair. After some soul searching and consultations with Gaye Fifer and Shawn Brenneman about their experiences in this role in the past, I finally agreed. I served as Festival chair for 2010 and 2011 and found it to be a great joy to see things come together, although it was also quite a bit of work!

Fall Festival, Charlottesville VA - 2010

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