2
May
In this issue…
- Save the date for the PCDC Member Appreciation Picnic! The annual PCDC member appreciation picnic is coming up on Saturday, June 29th—click here for more details and to see photos from last year’s picnic. It’s an event not to be missed!
- Meet the candidates running for the PCDC board. PCDC Board elections are coming up in June. Meet the candidates in “Candidates for the June 2024 PCDC Board Election.”
Interested in joining the Board? It’s not too late! Read Kathy Story’s article, “An Invitation to Join the PCDC Board this June.”
- Registration is open for a magical Northwest Passage dance weekend! In “Northwest Passage Brings the Strongest Form of Magic to Mount Hood,” Sharon Gavin describes the music and dance magic you can experience during Labor Day weekend 2024. Read the article here—or just trust Sharon, and sign up. (But don’t skip reading Sharon’s article, because how often do you get to read about Plato, Taylor Swift, and Marilyn Manson in the same article?)
- She’s been dancing 40 years, playing violin for 85, and you can’t keep up with her on the hiking trail. Kathy Story interviews Syd Newell, a longtime dancer, fiddler, and nature-lover, in “Spotlight on Syd Newell.”
- On the dance floor: Don’t miss Bryce Holt’s article, “Inclusion and Caring on the Dance Floor”! In his article, Bryce talks about how we can grow our contra dances by increasing inclusivity and helping newer dancers.
- In the President’s Corner, Kathy Story introduces PCDC’s new code of conduct and community standards. You can download the Code of Conduct here and the Community Standards here.
- The Portland Megaband Dance has come and gone, but we have our sweet memories—and we are grateful for the 140-plus volunteers who made the dance possible! See “Portland Megaband a Success” for details. Also see videos of dances performed that night on the Portland Megaband Youtube channel.
- Play an instrument? Join the 2nd Thursday Tune Sessions
May 9th, 7–9 pm: Jam session at Betsy Branch’s in SE Portland
June 13th, 7–9 pm: Teaching session at George Penk’s in SW Portland
For more information, including recordings and lists of tunes taught over the years, visit the PCDC Dance Tune Session website. For exact addresses and to receive monthly announcements, email sharonjeanallen(at)yahoo(dot)com.
- In “Chips from the Woodshed,” Stewart Hall reports back from the first two sessions of the Woodshed series. What are the Woodshed sessions? Read Stewart’s report and see two of the new dances presented in the first Woodshed session.
From the Editor
This month, we continue our web-based format. We are still in the development stages, but as a refresher, here are a few usage tips:
- You can read announcements and access all newsletter articles using the links in the document you’re reading now. We’re calling this the Footnotes Front Page.
- You can navigate directly to articles from the PCDC website Newsletter tab using these menu options:
- May-June 2024 Front Page: Takes you to the online version of this document, with news and announcements, plus descriptions and links for all articles in the current issue.
- Articles in current issue: Shows you all articles in this issue.
- Articles by department: Displays both current and past articles organized by categories (such as “President’s Corner,” “News and Events,” and “On the Dance Floor”).
- Back issues: Contains newsletters dating back to 2002.
More navigational aids (buttons for Print, Prev Article, and Next Article, for example) are in development. Please excuse our dust, and feel free to send any feedback to newsletter@portlandcountrydance.org. And a big thank you to webmaster Ric Goldman for his continued support!
Happy dancing, listening, and playing!
Lori Shaffer, PCDC Newsletter Editor
PCDC Event Calendar
For upcoming dances and events, go to the PCDC calendar, plug in the month you want to see, and click Go. You can customize your view by choosing the category of events you want to display.
Additional resources
For info on the PCDC board and committees:
- For a peek into the goings-on of the PCDC Board, see the PCDC board meeting summaries.
- For a list of board and committee members, see portlandcountrydance.org/board-members/.