[syr-contra-news] Syracuse Country Dancers' e-newsletter

[David Smukler]

Dear dancer,

(As always, scroll down if you want to go directly to our schedule.)

Syracuse Country Dancers, which has been putting on dances since the 1980s,
has always been run entirely by volunteers. We have a dedicated Board that
meets about five times a year, and does the organizing work that makes our
events possible. 

At this time we want to recognize and appreciate several Board members who
have worked hard for us for several years, but for various reasons are
stepping down from the Board. These are Cathy Waalewyn, Dave Waalewyn,
Barbara Walzer, Jenna Weitzel and Joyce Rossbach. All five of these friends
have given a great gift to our dance community, each in different ways,
through their energy, skill and thoughtfulness. We will miss them on the
Board very much! 

We have also recently welcomed two new volunteers to the Board, but there is
definitely room for more.... If you think you may be interested in getting
involved in helping to organize the dances, this may be the perfect time.
Any dancer is welcome to attend our Board meetings. You might consider
sitting in on one and seeing if you would be interested in volunteering as a
Board member. Current Board members are: Carmen Giunta, Karen Havens, Bob
Nicholson, Bob Skellan, David Smukler and Gretchen Ziegler. We'd like to
recruit at least two new members at this time (and could accept up to four).
If this sounds interesting to you, please reply to this email to inquire
about our meeting time and place. Or ask one of us at a dance. There is
almost always a Board member at our dances.


A FEW UPCOMING SPECIAL EVENTS

If you have young kids, you may be interested in the annual New School
Family dance. This dance is not a Syracuse Country Dancers event, but is
certainly one that many our dancers would enjoy. It is an ideal opportunity
for adults and children to do some dancing together. This year it will be
Sunday January 27 at 2 PM, and take place at our regular dance hall, United
Church of Fayetteville. The cost is family friendly, and benefits The New
School, a unique, private K-6 school in Dewitt
<http://www.newschool-syr.org>. Bob Nicholson will call to music by Three
Wheel Drive, practically the same line-up as you can see the Friday before
at our regular evening dance.

One of our departing Board members, Joyce Rossbach, is (boo-hoo!) moving to
West Virginia. Joyce is also one of our favorite local callers, and we'll
miss her greatly. So, we're having a special dance on February 8th to bid
her farewell, and we hope you can attend.

Our annual "Contra Prom" comes a bit early this year on March 7th. All are
welcome. You do not have to be of "prom age" to attend. Indeed, many of our
original prom kids are now well beyond prom age, but they still come! You
can dress as plain or fancy as you wish. Expect exquisite decorations,
scrumptious refreshments, and exciting music from the band Giant Robot
Dance. Bob Nicholson will Prom-pt the dances...

Finally, March 29th is the day of the annual CNY callers gathering, a unique
event that has been held every spring since 2002. Each year's gathering
focuses on a particular kind of dancing of interest to callers. The evening
dance that follows the callers' day of dance and discussion is always really
exciting, and is called by a rotation of workshop callers. This year's theme
is English country dance, and the evening dance will be a mix of contra and
English dance, the sort of fare many dance-camp-goers will recognize with
pleasure and nostalgia. And we are very pleased to have scheduled the band
Contrapasso, who excel at playing both English and contra music.

For more about our dances, you can always visit us online at
<www.syracusecountrydancers.org>. Here's our upcoming schedule:

====================

Sat, January 19 
Sharon Perry
Eileen Nicholson and Tom Hodgson

Fri, Jan 25
Bob Nicholson and Sarah Ziegler
Three Wheel Drive

Sat, Feb 2 - An English country dance
Bob Nicholson
The Amorous Goddesses

Fri, Feb 8
Joyce Rossbach
John Rossbach and Chestnut Grove

Sat, Feb 16
NO SYRACUSE COUNTRY DANCERS EVENT
Check out the Dance Flurry <http://www.danceflurry.org/festival/index.html>

Fri, Feb 22
Hilton Baxter
Wild Rose

Sat, Mar 1 - An English country dance
Carmen Giunta
Kathy Selby and Friends

Fri, Mar 7 - The Contra Prom
Bob Nicholson
Giant Robot Dance