BOARD BUZZ

The St. Louis Rebel’s Board held its regular meeting December 14, 2009. Regretfully, we are saying goodbye to Katie Slater, who, as president this past year, turned things around for the club, helping to bring about financial stability and increasing the board’s ability to give back to the Rebel’s members. We thank you, Katie, for all your hard work this past year and throughout the history of the club.

Be sure to read the Out & About newsletter. Important notices are posted there, such as:

• This Friday’s dance will be held in the Garden Room (formerly known as the pool). It is our Christmas dance. Our instructors are giving the gift of a personal critique to help improve your dancing. This is a free lesson-no regular lessons will be held.

• Elections end this Friday, Dec. 18. Every vote counts.

• New Year’s Eve is arriving in just a couple of weeks. Have you purchased your Mafia Wars ticket yet? $40 in advance, $50 at the door. The Rebel’s NYE ticket gets you into all the events at the Stratford that evening.

• Updates to the 2010 Pro Workshop Calendar include: Matt and Crystal Auclair on Jan. 8-9, John Lindo on Feb. 19-20, Doug Rousar on July 30-31. Arrangements with several other pros are still in the works. Plan to attend these workshops and schedule privates with the pros to improve your dancing skills. Take advantage of the members’ discounts for these events.

• Watch for flyers for our 2010 kick-off party featuring Matt and Crystal. This will include a Saturday night dance. These Pros are sure to please.

• The future of West Coast Swing is in our youth. The Rebel’s Juniors program is expanding quickly. To support this program, the board voted to donate $1000/per year for activities that involve the Juniors. This is lieu of payment to the instructors, who graciously and selflessly donate their time each week. We encourage everyone to support this program’s fundraisers.

• The board also approved a joint advertising venture with some of the other local swing dance clubs. Look for our ad in the St. Louis Post Dispatch, coming to your doorstep soon.

• From our Feedback Form we have a suggestion for badges to encourage newcomers to ask people to dance. One example, “D.O.C.”-Dancer On Call. This is in progress, but it also serves as a reminder to all of us to ask newbies to dance. We should all remember feeling shy and awkward in the beginning and help others by approaching them for dances.

—St Louis Rebels Board/lmg

To review a copy of the approved minutes of any Board meeting, please contact one of the Executive Board Members. Board meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the second Monday of each month at the Stratford Inn. We welcome comments and concerns. These can be presented to the Board by completing the questionnaire available at the front table of the Friday night dances.

Keep on dancing!