December 21, 2023

Happy Holidays!

Thank you, everyone, for your support this year.  It is wonderful to see your smiling faces on the dance floor.  Especially those of you who started dancing with us this year.  I hope you received a warm welcome because you are the future of TADAMS.

2023 was a year of generational change, with the highest newcomer turnout in years.  I would like to recognize three of our organizers whose energy made 2023 possible.  Virginia Varland joined the board of directors as treasurer just over a year ago and has been very proactive in organizing events and reaching out to other local groups.  Chris O’Neill joined the board of directors at the same time and has been a great help in setting and cleaning up the dance halls, and has recently been stepping up to help with sound.  Stephanie Webster stepped up as our booking coordinator shortly before the pandemic, and has been diligently working behind the scenes scheduling bands and callers through the challenges of post-pandemic restart.  Without their help this year, us old-timers could not have pulled it off.

2024 Annual elections for TADAMS Board of Directors will be held at our next board meeting on January 29^th at 7:00 pm in the Tuckahoe Area Library downstairs conference room.  Information to join the meeting by Zoom is posted on our dance calendar at https://tadamsva.org/dances/.  If you are interested in becoming a director, please send a letter of introduction stating your intent to rwlinkous@verizon.net by January 15.  Similarly, existing Directors should also send a letter of intent expressing their desire to remain on or depart from the board.  Currently the board would welcome somebody willing and able to serve as secretary, to record and distribute minutes from the monthly meetings.  This is a good position for someone wanting to learn about what goes on behind the scenes but doesn’t feel like they have the experience to bring an opinion. 

The current Board of Directors was elected during a crisis of exhaustion from the Covid-19 pandemic and the division about restarting.  They have been successful in the hard struggle to return TADAMS to regular and sustainable dancing.  Although I am sure many will stay on, I am also sure there are some who would like to step away from the board and just volunteer if there are candidates to replace them. 

Springforth Ball 2024, dance weekend is April 12-14.  The framework for the event is ready.  But the real body, face, and personality of the event is you, the dance community.  You can help us prepare by asking questions of your organizers, making friends of your fellow dancers, sharing ideas with each other, and building networks of communication and support within our community. Together we will succeed.

Thank you.  Be safe and have a happy new year.

Robert Linkous
President, Traditional American Dance and Music Society

October 9, 2023

Friends,

Thank you everyone for your support this year.  Contra dance is alive and well in the Richmond area.  Our 2023 attendance has been good considering the various challenges we have faced this year.  Our fall calendar is fully booked and can be found at tadamsva.org/dances.  As we get into the cooler season, we are returning to dancing twice a month, so it is a great time to get involved.

Volunteering

You can help TADAMS dances in more ways than I can describe.  Two good ways to find your niche are by showing up early for a dance, or attending a monthly board meeting.  Showing up early allows you to become familiar with the resources available at each location and what is needed to set up and take down.  Attending a board meeting allows you to see what goes on organizationally, away from the dance hall. 

Some of the tasks we need help with at a dance are:  sound set-up, water coolers, door/flyer tables, chairs, stage, lighting and fans; occasionally manning the door table during the dance; taking down the items that were set up, and finally sweeping and taking out the trash.

Board Meetings are held 7:00-8:45 on the Monday evening following the last dance of the month and are posted on our calendar.  You can attend in person or by Zoom.  The next meeting will be Oct. 23 in the Twin Hickory Area Library conference room.  Expect planning for Springforth Ball 2024 as well as discussions on talent for 2024 dances.

Springforth Ball

It is just 6 months away and brings its own opportunities for volunteering.  During the dance weekend there will be a sign-up board and schedule for various set-up and clean-up tasks.  Until then there are other things we could use help with:

Housing Hosts – Local community members volunteer to host out of town dancers and musicians in their homes. Matching potential hosts with guests is not guaranteed due to various factors including distance to the venue, allergies, availability and so on.

Housing Coordinator- Maintains a list of volunteer hosts and matches them to housing requests that come in.

Meal Coordinator – Coordinates the two community meals at Springforth Ball:  Saturday potluck dinner and Sunday brunch.  This role is mostly a clearing house to keep track of what people volunteer to bring and advise of what may be needed to balance the food choices.  It also involves directing volunteers who sign up for set up and clean up.

Snack Coordinator – Procures and prepares snacks for dance breaks as well as Saturday box lunches.

Let us know what you can help with:  tadamsvacontra@gmail.com

Price increases for 2024

Annual Memberships for 2024 will go up to $56.  If you join for the fall Quarter of 2023 you would pay $11 for the remainder of 2023, and $56 for all of 2024, for a total of $67. 

