Announcements for Week of September 9th, 2024 | University of Saskatchewan Ballroom Dance Association

Welcome to Our Club

Hello and welcome to all of our new and returning members to the University of Saskatchewan Ballroom Dancing Club. We are looking forward to another year of fun, learning, and dancing. For our new members, we hope you will enjoy your experience with the club and stick around; and for our returning members it is great to see everyone again.

A few housekeeping notes for the year:
● Bring clean non-marking shoes to class so that the floors don’t get dirty, preferably that have not been worn outside. Some dancers are wearing special ballroom dancing shoes which have suede soles and dirt from outdoor shoes can
damage the soles.
● Many people are extremely sensitive to perfumes, colognes, aftershaves, and other scented products. We want dancing to be a safe, comfortable and fun experience for everyone! Therefore we ask that dancers please do not wear scented products at any time during classes or dances.
● All of our instructors are volunteers.
● Everyone is in class to learn; it’s okay (and normal) if you don’t get everything immediately.
● Don’t fret if you miss a class. You’ll have more fun, and learn more by attending the next class than worrying about the last one. If you fall a bit behind, the best way to catch up is in class. You can always ask your instructor for information on what you missed last week.

Volunteers

We depend on our wonderful volunteers for making our events the fabulous successes they are! We will be needing volunteers for the Harvest Swing Dance that is coming up as well as the Term Workshop. If you are interested, please contact the volunteer coordinator at volunteer@uofsbdc.com.

Did you know that volunteering can get you some great, exclusive perks? Anyone who volunteers six hours or more of their time receives an invitation to Early Registration and a complimentary ticket to a Monthly Dance of their choice! For example, last year's
volunteers received branded water bottles! (Please note that perks are non-transferable).

Harassment Policy

We are a club that strives to be inclusive and safe for all members, instructors and volunteers. If you ever have any concerns please do hesitate to bring that forward to your instructors or any executive member. We want your experience here to be a good
one. If you want to learn more about our policy on harassment, please go to the link on our webpage www.uofsbdc.com/governance/policy/harassment/

Membership Cards

We are working on preparing your member cards. Cards will be available in the next couple weeks in one of the classes you are registered in. Your member card number would have been in your registration email if you need it immediately. Your membership
card is used to grant you entrance to your weekly class. Please don’t lose it! You can take a picture of it with your phone; or laminate it to keep it safe. It is also the most convenient way to access our dances, workshops and other events.

Class Transfers

If you are finding the time of your class or level of your class is not working out, you are able to put in a transfer request by (filling out the form on our website). Class transfer requests are subject to both executive and instructor approval and there are no refunds for transferring to a lower level class.

Keeping up with Club Events

All our announcements and event information will be posted on our website (www.uofsbdc.com) for easy access.We also have a periodic newsletter that you can sign up for to keep up to date with upcoming events that you can sign up for on the webpage. We also encourage you to follow us on Instagram(@uofsbdc) and like our Facebook page for up-to-date information on workshops, dances and events.

A Note on our Website

As many of you may have noticed, we’ve made some important updates to our IT infrastructure this year to ensure our website remains functional and current. This complex process took countless hours and expertise, and we are incredibly grateful for our IT Director Chad, who has done a fantastic job making our website more streamlined and user-friendly. However, with new technology, there can be some unexpected challenges. If you encounter any issues with the website or have trouble finding what you’re looking for, please feel free to reach out to us at info@uofsbdc.ca, and we will do our best to assist you! We truly appreciate your patience and support during this transition!

Online Registration Continues

Registration for classes online will continue for this week and will end at midnight Friday, September 20th, 2024.

September Monthly Dance

The first monthly dance of the dance year is Saturday, Sep. 28, 2024 from 7:00pm - 10:00pm at Trinity Orthodox Church Hall. The price is $10 for members and $15 for non-members. Cash payment will be taken at the door. Please remember your member
numbers and clean non-marking shoes.

Practice Sessions

We offer free practice sessions that are open to all members of the Club. These practice sessions are inclusive and suitable for individuals of all skill levels. The sessions operate on a drop-in basis, without requiring prior registration.Our practice session is held Mondays at Grosvenor Park United Church from 7:45 PM until 8:45 PM or on Wednesdays at St. Josephs Hall from 8:15 PM until 9:15 PM. The first practice sessions will be held the week of September 15th, 2024.

Volunteer Lead / Follow Program

Our club is always looking for leads and follows to help balance out role ratios in our classes. If you are interested in helping balance classes please fill out the volunteer lead/follow form on our website and return to the club. Volunteers will be assigned based on availability on form and instructor requests. For more information on the program visit our website.

Executive Positions to Fill

We have some exciting opportunities coming up as our executive positions are reaching the end of their term. We're looking for enthusiastic members who might be interested in stepping into these important roles. If you'd like to be part of a wonderful team
dedicated to enhancing our club, please reach out to our president for more information about the positions. We would love to hear from you! We are looking for:

● Financial Officer: The Financial Officer is responsible for preparing cheques for Club expenditures and paying bills in a timely manner, preparing the annual budget in consultation with the President, assisting the auditors in completing the year-end audit, presenting the budget, audit and comparative statement at the General Meeting and Annual General Meeting and liaising with bank representatives and maintaining the Club bank accounts.

● Member at Large: The GMALs coordinate, in collaboration with other Executive members, manage and attend the annual and half class registrations, Fall University Student Orientation Fair, member workshops, beginner dances and Volunteer Appreciation. They are responsible for booking facilities for events, working with volunteers at each event, ensuring proper set up of events and purchasing required items. They are responsible for managing the budget allocated to this position.

● Social Director: The Social Coordinator coordinates, in collaboration with other Executive members, manages and attends the five dances held by the Club. The Social Coordinator is responsible for booking and meeting with the facility to determine menu, table numbers and special requests, working with printing companies to develop and print event tickets and playlists and booking bands/djs. The Social Coordinator is responsible for managing the budget allocated to this position.

Volunteers Needed for Our 60th Diamond Anniversary!

As you may know the University of Saskatchewan Ballroom Dancing club is celebrating our 60th Diamond Anniversary. This is an important milestone and we want to make this event truly sparkle! To help make it a success, we would appreciate your assistance in planning and organizing.

If you’re interested in volunteering, please reach out to Corey at social@uofsbdc.ca. Let’s make this celebration one to remember!

Dance Team Registration (Intermediate and Advanced Classes)

The member performance dance team is returning for Term One!

Registration will take place on Wednesday Sept 18th, 2024 at Trinity Orthodox Church Hall at 8:15 PM.

The style will be waltz and you should come to registration prepared to dance!

The Performance Class is a single-term class. In the performance class, you will learn choreography that will be performed at the term-end dinner dance. The choreography will teach you new things not offered in the regular class curriculum that you can use on the social dance floor. It will also elevate your dance technique and teach you how to add a little flair to your steps.