BAREFOOT DANCE EXETER

 

Notes from Barefoot Dance Community Meeting   9th May 2018

held at: the meeting room, Phoenix Arts Centre, Exeter

 

present: Karen, Angela, Dave, Debbie, Ruth, Andy, Laurence, Richard, Sharon M, Martin, Sandyha, Phil H, Phil N.

 

Karen welcomed everybody.

 

1.    Last years notes review

◦  It was agreed to give the surplus of funds (over the agreed reserves of £2,500) in 2017/18 to Wendy who works at the St Petrocks Centre for street homeless people in Exeter. This amounted to £58.91.

◦  We decided to continue to have one session a term where any surplus, after the hall was paid for, was given to a good cause selected by the group.

◦  Everyone who had attended thought the small groups which were held last autumn and facilitated by members of barefoot dance worked really well. Karen was thanked for co-ordinating these.

 

2.    Money matters

◦  We looked at what we had spent money on in our financial year 2017/2018. It was noted that most of our financial surplus comes from the barefoot nights. There was a question about what ‘things’ were and this included lights, audio leads and public liability insurance which we now needed as a condition of booking St Matthews Church Hall.

◦  We agreed to keep the reserve targets the same for our current financial year (2018/2019). Except as we had just spent £1,000 on new sound equipment we would have to build that figure up again over the next few years.

◦  It was agreed we try and keep a minimum figure of £1,500 for contingencies

 

3.    Ongoing differences of opinion (volume of music and temperature of hall)

o   We discussed what happens when some people are too hot and some people are too cold. The thermometers had maybe been useful as an objective measure about this? Maybe we could dig them out again.

o   No easy solutions were forthcoming. There was a suggestion that if it was generally warm the door should be left ajar so that people could go in and out of the hall if they needed fresh air, but pushing the door to on their way in/out.

o   If some people experienced the music as too loud was it possible they could be encouraged to think of ear plugs?

 

4.    New sound system

◦  Some people thought it sounded better the first week we had it and some people thought it sounded better the second week! We’re still experimenting with it and getting used to it. Maybe we could experiment a bit more with the small speaker position?

◦  Need to be careful setting it up – esp small speakers – care needs to taken when screwing them onto their stands. It would be easy to drop one.

◦  We agreed that anyone can borrow the old sound stuff for private parties etc

◦  If borrowing the new stuff then people to sign a disclaimer that they would replace anything if it were damaged in any way.

◦  The new equipment was extremely easy to set up and put away.

◦  Thanks was proposed to Laurence for sorting it all out.

 

5.    Our programme

◦  Teacher sessions – Over the last year we’ve had 3 new teachers and everyone was very positive about them.

◦  There seemed some consensus that we ought to have one or two new teachers over the course of a year to keep things fresh. Everyone was invited to suggest new teachers.

◦  Karen is now responsible for booking teachers and the group gave their feedback about different teachers.

◦  Barefoot dance sessions

◦  It was great we have a wide variety of people putting the music on bringing their own unique taste and style to the evening.

◦  We thought it was important there was an invitation for people to hold the space even if they didn’t want to bring the music.

◦  The altar/focal point/heart space

◦  Angela was feeling her altar creations had become predictable. It was great when people bought things in – but that’s mostly fallen away now, just Helena does this now and again.

◦  Angela had decided not to do the altar any more but had relented after talking to a few people, it is a focal point, but has it become taken for granted and not really appreciated?

◦  Angela’s altars were praised as beautiful and appreciated by the whole group. Angela has decided to put in at the end of the dance asking people to have a go at an altar the following week.

◦  Do any men want to do an altar?

◦  Angela would like more spectacular things in a box which could be used for the altar e.g. oracle cards with big writing. It was agreed she could have a budget of £60 …

◦  One suggestion was that some weeks we could have a short ritual at end of session which was based on the altar.

◦  It was agreed to put on website that altar offerings were welcomed.

 

6.    Community dance/movement day in the autumn

◦  The idea for a peer led day, had largely come out of the decision to have Jo Hardy facilitate Gidleigh this year. Lots of people still liked the peer led sessions/events.

◦  Karen proposed that people who were interested in planning and organising a day in the autumn should meet up and discuss the arrangements.

◦  Members of the group could be paid to lead sessions as they were with the small group initiative.

◦  We would look for a bigger venue so that everyone could be involved and attend if they want to.

◦  The following people volunteered to join a planning group – Ruth, Phil H, Sandhya, Karen, Sharon M

◦  Andy would like to be involved in running things for people in recovery from mental ill-health.

 

7.    Anything else:

o   Dave would like to set up a Sunday social – at the Phoenix or Double Locks. The whatever Sunday afternoon of the month. There was general support for this idea. Information will be put on the website ….

o   Small groups – people liked these and it would be good to do it again. 

o   Meeting at the Phoenix - Phil H said he really liked the venue for a meeting. Much better than the pub last year

We all sang happy birthday to Angela and ate delicious cake which Ruth had made.

 

8.    Men’s dance

o   The men stayed on and talked about the men’s dances. Notes of the discussion were not taken.

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We then had a jolly time in the café/bar area and eventually we all wandered off home.