From: [email protected]
Date: Wed, 1 Feb 2006 18:20:57 EST
Subject: Dance Conflict my A....!
To: [email protected], [email protected]
CC: info at ballroomdances.org

Rose,

I guess you're not on our mailing list. Below is this week's email.

Below, when I refer to "we" it is ME and my informal group of friends - in no way associated with any formal organization.

I've tried to make our goals very clear to the dance community. We will do what we can to grow the Berkshire dance COMMUNITY and keep it from fracturing into splinter groups. And, do what we can to merge the existing splintered groups back into a single coherent dance community – voidd of petty politics!

When we started, less then a year ago, there were only 3 monthly dances, only 8 months of the year, and attendance of the USA Dance had dwindled to less then 35.

The community is so small that we will only support the three established dances, the Mindlin's, our club – USA Dance, and Lois Brownn's, and we will support the local dance teachers.

We will have dances every week, usually the first, forth, (and fifth) Saturday, and second and third Friday. Our dances will be moved to avoid conflicts with the 3 established dances.

Our dances will be as centrally located (in the Berkshires), as the availability of Dance Halls permits, so that we can support the Whole of Berkshire County.

We will provide FREE Tuesday Practice sessions, 7:00 – 9:300, to help build the dance COMMUNITY and give beginners a chance to get help from advanced dancers.

We've worked very hard to build it back up. Our FREE Tuesday is working. We get 20 to 30 on a Tues night in Adams and bring new dancers into the community. Our efforts have contributed to the Dance COMMUNITY's growth.

Now USA Dance is getting over 100, The Mindlin's are getting over 60, and my weekly dances are 40 to 50 and climbing.

There are always groups trying to raise funds for good causes via church dinners, bottle drives, dances, etc. I don't intend to support those kinds of dances. But, I do donate to almost every local charitable groups.

Now that there is beginning to be a viable dance COMMUNITRY it seems you want to start running dances. Where have you been hiding!

First you ran a dance in Sheffield and complained that it was on the same night as mine in Lenox and that I was in conflict with your dance.

And, you've scheduled a dance on Sat. Mar. 4 Sheffield - the same night as our Dance in Pittsfield.

Now, you announce, today as far as I know, that you are having a dance, this Saturday, In Housatonic, when we're having a dance in Lenox.

One conflict is a mistake, two raises eyebrows, a third, only a few miles apart, and in my dance partner's hometown, is a little more then just in our face!

Your stated goal is to the raise money for your school. Try a bottle drive!

I'll be perfectly blunt. We've worked very hard to build a Dance COMMUNITY. Not a Dance MARKET to be EXPLOITED by what the business community refers to as SPOILERS - those that step in to skim a few dollars from the efforts of others. And, in the process you'll undo a lot of hard work and possibly fracture the dance community.

It's a free country. I can't stop you from doing what you're doing.

But I have a big enough PAIR and big enough MOUTH to call it exactly what it is! And, it's damn foolish. And, I'm going to YELL & TELL!

I hope the entire community boycotts your dances.

Tom

We all hate SPAM - so as usual - if you don't want to be on our mailing list just let me know.

We found a Black Sweater after the dance last Friday At the First Baptist Church. Call if it's yours.

Many people asked for the recipe for the Seafood Chowder. I wrote what I remember and it's attached.

It looks like our dance in Lenox, this Saturday, is the only one in the Berkshires this weekend. So we should get a good fun crowd - at least I hope so.

It looks like the First Baptist Church is everyone's first choice. So, we'll use that when available on the dates we want to dance. It really is very nice.

We're trying to schedule dances for the Second and Third Fridays, and the First ,Forth (and Fifth) Saturdays. But we will schedule around other established dances (The Mindlin's, Lois Brown's, and our club - USA Dance)and move ours when necessary.

A QUESTION for the dancers who dance multiple night per week - at least 20 of us - would you like another dance this weekend? If so let me know ASAP and I see if we can find a place for Friday or Sunday.

We're hoping we can convince people to come to Adams more often. Especially as the warmer weather comes. We have TWO (2) air conditioned HALLs. For dancing you need air conditioning from May through October.

The following is our current dance schedule. Please be aware that things change and I make mistakes. It's always best to check Ralph Kenyon's WEB site:

https://ballroomdances.org/

The Church wasn't available Fri. 10 Feb. So, that got moved to the PNA in Adams.

Lois Brown has a dance on Sat. 25 Feb. So, I moved ours to Friday 24 Feb in Pittsfield. It had been scheduled for Lenox.

___________________________________________________________________

Sat.     Feb   4 Lenox

Friday Feb 10 PNA Adams

Friday Feb 17 Lenox

Friday Feb 24 Pittsfield    (Lois Brown is Sat. 25 Feb)

Sat    March 4      Pittsfield

Fri.    March 10    Pittsfield

Fri.    March 17    Pittsfield (GREEN FOOD??)

Sat    March 25    TBA

____________________________________________________________________________

Adams - PNA, 13 Victory St.

Lenox   - Lenox Community Center Ballroom, 65 Walker St.

Pittsfield           - First Baptist Church, 88 South St.

Thomas Trimarchi, Ph.D.
413-822-1600
[email protected]

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In a message dated 2/1/2006 1:49:06 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [email protected] writes:

Hi Tom,

I guess I didn't get the word out about our dance early enough. We had

some question about when our teachers were available, and some other

internal schedule conflicts. We are holding a dance this Saturday, Feb.

Our next dance will be March 28, and then probably May 6. No dance in

April.

So sorry to be in conflict with your Saturday night gig. It was not

intentional.

Best,

Rose