Benefits of membership include a $5 discount on regular Saturday or Sunday dances, as well as  discounts for special dances such as Member Appreciation Dance (Oct. 25, free to all members) and nationally recognized  bands (Nov. 5, Playing With Fyre). 

The door price for 2024 regular dances will go up to $15 for Nonmembers, $10 for Members and Students, dancers 14 and younger are free.

Why are we raising prices?  It was clear when we started dancing last summer that our existing pricing regime was outdated.  Our rates could no longer cover the increase in rent and our reserves were declining.  At the time, the board decided that rebuilding our community by dancing in a cautious but deliberate manner was more valuable than an immediate raise in prices.

 Looking forward to 2024 we recognize that it is now necessary to increase revenue thereby offsetting rising expenses and increasing our ability to book a wider variety of talent.

Fortunately, this year, unexpected donations from friends and members replaced much of the income that we would have normally gained from our Springforth Ball dance weekend, and helped counter balance the increase cost of rent.  Thanks to the generosity of these donors, we still have reserves to operate into 2024.

Thank you, everyone for your support of contra dancing in Richmond.  If there is something you would like to see or feel you can contribute, please talk to a board member (Robert, Jeff, Lucie Virginia, Chris, Jim, or Gregg) or email us at tadamsvacontra@gmail.com.

Robert Linkous
President, Traditional American Dance and Music Society

July 16, 2023

Dear members, friends, and supporters of TADAMS;

TADAMS’ return to dancing remains a work in progress.  As such, there are some things I want to bring to your attention.  TADAMS’ Covid-19 policy is changing.  Our dance calendar for 2023 is still erratic. Spring Forth Ball 2024 is going to happen!  So, please take a moment to read these updates.  

Covid-19

TADAMS will no longer be checking proof of vaccination at our dances. Wearing a mask will remain optional.

Our situation has changed since the pandemic swept across the globe in 2020.  We now know the risks of severe disease.  We now have tests to track infection levels in our community and vaccines that increase an individual’s immunity. 

Covid has not disappeared, it is firmly part of our future and will be ever changing like influenza.  So, we encourage you to practice basic disease prevention to help keep yourself and others safe.  If you feel ill or know you have been recently exposed to an infectious illness, please stay home until the incubation period has passed.  Wear a mask if you are able.  Avoid touching your face.  Wash your hands regularly, and if that is not a option use hand sanitizer.

The Board’s decision to no longer require vaccination at TADAMS events was based on several desires and supported by surveyed responses of attendees at our MAY 27^th dance.  We hope that this decision will reduce the initial negative interactions at dances as newcomers scramble to find their vaccination card, allowing them to join the workshop and get dancing sooner with less stress.  We also hope this decision will free up organizers’ limited time and attention to engage in welcoming and growing our community.

2023 Dance Calendar

While our long-term goal is to re-establish a regular schedule, the erratic schedule that we have had this spring will continue through December. Time and day, weekdays, weekends, and locations will vary from dance to dance. So, please bear with us and check our website tadamsva.org to view our calendar. 

We plan to have a more consistent schedule in 2024 with dances on 2^nd and 4^th weekends.

Springforth Ball 2024

Get ready for the return of our dance weekend event April 12-14 at Lewis Ginter Recreation Association.  It will have been five years, believe it or not, since our last one.  The band will be Drive Train (Ed Howe, Bennet Konesni, and Stuart Kenney) with calling by Gaye Fifer.  Details are still being worked out.  If you have not been to a Spring Forth Ball before here is the tentative schedule:

• Friday night opening Contra Dance.
• Saturday morning and afternoon workshops.
• Saturday evening Springforth Ball Contra Dance.
• Sunday morning brunch with freshly cooked waffles.
• Sunday afternoon closing contra dance.

We need some help from you the community to make Springforth ball the best it can.  One big help is hosting band members for the weekend.  Providing a bed to crash in 15 minutes from the dance hall gives you an opportunity to meet and talk with the artists that make contra dancing possible.

One part of SFB in the past was a Saturday night potluck dinner.  With dishes provided by the local dance community. The dinner’s success depends on the support of you the local community.  Please let us know if want us to do this in 2024 and if you would provide a dish.    

Thank you, everyone for your support of contra dancing in Richmond.  If there is something you would like to see or feel you can contribute, please contact a board member or email us at tadamsvacontra@gmail.com.

