​​🎊🎶​ DFO Events on New Year's Eve ​💃🎉

Ring in the New Year with an afternoon and evening of dance!

DanceFlurry will take part in the 2022 Saratoga New Year's Fest, presenting a full schedule of events at the Saratoga Music Hall. Details are still in development, but the tentative schedule is:

12:00-1:10 International Folk Dance with the Tri-City Folk Dancers

1:15-2:45 Family Dance with Paul Rosenberg and Tamarack

3:00-6:00 Contra Dance: Will Mentor calling for River Road (Jesse Ball, Kristen Planeaux, and Sarah-Hadley Yakir)

6:45-7:30 Saratoga High School Fiddle Club

8:30-11:15 Swing Dance with the Giacomo Smith Quartet; lesson at 7:45

You'll have the opportunity to buy discounted advance tickets through a DFO affiliate link, with a portion of the price going to support our programming. This program is also supported by a grant through Saratoga Arts.

North Berkshire Community Dance, a DFO affiliate, is coordinating a dance at the Clark Art Institute's Free Sunday on Nov 6th. Paul Rosenberg will call several short sets of family friendly traditional dances, with a harvest theme to match the overarching event. Music by Eric Buddington and friends. Masks supplied for Covid safety.

https://www.clarkart.edu/event/detail/2083-89800 Bring your friends and family, wander the galleries, take a hike, try your hand at drawing, and join us for the dance!

(Check out more shape-note videos on DFO's *NEW* Youtube channel!) Attendees enjoyed a potluck lunch and a social gathering at a local singer's home. Our Covid protocols, which required proof of vaccination and a same-day negative rapid test, were readily met by everyone and provided us with a sense of safety. New singers are always welcome to attend our local singing, generally held on Saturdays, 1:00 - 3:30pm in the Great Hall of St. George's Episcopal Church in the Schenectady Stockade. Find out more at http://www.albanysacredharp.org/ 

We are thrilled that events are resuming and want to make them as accessible as possible for new and existing participants. As such, we're piloting an initiative for people to Carpool to Sacred Harp in Schenectady on Saturdays. Our singers have offered rides in the past, and you can request one by posting to the Facebook group (join by answering the membership questions) or emailing the organizer through their website. If you do not have access to these methods, as a back-up option you may email carpool@danceflurry.org or call 518-992-5590 and leave a message. We will be assessing whether this method of facilitating carpools is effective and whether it can be expanded in the future. Note that DFO is not involved in arranging carpools and assumes no responsibility for transactions between drivers and riders. When asking for a ride, please include the best way to get in touch with you. You should be certain that you are comfortable with all arrangements before accepting a ride.

On Tuesday October 25, Community Culture Committee Chair Lauren Keeley will participate in a Country Dance and Song Society-sponsored webchat about what dance organizations have learned through CDSS-supported Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion trainings, as well as their plans going forward. The DFO held such a training in December of 2020, and has since continued to focus on ways to increase accessibility and inclusion for our events. Register to join at https://cdss.org/community/web-chats, or look for a replay video posted there next week. You'll hear Lauren talk about our updated Culture of Consent, outreach to local community organizations for partnerships, Carpool Pilot initiative, and training volunteers as Ambassadors for our local events. If you're interested in volunteering or learning more about being an Ambassador, fill out the form to help with Local Dances at https://www.danceflurry.org/support/volunteer/.

Connect Online Join a Facebook group to chat about local dances, arrange carpools, and share your photos and videos:

Have an idea for an event? Receive a stipend of up to $500 to help fund a new event that brings traditional music or dance to the community. We offer grants for community events, as well as those geared toward families. We can also assist with start-up suggestions, or help finding a band/instructor. Click for details.

Find the full calendar and much more at www.danceflurry.org!