[Callers] labor of love

Hi, When I mentioned my dream of starting a new dance series in my community of Woodstock VT to Jeremiah McLane at Pinewoods a few summers ago, the main thing that I remember him saying is "Good luck, it's a labor of love." His comment has stuck with me as we've muddled along up to this point but, hey... Friday night we had OUR FIRST DANCE in the "Third Friday Woodstock Dance Series" and it was an awesome success, far exceeding our expectations!!! I thought I might share some of what went well and ask for your thoughts on starting new series in case you can help us to maintain momentum. The committee that finally came together with enough energy to make this happen included several parents of young children, Waldorf School parents, parents of kids with developmental disabilities and members of a newish contra band that has been performing irregularly over the past couple of years plus me as caller (my husband and son are in the band). Here's what we came up with Gradual Build-Up We held two private parties in this venue this fall and early winter that included members of the same band and me calling. Both attracted big crowds and we promoted our dance series at both, at least in concept. One of the parties was to celebrate my high school son's new film and a ton of local HS kids came, which helped build up a base of interest there and they turned out in force on Friday. Family Friendly We decided to make this a very family-friendly dance. We came up with a program that includes: 5:30 - dinner of vegetarian soup and bread. 6:30 - family dance 7:30 - break and pot luck desserts 8:00 - contra dance Notes on dinner: the soup is made by committee members using veggies bought from a local farmer and bread is donated by a local bakery. We gathered up a bunch of mismatched cups, bowls and spoons and we'll keep them together and use them each time. Affordable We are currently charging $5 per adult, with children and teens free. The cost includes both parts of the dance and dinner. We made enough on Friday to pay for the food ingredients plus enough for seed money for food for next time, some money to pay the guy who helped cook, plus a modest amount for each band member -- we were thrilled at how the finances came out, because of the large turn-out. Still, we think we might try putting out a donation bucket for extra donations next time to pay band members better (it's a big band), donate to local non-profits, and and maybe invest in better sound equipment over time. Local Business Sponsor One of our committee members owns two local businesses that recycle and make compost. He offered to sponsor the dances, covering the cost of the hall for the first five dances, which is $100 per night, which is a reduced rate from their usual $150. We promoted his businesses on all the posters and announced it at each part of the dance, encouraging folks to give his hand a squeeze as they passed him in line. We also plan to try choosing a local non-profit to co-host each dance, promoting it with their constituency and receiving a share of the proceeds. Promotion We advertised all five dances in the series on one poster, but I think we will also announce each separately again. A lot of the promotion happened through local organizations, churches, and schools. Problems - I can't make all the dances so I will need to find a substitute, which feels sad for me, but maybe it's a more sustainable pattern, given how much I travel for work. - A lot of the families with younger kids stayed through the break and were still there at 8:00 so it was a little challenging to meet their needs and still make all the high school students and adults who had come feel like this wasn't a little kid event. They mostly danced one or two dances, which I made appropriate for their level, though, so it worked out fine. - We jury-rigged our sound system, which was imperfect. More money/ attention needed for that as we go. Question Do you have any suggestions for us about starting a new series? We're all ears!! Sorry to miss you at Ralph Page -- I'm sure it was wonderful. Thanks! Delia Clark <>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<>:<> Delia Clark PO Box 45 Taftsville, VT 05073 802-457-2075 delia_clark(a)comcast.net