The DanceFlurry Organization Board of Directors will hold its Annual Membership Meeting on Friday, May 12, 2023, during the break of the Albany Contra Dance (approximately 9:30pm).
Location: Albany Elks Lodge
25 South Allen Street, Albany, NY
Any members only attending the Annual Meeting, which will be held in the smaller room off the main dance hall, are not subject to admission fees or Covid requirements; however those requirements will apply to anyone who chooses to dance before or after the meeting. See https://www.danceflurry.org/event/albany-contradance-05-12-23/ for information about the dance.
Slate of nominees and bios below
DANCEFLURRY ORGANIZATION ANNUAL MEETING AGENDA
Friday May 12, 2023, ~9:30 PM
I. Introductory Remarks and Review of 2022-2023
II. Election of DanceFlurry Organization Board Members and Officers
THANK YOU to our retiring board members: Ken Fisher, Jessica Schatzel, and Shira Love. Ken has served on the Board since 2017 and has provided close reading, research, and recommendations on governance and contracts. He also served as board liaison to the Albany 1st Friday Swing Dance. Jess joined the board in 2021, and served on the Program and Media Committees in addition to the Covid Policy Work Group. She recently helped create the DFO website’s Grant and Outreach program pages. Shira joined the Board in 2016 as board liaison to the Family and Community Dances, and in 2019 led an initiative to revamp the organization’s publicity efforts. She became Board President in 2020 and led the DFO through the pandemic shutdown and gradual reopening, focusing on reworking Board governance and committee structures, reviewing mission and guiding policies for the organization, and navigating Covid-related challenges as the monthly dance series and Flurry Festival events resumed. She will be moving into the role of Flurry Administrative Manager for the 2024 festival.
We also say thank you and farewell to two Flurry Festival Managers. Danielle Enblom came on as Administrative Manager in 2022 for the Flurry’s first in-person event since the start of the pandemic, and worked tirelessly to rebuild the planning committee and restart festival operations. In conjunction with the other managers, she led the planning and execution of a successful Flurry return in 2023! Blair Davenport became Marketing and Fundraising manager in 2020, creating graphics and managing online publicity and sponsorships for the 2021 Dancing in the Cloud virtual festival, 2022’s Snow Day fundraising concert, and the 2023 Flurry.
DFO Board Members (2022-2023)
Shira Love, President Will Anderson, Vice President
Noel Kropf, Treasurer Marie Bruschi, Secretary
Ken Fisher, Rinde Glick, John Guay, Cindee Herrick, Lauren Keeley, Jordan Knicely, Kevin Musick, Juliana Post-Good, Harvey Raufman, Jessica Schatzel, Amanda Stickney
Board Members, Emeritus
Past Presidents: Jen Brown, John Guay, Bill Matthiesen
Co-Founders: Pat Melita and Paul Rosenberg
Staff (Contractual)
Danielle Enblom, Flurry Festival Administrative Manager; Jonathan Greene, Flurry Festival Program Curator; Blair Davenport; Flurry Festival Marketing & Fundraising Manager; Kristoph DeMaria, Flurry Festival Technical Manager; Jim Mead, Flurry Festival Database Manager; Sue Mead, Flurry Festival Admin. Assistant; Peggy Smith, Bookkeeper; Lorraine Weiss, DFO Administrator
Proposed Slate of Nominations
The Nominating Committee presents the following slate of four returning directors and three new candidates, along with two new and one returning officer candidates. Additional nominations may also be made at the Annual Meeting by written petition of five members, provided that the consent of the nominee has been obtained.
Will Anderson (Niskayuna), nominee for President Will is a swing and blues dancer and instructor who joined the board in 2019 and who has served as Vice President since 2020. He is on the planning committee for the Albany 1st Friday Swing Dance and chaired the Board’s Outreach Committee, during which time he helped plan several pandemic-adapted events, and was chair of the Board’s Program Committee. As co-chair of the Flurry Fundraising Committee assembled in February, he helped to lead the organization in a successful effort to fully recover from the financial losses of the 2023 festival. Will currently serves on the Budget & Finance Committee, and chairs the Board’s newly-formed Fundraising Committee. He contributes photography to DFO events, including the 2023 Flurry Festival, and helps run the DFO Facebook page where those photos are posted.
