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 29th 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
