2023

February

• There is some confusion about what the covid bivalent booster requirements are for children. We will discuss in further detail at the March meeting.
• Resolution approved to remove Marie from the bank account, add Kyla and Ingrid, and keep Mary Jean on so she can do backup for Ingrid.
• We have decided to keep the 5-minute break on Wednesdays. The caller should be responsible for beginning the second set, but the sound person can be a check.
• Tamara is starting a fund at Lotus in memory of Jamie. We will include a link in the next newsletter.
• We discussed April 2 as a possible date for the second waltz workshop. In addition to paying Tamara $50, we will pay Eric the same amount for his organizational work and coordination of the open band.
• We’ll have a collaborative dance with Lotus on March 29 with an extended beginner lesson. They will pay the performers and we will rent the hall. We’ll split donations (less the membership fee). Because Lotus does not require vaccines or masks for any of their events, we will not be requiring that for that Wednesday.
• In addition to paying the band for the 5th Saturday dance in April the usual Saturday rate, we will pay each performer $75 for an English Country Dance session in the afternoon.
• We are going to have a design contest for a free Sugar Hill T-shirt.
• We also discussed possible long-term projects and/or items to talk about next month: Having signs on the welcome table or in the hall in addition to announcements, standardizing the beginner lesson, improving our policy about unwelcome contact.

January

• BOTMDG has contributed an average of $39 to cover the costs of the last 4 dances. If the dance at The Bishop would have had local performers, we would have made money.
• Tom Morrison is the new Bean King. Party was nice.
• We’ll host a 5th Saturday dance in April. It will be preceded by an afternoon English Country Dance.
• Annual meeting on January 25 with pizza and voting for the 2023 board.
• We are not hosting the Mad Robin Romp spring dance weekend this year.
• We briefly discussed a “welcome to contra” handout, a template for BOTMDG announcements at the dance, and a written statement for callers to read regarding harassment. Perhaps the new board will take these projects on this year.

2022

December

• A pay increase for performers was approved – BOTMDG will pay musicians $50 each up to a maximum of $150 per band. Callers will be paid $50. Open mic band coordinators will receive $75.
• If elected as an at-large board member in 2023, Mary Jean will continue to have signatory power to support the Finance Coordinator.
• The 2023 membership fee is $10 for adults (age 16 and up) (as of November $5 for year). Free for under 16. There is also an “annual supporter” or “subscription” option for $170 plus the $10 membership fee.
• Membership is required the third time someone attends the dance in 2023.
• We will provide pizza at the annual meeting.
• Board recruitment is going well.

November

• For 2023, we will require vaccines – specifically the most up-to-date vaccination possible. For most adults, that’s the bivalent booster (or having had Covid within the past 90 days).
• Membership will continue to be required but will be optional the first time that someone attends the dance.
• The dance will run for 2 hours, from 7:30-9:30. In January, we will have a waltz at 8:30. In February, we will have a 5-minute break at 8:30, and the second half of the dance will begin with a waltz.
• In December, we will discuss performer pay (especially in light of the longer dance time).
• We reflected on the Sing For Joy concert, Fifth Saturday October dance, and pizza party.
• We made plans for Winter Caroling and discussed the possibility of a Saturday dance in early 2023.

October

• BOTMDG will donate $500 to Lotus’ Friends of Old Time and Celtic Music. We will encourage Lotus to include educational events related to old time music and dance.
• We will discontinue printing the Orange Sheet at this time.
• We will not host a fifth Saturday dance on 12/31/22. At the November meeting, we will consider if we want to host a dance on a different Saturday.
• Annual meeting will be 1/25/23 before the Wednesday dance.
• Board recruitment committee is seeking board candidates.
• We will survey members and those interested in BOTMDG about masking, vaccinations, and membership over the next several weeks.

