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Welcome
to the
55rd Colorado State Square Dance Festival |
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Dear Dancers,
I am dan pantano the Chairmen for the 55th Colorado State Square Dance Festival; Sundance Spin. The Festival will be June 11th & 12th, 2010 at Keystone Resort. Our Committee volunteers are working extra hard to present the finest Festival of all time.
As I sit here on New Year’s Eve thinking about what to write for something that is published in February I am reflecting on the process of the Festival. Of course, Don Dupsky comes to mind and the impact he had on the Festival. If not for him the Festival would have gone dark for USAWest. His enthusiasm for the Festival could not have been ignored. As a result this is the first time a State Festival anywhere has been entrusted to the guidance of a same sex dance couple. Regardless of individual sensibilities this is a remarkable occurrence and ultimately has left the Festival unarguably open to other tweaks. Both Don and I were in agreement that the Festival should be open to everyone who wishes to participate at whatever level they would like. In all but one case this has worked out well and the Festival will reflect this openness over the three days it lives.
The callers and cuers hired to provide headline entertainment are all from Colorado. Mountain Magic will be calling in the evenings in the main square dance hall. Friday Night will be Plus and Saturday Night will be Mainstream. This way everyone has the chance to experience the magic of Bear Miller, Jeff Palmer, , Roger Schappell, and Debbie Steinkirchner. In the main round dance hall John and Karen Herr will be the feature. This is a great honor for the Festival since John and Karen are Chairman and members of the Board of Directors for Roundalab and are very active in the Round Dance community. In addition to our featured professionals the Festival is programming other callers and cuers from around the country in the secondary halls. Incidentally, all of the dance halls are connected and contiguous with soundproof barrier walls, which will enhance the total experience of Sundance Spin for all who attend.
Sundance Spin 2010 will also
have a significant and impressive representation of vendors. Some of
the old favorites and many new participants, some never before seen
at a Festival, are submitting their contracts. We have designated 2200
square feet of space for our vendors and have plenty more available
if needed. To put this in perspective the average vendor space is 150
square feet.
Of course, the crowning jewel of Sundance Spin 2010 is the venue. Keystone
Resort is a unique facility for a Festival. It affords a number of administrative
amenities that are unavailable at our more traditional venues. One example:
insurance is included and not a separate budget item. We also have the
advantage, as previously mentioned, of having everything under one roof.
In addition to this the Festival will receive a discount on the rent
of the Festival facility based on the number of room nights festival
participants and their friends and relatives buy at the Resort. This
discount is being passed along to the participants in the form of discounted
registrations. Many room types are available. Everything from regular
hotel rooms with one or two beds accommodating 2 to four people all
the way to 3 bedroom fully equipped condos accommodating as many as
eight. Some also allow pets. These accommodations come with very competitive
rates. Rates that cannot be found in the neighboring towns and indeed
have not been provided by previous Festivals. Given these facts a participant
is able to drive the cost of attendance down to levels not seen since
the early 1970’s! Each village resident also receives the Adventure
Pass from the Resort. The Adventure Pass provides discounts throughout
the village on everything from gondola rides to t-shirt purchases. All
of this and food too. In addition to the many restaurants in the village
and in the neighboring towns the Festival is offering to those who wish
to participate a number of catered meals on each of the days. The catered
meals will be near the Festival dance venues and will allow everyone
the opportunity to minimize the time lost on travel. This only touches
on the amenities that will be offered. Do not forget, Keystone is a
resort. This means lots of other activities are available. Golf, fishing,
biking, tennis, swimming, picnicking, hiking, sunbathing, walking, miniature
golfing, sightseeing, and shopping, are the short list of things to
do.
This brings our thoughts to After Parties. Sundance Spin 2010 will have two separate areas for after parties. One area will be for dancers who wish to continue dancing to do so. The other area will be set up with beverages and snacks for those who want to enjoy each other’s company in a more relaxed atmosphere without having to hunt down a venue.
By now, February, many of our promotions have become evident. These include the caller/cuer bucks, mileage for registrations, gifts and drawing at dances, and the caller and cuer hospitality fund. We believe our promotions are well targeted and have been established to accomplish multiple goals including excitement and good will.
Those of us who have been involved with the planning of Sundance Spin 2010 are very excited and pleased to offer this Festival. We are, of course, always open to suggestions and participation of others who would like to see their ideas incorporated into the mix and encourage each of you to not only buy a ticket but to come to our meetings. We meet on the third Sunday of each month at 1 pm. The place changes each month but we always begin with food and are happy to welcome more.
dan pantano
Chairmen 55th Colorado State Square Dance Festival