2021 DanceFlurry Organization Annual Meeting & Special Presentation
2021 DanceFlurry Organization Annual Meeting & Special Presentation
The Annual Meeting will be held via Zoom on Monday, May 24th, at 6:00 pm. Instructions on how to join the meeting are at the end of this notice. To vote, members must return the nominations form by US mail, email it to nominations@danceflurry.org, or complete it online at https://forms.gle/LhaMYLEoqhSwg3fa6.
Following the Annual Meeting, we will have a special presentation by Jordan Taylor Hill, African Drum and Dance Class, the Albany Barn, Inc. (More below.)
We appreciate the support of DFO members, and look forward to being able to gather in person in the future to enjoy a variety of traditional music and dance events.
CONGRATULATIONS and Thank You to the Flurry Festival Managers, the festival Committee, and many volunteers who planned and produced “Dancing in the Cloud” – the 2021 Festival!!! It was a huge endeavor and a spectacular weekend!
THANK YOU to the amazing volunteers who contribute so much time and energy towards providing wonderful dance and music events for our community year-round.
DFO Board Members (2020-2021)
Shira Love, President Will Anderson, Vice President
Rich Pisarri, Treasurer Marie Bruschi, Secretary
Barbara Bemis Karyn Dornemann
Ken Fisher Rinde Glick
Cindee Herrick Jordan Kammeyer
Lauren Keeley Kristen Lilkas-Rain
Kevin Musick Harry Pisila
Juliana Post-Good Harvey Raufman
Peter Stix Sandy Waxgiser
THANK YOU to our retiring board members: Karyn Dornemann, Jordan Kammeyer, Kristen Lilkas-Rain, and Harry Pisila. We also want to recognize the services of Lisa Allendorph, who is retiring as our bookkeeper after keeping track of our finances for a number of years. Considering the number of events sponsored by the DFO, this is no small feat. Credits go to her and retiring Treasurer, Rich Pisarri, for working hard to improve the budgeting and accounting procedures. Rich will continue to serve on the board.
Board Members, Emeritus
Jen Brown, Past President John Guay, Past President Bill Matthiesen, Past President
Pat Melita, Founding Member Paul Rosenberg, Founding Member
Staff (Contractual)
Lisa Allendorph, DFO Bookkeeper Jonathan Greene, Flurry Festival Program Curator
Vonnie Estes; DFO Constant Contact PR Blair Davenport; Flurry Festival Marketing & Fundraising Manager
Ian Hamelin Flurry Festival Finance Manager Jim Mead, Flurry Festival Webmaster
Sue Mead, Flurry Festival Admin. Assistant Josh Snitkoff, Flurry Festival Technical Manager
Lorraine Weiss, DFO Administrator
DANCEFLURRY ORGANIZATION ANNUAL MEETING AGENDA
I. 6:00 Social time and discussion of return to live dancing
II. 6:30 Introductory Remarks and Review of 2020-2021 (Shira Love, DFO President)
Election of DanceFlurry Organization Board Members
III. 6:45 Participatory Program: Live stream of West African Drumming and Dance Class taught by Jordan Taylor Hill.
Jordan Taylor Hill is an artist in residence at the Albany Barn, an arts incubator. After teaching drums for a few years he began to study traditional dance and in 2019 returned to West Africa (Guinea Conakry and Dakar, Senegal) to continue his studies. He’s hosted a celebration of traditional culture for Africa and the diaspora known as ‘Sabali’, drum circles, and performances to bring people together and support endeavors such as the Niombato library project in Senegal.
Proposed Slate Of Board Members For Election
The Nominating Committee presents the following slate of two returning and four new directors who will be nominated at the meeting. Additional nominations may also be made by written petition of five members, provided that the consent of the nominee has been obtained.
Returning Board Members
Barbara Bemis (Guilderland) is a contra dancer and Scottish Dancer who for several years has spearheaded DFO Board efforts on creating inclusive and welcoming events, most recently as chair of the Community Culture committee.
Laura Keeley (Troy) is a swing dancer who helped to initiate DFO Youth Outreach committee grant programs, and who serves as chair of the Media Committee, working on Facebook and the DFO website. She is also currently working on DFO Board Diversity, Equity and Inclusion objectives.
New Board Members
The nominees provided responses to these questions:
- Are you currently involved with any DanceFlurry Organization activities? If not, what interests you about serving on our Board?
- Do you have any organizational or prior Board experience or professional skills you would bring to the DFO’s operations? Do you have any interests related to DFO activities?
- In what ways might you contribute to the DFO’s program or organizational goals?
- Can you commit to regular attendance and participation in Board/committee meetings, and ongoing engagement through email or other digital media?
Jordan Knicely (Albany, NY)
I first attended the Flurry five years ago and began volunteering three years ago. This year for Dancing in the Cloud I was a moderator. My primary community is blues and swing, but I love the variety that DFO offers—from the pub sing to contra and the fiddle classes. I am an active volunteer across a range of my interests. I am currently on the membership committee for my regional professional organization, the North East Association for Institutional Research. I worked on the communications committee for the Celtic Cultural Alliance in Bethlehem, PA from 2009-2011 after volunteering at their festival the Celtic Classic. When I lived in Scranton, PA, I served as a community representative for a farmer’s market, and I served as Treasurer and then Vice President of the graduate student senate during graduate school.