September

• Fifth Saturday Dance (10/29/22): sliding scale entrance fee $5-20, $15 is cost (for members and non-members). 7-10 p.m. Starting 10/29 and moving forward, we will pay travel stipends for out-of-town performers on Saturdays, at the same rate as our Wednesday dance.
• With extra income from the 50th anniversary celebration, we will set aside $1051 for the next BOTMDG anniversary celebration. Next month, we will consider a proposal about also donating some of the extra income to Lotus.
• We will keep using the Covid messaging that we used in recent email about possible exposure.
• On a case-by-case basis for medical reasons, the board can approve someone not wearing a mask in the dance hall if they are not dancing in the contra line.
• The board approves increasing advertising for dances.
• We will continue with vaccine requirement through this year; revisit for next year.
• We will check with Harmony School about performers removing masks on stage. If it’s okay – masks would be optional for callers and musicians while on stage.
• We will likely plan a date for a park picnic / board recruitment event like we did last year.

August

• Since mid-July, we’ve been bringing in less money than we had been.
• Last two August dances will be back at Harmony, and back at our old time, 7:30-9.
• Dancer feedback: several people like having two waltzes, people asked for some website updates, some people don’t like wearing masks, we’ve had new members every week.
• Still need lead volunteers for Sugar Hill. Discussed times for bands/callers and decided to use the usual times and format. Discussed registration procedure. Discussed masking – not required for those under 2; recommended for those under 5; required for 5 and up. Need to send reminders about testing, masking, etc. Need to post to website and Facebook that registration is closed.
• There is some ambiguity around the situations in which people should stay away after Covid exposure and for how long. We will revisit this.
• We had more income than expenses for the 50th anniversary. The committee will present a proposal about how to use the funds.

July

• The 50th anniversary was a great success! A large team came together to make it work. Around 160 people attended. Great music. Mike’s Dance Barn worked out well.
• We discussed dancer feedback related to people sitting out who might only feel comfortable dancing the lark/gent/lead role. Perhaps in the future we’ll have a town hall-style meeting about this and related topics. Eric will start a Google doc for announcements that callers give about dance culture (e.g. “Look for people sitting out and ask them to dance,” “ask your partner if they want to twirl,” “you can dance whichever role you want,” etc.)
• We discussed how to move forward with food, volunteers, etc. for Sugar Hill. We are in need of lead volunteers. We will not have separate lead volunteer shirts this year.
• We decided to require a home Covid test (with a negative result) at Sugar Hill upon arrival and again on Saturday for those who arrive on Friday.

June

• The July and August weekly dances will be at Windfall. July open mic will be acoustic, and then we’ll use our sound system after that. Masks will be required while in the dance hall, while entering the building, and while at the check-in table. Dancers can exit the dance hall to take a drink. One room at Windfall will be designated as a masks-optional space.
• Sugar Hill and the 50th Anniversary Celebration plans are moving along (details on website).
• We might revisit the possibility of a join event with IU International Folk Dance in the fall or winter.
• We discussed life membership but decided that it’s too much to keep track of year to year.
• Callers’ collective might take a break for July but continues to be well attended and helpful.

May

• In the last 5 weeks of Wednesday dances, we’ve had an average of 40 attendees (range 29-45) and 21 new members. We receive around $48/week in recurring PayPal donations and have received a total of $153-217 in donations per dance. After hall rental and paying performers, we used $28 from reserves, which is sustainable at this time.
• On our special Saturday dance on May 14, 46 people attended. We received $273 in donations and had $670 in expenses, and used about $400 from our account.
• Public comment included an idea about lifetime membership and about hosting a joint meeting with the IU International Folk Dance Group on campus. The board will discuss these items more in the future.
• Callers’ collective this month had 6 musicians, 5 callers, and 8-9 dancers. Next meetup is June 5 at 3 p.m. (at a new location – email for address). Masks and vaccination required.
• Feedback from dancers – some people have been not wearing a mask in the gym. It often falls on check-in volunteers to enforce the rules. Decided to try to put chairs on the landing when it’s not raining so that people can rest there and still see the dance.
• We discussed various possible venues for the weekly dance in June, and in the end decided to stick with Harmony for ease of location as well as momentum of new dancers. As usual, we’ll dance elsewhere in July and August, location TBD.
• We discussed and approved various aspects of the 50th anniversary celebration as well as Sugar Hill, as reflected on the BOTMDG website. Vaccination requirements will be the same as for the weekly dance, and masks will be required on the dance floor.

