[Tango] TSOM elections Saturday

[Lois Donnay]

You have hopefully now heard that the Tango Society of Minnesota is holding
elections for a new president and board.  When I got back from Buenos Aires,
I got a call from the nominating committee asking me to run for president. I
was quite surprised, and said no. But the thought lingered with me, and we
have been discussing TSoM quite a bit at recent events. On Jan 1st I got
another call, asking me to run again. This time, I said yes.

I am sending this email out to explain a little about why I chose to say
yes. As most of you know, I was among the small band of tango nuts who
fought to get a Tango Society started here. We were convinced of the need
because at that time, we had only one milonga a month, two part-time
teachers, and a visiting instructor maybe once a year. We needed to grow
this community.

Now, we have 4 milongas a week, more than 10 local teachers, and a visiting
workshop almost ever month. I credit TSoM. TSoM took the financial risk that
most individual teachers and organizers can't or won't take, which made it
possible to create enough growth so that the private sector could take over.
I believe that without the hard work and dedication of the TSoM volunteers,
and of course the membership money, this would not have been possible. 

So here is TSoM at 10 years old, with a lot more money and history. But we
are not growing. To many of its members, TSoM looks like it only does one
dance, and one newsletter. What TSoM should do is the work that others can't
or won't do: special events, promotions, free events, and
community-building. Also, because of their non-profit status, there are
promotional opportunities that others can't get.

Those of you who don't know me may know of my work and my dedication to
tango and this community. I travel to BsAs every year because I know how
easy it is to get away from the true feeling of tango if you don't go
regularly. I want our events to be more authentic and more fun, just like
BA. I want to let all people know they are truly welcome at tango events. I
want all of us to work together towards the common goal of growing and
improving this community. I want us to work smarter, use more technology,
and build better consensus from the TSoM members. I want Minnesota to be a
model destination for tango in the U.S.

Specifically: TSoM dances should be held in great spaces. TSoM dances must
have sets of other dance music to be friendlier to other dance communities.
There should be more free and low cost events. TSoM should take every
opportunity to do outreach and promotion, and improve the image of our
community.  TSoM should get more input and buy-in from the members, and
communicate to them better. The board meeting minutes should be emailed and
included in the newsletter. The board meeting should be moved to dates and
times where more people can attend.

I fully expect that there will not be the same amount of work involved that
there was in being president for the first years of TSoM, when we had to
start from scratch. The past and current presidents and board members have
done phenomenal work to make the organization work really well.  But I
understand group dynamics - how a group operates. Building a consensus to
get things done is the biggest challenge. I understand that because I am a
teacher, there is the appearance of conflict of interest. But I understand
that what TSoM does should benefit every member, as well as every teacher.
My model is an industry group - like an association of manufacturers in the
same industry who come together to build their market and improve their
image. Every teacher who has the dedication to belong to this group gets the
same benefits as everyone else. And everyone wins. Also, there is always
conflict of interest as long as the group is run by people. At least you
know that I will be diligent in trying to avoid it. 

Oh, yes, and David has been pushing hard for me to run, one of the reasons I
said yes. He even promised to help! So, with David as the first man, we
should be able to get quite a bit done. :-)

Lois Donnay
3142 1st Ave S
Minneapolis, MN 55408
www.mndance.com
612.822.8436

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