My professional background falls within higher education administration and data analytics. I perform a variety of office and organizational tasks in addition to being adept with computers and spreadsheets. Though my skill set is general, I am happy to contribute to the DFO and support the arts, music, and dance in the Capital Region.
Noel Kropf (Garrison, NY) Also nominated to serve as Treasurer
My family and I have attended the Flurry Festival since the early days. We are avid dancers, singers, and musicians in various genres. I volunteered as a Zoom moderator for this year’s virtual festival.
I have varied non-profit Board experience and extensive computer, IT, plus experience with music, sound and video tech. I have been Zoom moderating and sound tech for Zoom since March 2020. I have booked bands and caller and run sound for the Poughkeepsie Contra dance since 2018. My major volunteer experience in summary:
1996-present Sound & Volunteer Coordinator, Zlatne Uste Golden Festival
2015-present IT manager, East European Folklife Center, Inc.
2017-present Crew, Vice President of Ferry Sloops, Inc.
2018-present Board Member, Fabric of Life, Inc.
2018-present Talent Booker & Sound Engineer, Hudson Valley Community Dance Poughkeepsie Contra
2019-present Nominating Committee, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc.
2020-2021 Producer, Zlatne Uste Golden Festival
2015-2020 Secretary, East European Folklife Center, Inc.
1996-2019 Treasurer, Lake Celeste Association, Inc.
I am interested in serving as Treasurer and by extension the Board and Executive Committee. With care and diligence, I hope to contribute existentially to the organization and its goals.
I can commit to regular attendance and participation either in person or remotely, and to ongoing engagement and prompt responses.
Jessica Schatzel (Burlington Flats, NY)
The DFO mission to connect and inspire through traditional music and dance is close to my heart, and I would be honored to serve on the board and its committees, to further that mission.
I attended many events in the pre-COVID-19 past as a guest/donor, including dances at the Buhrmaster Barn. I grew up heavily involved in Irish dance, ballet, and contra dances. I would love to be a part of helping maintain and grow community support and engagement in these activities. I have seen firsthand the magic these events create; the friendships they generate, and the lasting impact of the interaction with live music and dance; the physical and psychological benefits of engaging in dance for neuro-diverse populations, and the creativity and open-mindedness generated by learning new dances and music from diverse cultures.
The organization’s continued focus on accessibility and diversity are very important to me, and I can offer my professional skills in project management, budget planning/oversight, and diversity/equity/inclusion, to further enhance the strength of the organization’s board. I currently serve on the board of WSKG Public Media, my local NPR/PBS broadcasting station. I have worked as a project manager and budget coordinator for multiple departments at Bassett Healthcare over the past decade, serving a 9-county area of New York State. Since May 2017, I have served as the Corporate Sponsorship Chair of the Otsego County Relay for Life (American Cancer Society), forming innovative community partnerships and coordinating/soliciting corporate donations toward Relay for Life programming. I also serve on the Otsego County Chamber of Commerce’s Fundraising Committee, collaborating with local businesses and community organizations to promote the growth of local small business endeavors.
In review of the Board application materials, I feel my skills and experience are most closely aligned with the roles defined in the Budget and Finance Committee, Program Support Committee, and Community Culture Committee. I am available for monthly meetings for both the board and committees, as well as regular email engagement.
Amanda Stickney (Albany, NY)
Prio to Covid, I went to swing, blues, and contra dances regularly at the Elks Lodge. I was a part of the Flurry Festival a few times as a volunteer and enjoyed that as well. I want to be able to make a difference in some issues that I see that are not necessarily getting addressed. I am especially interested in making sure that those with disabilities (such as myself) are acknowledged and given the chance to be greeted and be a part of the community of dancers. Something like the Program Support or Community Culture committees would work very well for me.
I am very focused on the organization of programs (in previous jobs) and how they are running, and people being put into the mix. I am interested in the arts (MA in Museum Studies) and have been dancing since I was in high school. I’m very good with spreadsheets and relating the tasks that need to be done. I believe that many people don’t realize that dancing is one of the oldest forms of communications and that is something that needs to be addressed among groups of people in general.
I am a very good public speaker (have spoken in multiple public forums) I get along with new people easily, and I am able to listen and take in new information as well. This can help from all sides as I look into more of what needs to be done on both the side of the dancer, and the side of the entrepreneur. I believe that this can make the program more valuable not just to those who are already dancing, but to those who have health issues who might want to get out and meet new friends and find a safe place to be accepted.
I manage my calendar so that obligations are immediately noted and time is set aside and can commit to allocating time for DFO board work.
Only DFO members can vote. Here are both Word and pdf versions of the ballot which includes instructions on submission. Ballots must be received by noon on May 24th.
Word document: DanceFlurry Organization Annual Meeting Ballot 2021
PDF: DanceFlurry Organization Annual Meeting Ballot 2021
You may also vote online by completing this form.
The Zoom link for the annual meeting will be emailed to members prior to the meeting. If you have not received the link by May 23 or have questions about your DFO membership, please contact Lorraine.