April

• For the last four dances – average attendance 39, 20 new members (up to 103 total for the year), $109-224/week in donations, total costs: $645, donations: $735.34. Year to date performer costs: $1565; hall rental: $1120; performers donating back their stipend: $156.50; BOTMDG has contributed $379.05 from savings.
• May dances will be at Harmony School. We will revisit the June dance location at our May board meeting, so that we have relevant Covid information. (We can consider outdoors with masks optional).
• Special Saturday dance: For members, entrance fee will be by donation. For non-members, the entrance fee is $12. Non-members have the option of becoming members if they would like. Up-to-date vaccination required for all.
• “Up-to-date” for our purposes will now mean that someone has had the vaccine, plus at least one booster if they are eligible.
• Sugar Hill and 50th Anniversary – same vaccination requirements as normal dances. Masking tbd.
• Sugar Hill – children who are not eligible for vaccines can come and can be on the dance floor.
• We also discussed dancer feedback. As dancers and callers, we want to try to get in the habit of normalizing asking people which role they want to do before a dance.
• Sugar Hill and 50th Anniversary committees continue moving forward with plans

March

• We will not dance at Harmony School during the months of July and August, with Marci Jane Lewis Park in Ellettsville being our default unless we come up with a venue we like better. At our April board meeting, we will revisit the time frame for moving outdoors.
• In the past, BOTMDG has offered scholarships for members to attend dance camps and workshops. Several board members are in favor of doing this again; we will look into what was done in the past and go from there.
• 50th Anniversary Celebration – committee is hoping to have save-the-date information by March 30 and open registration April 20. The committee is looking for someone to lead housing arrangements sub-committee to connect out-of-town attendees with local hosts.
• We are continuing to work on new name buttons.
• Eric will move forward with booking a Saturday dance (with flexibility to have it on a Saturday other than the 5th Saturday if needed).
• Becky and Audrey continue to work on the Orange Sheet.
• Cathy is confirming Sugar Hill dates.

February

• All board members (returning and newly elected) introduced themselves.
• We discussed Covid protocols and decided to continue with our current practices for now.
• We discussed the length of the dance and the possibility of extending it. In the end, we decided to keep the length of the dance as it is and revisit the topic soon, especially if it seems like enough dancers are energetically staying until the current end time.
• We decided to move forward with planning a 5th Saturday dance, on April 30.
• The 50th anniversary committee continues to meet and plan for a celebration.
• We are in the process of ordering name tag buttons for the dance, Sugar Hill, and the 50th anniversary.
• A subcommittee of the board will work to revive the Orange Sheet (a directory of people affiliated with BOTMDG), which has not been produced for the past couple of years.

January

• Ruth Schedler is bean king!
• We discussed what “fully vaccinated” means for us – “every vaccine someone is eligible for”. Therefore, ages 0-5 are “fully vaccinated” since they are not eligible for the Covid vaccine. If people ages 0-5 come to the dance, we decided they cannot dance in the line. Ages 3 and up need to wear masks.
• We discussed and finalized the liability form (posted to the webpage about becoming a member).
• Katie Zukof came to the meeting as a representative of the 50th anniversary celebration committee to discuss ideas with the board. We discussed hosting a reunion-type event in the fall, with a possibility of other events throughout the year, such as a history exhibit or talk at Sugar Hill and participating in the 4th of July parade.

2021

December

• 4 dances since last meeting. Average attendance 25.5. Donations $76-126/week. Used $287 from savings to cover performer payments and hall rental.
• We decided that open mic performers are required to stop at the check-in table and share their contact information if they are not members. They are highly encouraged to become members.
• We decided to continue to require membership through 2022, and not to require a specific entrance fee but to continue with donations.
• We are working on a liability form for 2022.
• We also discussed the Bean King party, winter caroling, the annual meeting – details of which were sent to our email list.
• We’ll update our bank account signatories to include the current Dance Coordinator, Eric Schedler.
• We’ll edit the membership form to include information about the orange sheet, subscription options, liability, names for buttons, and pronouns.