A lot more goes into making Toronto Contra Dance succeed than is obvious at the dances. There's a great deal to be done and we've set it up so if a lot of people help, no one has to do much work. All dancers, and especially members, are encouraged to get involved. Please look through the list below and contact us for more information.
The Easiest Way to Start
Here are a few easy ways to get involved during a dance. Most dancers will do one of these tasks, either regularly or a few times each season.
- Greet new dancers as they arrive and help them feel welcome!
- Attend contra basics class. (It works best when there
as many experienced dancers as beginners in the class.)
- Pour cider during the break.
- Staff the door for the duration of one dance.
- Help clean up at the end of the evening.
How Else Can I Help?
If you are ready for the next step, here are some other possibilities.
- Be a Floor Manager for an evening. This is often the
first "official" task dancers take on. It involves
bringing the cider (you will be reimbursed), setting up
before the dance, staffing the front desk before the dancing starts,
recruiting volunteers to staff the desk for one dance during the evening,
and cleaning up after the dance. It is usually
done in pairs since it can be busy. But you get
to dance every dance!
- Join the sound committee and learn about sound.
- Decorate the dance hall for special dances (such as Halloween, December
holidays, Valentine's Day, Volunteer Appreciation Dance).
- Billet out-of-town performers or dancers in your home.
- Join the Spring Thaw committee.
- Contact us with other ideas of how you would like to help.
Some Bigger Tasks
There are several committees that are typically chaired by one person for one year, assisted by interested volunteers. Some of these are:
- Buttons - produces buttons for members and special events
- Communications - maintains the mailing list and
sends email reminders before each dance, maintains our Facebook and Meetup pages
- Contra Basics Coordinator - schedules volunteers to teach the
basics class before each dance
- Floor Coordinator - recruits and trains volunteer
floor managers who oversee the evening and ensure each dance runs smoothly.
- Flyers - designs flyers and handouts
- Housing Coordinator - arranges billeting for out-of-town
performers
- Membership Coordinator - coordinates the sale
of memberships and maintains the membership list
- President (elected position) - our chief administrator and spokesperson
- Publicity - responsible for all aspects of publicity and advertising
- Site Liaison - maintains regular liaison with the sites that
host our dances
- Sound Coordinator - recruits sound specialists
and volunteers who look after our sound equipment and help set up and
adjust the sound system. Provides training to volunteers, if
needed.
- Special Events Coordinators - Toronto Contra Dance hosts two major
special events each year: the Spring Thaw weekend and the Summer Dance
on Toronto Island. Each of these needs a large group of volunteers and
a coordinator who is responsible for overall planning and organization.
The usual practice is that a person wishing to coordinate one of these
events serves as Assistant Coordinator one year and then as Coordinator
the next.
- Talent Coordinator - invites and schedules performers for the year
- Treasurer (elected position) - responsible for keeping track of our finances
- Webmaster - maintains and updates the website
Elected Offices
While Toronto Contra Dance is an informal organization, we do have two elected offices, President and Treasurer. These officers are elected at the Annual General Meeting and serve a renewable one-year term.
Past Coordinators/Presidents
| 1983 - 1986 | Judy Greenhill, Shelly Romalis, Lorraine Sutton |
| 1986 - 1988 | Lorraine Sutton |
| 1988 -1991 | John Patcai, Anne Grant |
| 1991 - 1993 | Mona Paris |
| 1993 - 1994 | Trisha Willis |
| 1994 - 1999 | Tom Calwell |
| 1999 - 2000 | Les Francey |
| 2000 - 2001 | Alison Neilson, Archie Dagg |
| 2001 - 2003 | Bev Bernbaum |
| 2003 - 2004 | Susan Craig |
| 2004 - 2005 | Susan Craig, Sandy Cameron |
| 2005 - 2008 | Sandy Cameron, Cathy Campbell |
| 2008 - 2009 | Cathy Campbell, Steven Nagy |
| 2009 - 2011 | Steven Nagy |
| 2011 - 2014 | Richard Stafford |
| 2014 - 2017 | Michael Kerman |
| 2017 - present | Becky Liddle |