Robert Linkous
President, Traditional American Dance and Music Society

March 30, 2023
Greetings everyone, 

March is almost over, and we have enjoyed a strong start to 2023.  It has been great to see everyone on the dance floor. As you might know, we increased our dances to twice a month and even had a caller’s workshop in mid-March.

The caller’s workshop was a success with eleven (11) attendees: many were local; some were our neighbors to the east and west; one was passing through from out of state.  We also had one from the English Country Dance community. 

I want to thank Ben Allbrandt, from Norfolk, for suggesting and running the workshop.  To help foster this new talent we are looking at having a guest caller for one set at each dance in the future.  Next, we need to encourage local musicians.

The second quarter is bringing exciting schedule changes as we mix in Sunday afternoons at our old home, Lewis Ginter Recreation Association (LGRA):  April 23 and May 7:  we will be hosting Sunday afternoon dances at LGRA.  One reason for the change is many of our friends in Norfolk and Williamsburg have asked for the opportunity to dance with us without a late-night drive home.  Recognizing that afternoons are also a great time for families, there will be youth activities including a children’s dance lesson and games in the downstairs gymnasium concurrent with our regular contra dance upstairs.   You can help by inviting family and friends with children.

Starting in June we will drop to one dance per month through August.  

Please be aware that although we have Saturday May 27^th (Memorial Day weekend) on the calendar, we don’t yet have talent booked and may need to find an alternative source of music for that date.  We will keep you posted on developments.

As mentioned, check the website for details because this coming quarter is going to be irregular: Dance Calendar

There are many ways to stay informed: 

• look for email announcements
• follow TADAMS on Facebook or Instagram
• check out our dance calendar, and click “subscribe to calendar” to add TADAMS events to your personal digital calendar.

I look forward to seeing you all on the dance floor!

Robert Linkous
President
Traditional American Dance and Music Society

December 28, 2022

Dear Members, Friends, and Supporters of TADAMS;

TADAMS is starting 2023 by returning to a twice a month schedule, and trying a new venue.

West End Ballroom
2300 John Rolfe Parkway
Henrico, VA 23233

West End Ballroom is a dance studio in the John Rolfe Commons shopping center in western Henrico County. They have a large floor, plenty of well-lit parking, and good availability of our preferred Saturdays. Sam Atkinson, the Facility Director is happy to welcome another dance discipline to their space.

The decision to try another venue was not an easy one. The old schoolhouse of Lewis Ginter Recreation Association is a wonderful and unique venue. However, several factors led the TADAMS board to consider alternative venues. The three main factors were: affordability, community, and urgency.

Rent of the LGRA dance hall has gone up over the years but began to rise significantly starting in 2017. For 2020 the TADAMS board negotiated a lower rent than LGRA wanted by dancing on one Sunday and one Saturday a month instead of two Saturdays. It looked like TADAMS could grow attendance to support the agreed rent increase, but Covid-19 hit and everything shut down. During the pandemic LGRA adopted a new business model which has further increased their rental rates.

The TADAMS and LGRA communities worked together in the past to bring a second life to old schoolhouse. More recently, however, the Covid-19 pandemic forcibly disrupted many relationships including the one between LGRA and TADAMS. As a result, there was wide disparity in expectations at the start of negotiations to rent the old schoolhouse for 2023.

The most significant reason for changing venues, was urgency. This fall, with LGRA negotiations stalling after several months, TADAMS board members inquired at many other potential venues. Sam Atkinson, the facility director of West End Ballroom was happy to welcome another dance discipline and even attended our November 10th dance to learn more about our dance and community. As of our November 12th meeting, we did not have a rental agreement with any venue but needed to book bands and callers for 2023; and so TADAMS board voted to pursue an agreement with WEB for the first quarter of 2023.

There is hope for returning to LGRA. The TADAMS board is considering an agreement with LGRA for five Sundays in 2023, and we hope to hold Springforth Ball there in 2024. While the pandemic has hit both TADAMS and LGRA hard, we are working to reestablish a mutually supportive relationship and hopeful of finding common ground once again.

Please join as we start 2023 by dancing 2nd and 4th Saturdays at West End Ballroom. January 14th we have music by Stay All Night (Bill Wellington on fiddle, Andrew Carter on banjo, and Lorie Lichtenwalner on guitar) with Ben Albrandt calling. Our first quarter is scheduled and booked. We hope to see you there.

Yours truly,

The TADAMS Board
Robert, Jeff, Virginia, Greg, Jim, Lucie, & Chris

Traditional American Dance and Music Society
tadamsva.org