John Guay (Valley Falls), nominee for Vice President John has served in nearly every capacity on the Board over his 15+ years of service, including 7 years as President. After a brief attempt at retirement in 2020, he rejoined the Board in 2021 to continue providing leadership and guidance in every domain, with a particular passion for Outreach work. He plays the hammered dulcimer with the DFO Megaband and also performs with other groups at Quebecois music events.
Marie Bruschi (returning) (Albany), nominee for Secretary Marie joined the Board in 2020 and stepped right into the position of Secretary of the Board. In addition to serving on the Executive and Budget & Finance Committees, she is also a co- organizer with her husband, Ron Bruschi, of the DFO-sponsored Cajun/Zydeco Dance. Together, they teach Irish set dance in Albany and East Durham, and recently were instructors on a cruise with an Irish band.
Bob Fullan (Delmar), has been involved with a variety of social dancing for over 30 years–swing , east coast, rockabilly, country two step, waltz , cha cha, salsa , Cajun, Zydeco, and bachata. He is part of the First Friday Swing Dance volunteer crew. He feels that dance is a very important social tool that unfortunately is lost to the past two generations, and an activity that definitely helps people of all backgrounds learn to socialize. One of his specific interests is getting the local salsa community involved with the DFO, which would expand diversity, attract a younger crowd, and have a beneficial synergistic effect on the dance community in general.
Rindle Glick (returning) (Troy), joined the Board in 2020. They participate in blues, swing, and contra dances, and are a founding member of the Albany Contra Dance Organizing Committee. They also serve on the Program Committee, Community Culture Committee, and Covid Policy Work Group.
Kathleen Morse (Keene Valley), is a teacher who has integrated dance, music, visual arts, and performance arts in classes that have ranged from Kindergarten through adult. In addition to her lifelong involvement in dance, she plays a variety of wind instruments and the fiddle, and enjoys singing. She notes that the Flurry Festival has always presented many of her interests tied together in “one big bow of a weekend,” and she would like to give back to an organization that has been meaningful to her life for years. She has extensive experience serving on several boards in a fundraising and public relations capacity and served in leadership positions in a variety of school settings.
Kevin Musick (returning) (Albany), has served on the Board since 2020. He is the chair of the Outreach Committee, organizing a DFO booth and activities at street fairs and other public events, and a founding member of the Albany Contra Dance Organizing Committee. He also serves on the Program Committee, Community Culture Committee, and in the Covid Policy Work Group.
Harvey Raufman (returning) (Old Chatham), has been involved over the years with DFO in many ways. He first served on the DFO Board in its early days, and returned as a director in 2020. As a member of the Flurry Festival Committee, Harvey is the Volunteer Coordinator and Lost and Found Crew Chief. He has organized and assisted with a number of dance series, and is currently the lead organizer of DFO-sponsored Adirondack Dance Weekend. He serves on the Program and Media committees, and is a member of the Covid Policy Work Group.
Anne Seeley (New York City/East Greenbush), has enjoyed dancing for most of her life and, while she enjoys a variety of dance types, is a big fan of contra dancing (mainly via CDNY in NYC). She is also a big fan of the Flurry festival, having attended the event for over two decades. Newly-retired, she now has some time to devote to other interests and acitivities and will be relocating ro Rensselaer County part time. Experience and skills she developed during a career in public service and public health include communication, collaboration, consensus building, program management, and creative problem solving. She is a community-minded team player who has served on a number of professional and social/community committees in the past.
DANCEFLURRY ORGANIZATION 2023 ANNUAL MEETING BALLOT
DanceFlurry Organization members who have paid dues for the 2023 year are eligible to vote at the Annual Meeting. Please contact dfoadmin@danceflurry.org if you are unsure about your member status.
You may cast your ballot by:
- attending the meeting on May 12, 2023; or
- completing the online form.
THANK YOU FOR VOTING!