2014 We had another Swing Dance for our Community, ALL AGES WELCOME! Sunday, April 27th, 2014, 2:15pm for free swing dance lesson by Bill & Rita Ament, dance starts at 3pm-5pm with LIVE music by The One More Time Band! Bring a snack to share:) Here’s some photos, about 60 people came and enjoyed music, dancing and laughter…
2013 We have a community dance project that we are planning. The scheduled date is Sunday, April 21st from 3pm-4:30pm at the Mullis Center. Please write it on your calendar and come join us! Watch for posters getting out in the community that were designed by our youth. But, here’s a little more about how and why we are doing this:)
We learned of this idea at last year’s Washington State Prevention Summit/Spring Youth Forum, when 5 SSIS (Spring Street Int’l School) student’s went to present the Rock Solid Youth Project. (Rock Solid is an open group for youth wanting to stay busy, beat the boredom factor and be healthy by reducing risky behaviors like using drugs & alcohol.) Another youth team did this “community dance” project where the youth invite the elder’s of their community and the music and dances were that of the elder’s during their youth! Yes, It’s a Spring Swing & Sock Hop Dance for All Ages. Live music from the 40′s and 50′s will be played by The One More Time Band! They have donated their time to the cause! (Thank those talented musicians)
The San Juan Island Prevention Coalition is Rock Solid’s sponsor and through a generous grant from the San Juan Island Community Foundation we have the funds to offer the dance FREE of charge! We will also be looking for partners in the community to help support our youth to create this very memorable and community building experience. Let us know if you want to get involved in any way, we welcome your help! Light refreshments will be served, bring a snack or dessert to share, if you’d like at the dance.
We have built in a few extra layers to enrich the culminating event of the dance. Some of our SSIS Middle School student’s have gone to The Village at the Harbour and The Mullis Senior Center and shared their stories they wrote for their publication, Time Was…Voices from the Middle. Now, working along with the Middle School History Class, under Kate’s wonderful care, our student’s have embarked on the Smithsonian Oral History Interview Project.
Working as student teams along with parent volunteers, our student’s are meeting and connecting with 10 amazing residents on the island for this project. (Of course, they will get a personal invite to the dance). These people come from all walks of life and experiences. These stories will be shared in the next Volume, Time Was… Voices from the Island, through the second part of the grant we received from the San Juan Island Community Foundation! (Please be sure to thank those folks you may know at the SJICF:) The books will be distributed throughout the community for folks to share. We have also connected with the Historical Museum, so this project has really been building community already!
As we prepare for the dance in April, we would like to make decorations, make invitations and also very important, make felt poodle skirts for those that want them for the dance! We are creating some time on Saturday March 30th to offer a space to make these items with your child or grandchild. If you are interested, please contact us for more info. We will have great prizes to award for costumes, dancing and more! We are also working in some dance lessons for our SSIS students prior to the dance. Bill Ament has offered to give us a few complimentary lessons from the 40′s and 50′s era. We thank Bill for his time and help with our students!
Please consider joining our youth that want to make a difference in our community. Come listen to the great music or dance if it moves you…All welcome. Invite your friends, neighbors and family! Thanks for your time and support.
PS. Please let us know if you want to help or join your kids to help! We welcome your time and collaboration. We could use help making decorations, set-up, manning the refreshments, helping with clean-up on the dance date. I heard there may be costumes for rent through the Community Theatre for those interested:) Or better yet, make your own!