Volunteer Report

The Making of a Dance Competition

By The Dance Fest Team

While strolling down memory lane, the Dance Fest team stumbled upon this article written by a volunteer in 2014. It seemed relevant, and helpful, so we have asked Sheer Dance to reprint it here. The article has been updated slightly, but the content remains largely the same.

With Dance Fest coming up, we thought it might be interesting for the community to know more about what goes into putting on a ballroom dance competition. It takes a lot of hard work from a lot of very skilled people, and it should give you some newfound appreciation for how hard the area's various competition organizers work to make the magic happen. Since we can't speak to the inner workings of other events like Twin Cities Open or Snow Ball, we'll just speak for the volunteer team involved with Dance Fest.

We start work on our next event over a year in advance. This allows us to maximize the amount of time we have to accomplish our goals, line up professionals and venues, and announce future dates on the day of the event.

When we first organized Dance Fest, we put Dance Fest on in essentially thirty days, starting from nothing. To this day, we owe Dancers Studio, and many professionals in the local community a great deal of gratitude for their willingness to step up and help make the event a reality. Though we're sure we're missing some names, if you see Gene and Elena Bersten, Kate Bratt, Jeff and Cindy Nehrbass, Mariusz Olzewski, Shane Meuwissen, Lisa Vogel Galvin, or basically anyone from Dancers Studio, be sure to thank them. They went out of their way to promote dance, and provide continuity to the many dancers who look forward to this event and the chance to compete in the largest amateur ballroom dance competition within the five-state area.

The volunteer team is run by committee where each member of the committee has a set of sub-tasks that they are uniquely responsible to do. As the group of volunteers changes and evolves, the group finds its own unique way of dividing the labor to maximize work accomplished, and minimize stress levels. This year, the committee tasks were as follows:

Awards Coordinator

It turns out people like ribbons, and medals when they win. However, these have to be designed, ordered, and printed in advance, and in the right amounts. Though it doesn't seem like much, medals are expensive, and trophies are super-expensive, so that is why you will see events opt for ribbons as often as possible. This year this position was filled by Theresa Kimler.

Committee Chair/Project Manager

Typically there is a Committee Chair and/or a Project Manager put in charge of making sure the trains run on time, and keeping track of what tasks we have left to complete. This year, Michael Kasinkas and Theresa Kimler have ably led the team. Typically to do this job, you have to be able to double-check the work of everyone else, and understand how each piece relates to the others.

Decorations Coordinator

The Decorations Coordinator manages the decorations. That sounds easy, but it isn't. The trick is, if you don't do all the little things, the overall result is substandard. The Decorations Coordinator needs to establish the theme, determine the budget, acquire the decorations so they arrive when we need them, and then install them. Karen Maldonado has graciously agreed to continue to fill this role. Truth be told, the volunteer team believes her work to be one of the distinguishing features of Dance Fest.

Editor

All text content that will be distributed must be passed to the Editor for review so that the tone, style, and substance of the messaging remains consistent. As there is a template or example from years past that can be utilized, very little had to be made anew. Although she has since retired from this position, which is left vacant for now, Mary Beth Beckman's past work in this area continues to help the team.

Facilities Coordinator

The Facilities Coordinator manages our search for a venue and all interactions between the venue, and the rest of the team. Typically, it takes many hours of searching, and negotiation with multiple venues to find a suitable space. Prices can vary significantly, as can the quality of the space, so it is difficult to find the right balance of size, versus quality, versus cost. In addition, the Facilities Coordinator handles the floor plan, and manages the Decorations Coordinator, Food and Beverages Coordinator, Music Director, and Officials Coordinator. Some skill in contract negotiation, and management is a requirement. As in years past, Michael Kasinkas is pulling double-duty, and filling this role, in addition to his role as Committee Chair.

Food and Beverages Coordinator

Everyone likes food, and everyone likes beverages. More importantly, when people don't have these things at a ballroom competition, they get cranky or pass out, although no one on the volunteer team has tried this theory by dancing twenty dances in a row without eating or proper hydration. The Food and Beverages Coordinator must ensure that the right amount of food is available at the right time, and the right price. In addition, they must ensure that there is ample water for competitors. This year, Rosemary O'Connell has graciously agreed to fill this role.

Graphics Coordinator

The Graphics Coordinator handles the design, and creation of many of the visual aspects of the event. Logos, ads, letterheads, banners, posters, signs, forms, the program, participation gifts, and tickets are all items that have to be designed. It is extremely important that the style of these items remain consistent, and that they are done to a high quality so everything looks professional. Nicholas Westlake has done a tremendous job finding time in his busy schedule to ensure the event was well represented, and we're very thankful for that.

Marketing Coordinator

Whether it's placing ads, contacting the area's various clubs and studios, or pestering friends and family, marketing is be nothing more than the dissemination of helpful information. We're extremely grateful for how many colleges choose to make our event a highlight of their year. That being said, next year we'd like to work more with local ballroom clubs on how we can make this a must attend event for adult dance enthusiasts all around the five-state area. Looking forward to tackling this task is our Marketing Coordinator Daniel O'Connell.

Music Director

Since Dancers Studio does not require setup and teardown for sound, and we have no solo or exhibition performances, we don't have a Music Director this year. However, we do have a DJ, Shane Meuwissen who ensures the music is the right tempo, and style for the current heat.

Officials Coordinator

In addition to the many hours donated by amateur volunteers, the time of many professionals is required to make an event happen. Judges, a DJ, and an MC are all required to make an event memorable for the participants. The officials selected can make a huge difference in the experience for everyone, and it is the job of the Officials Coordinator to manage every piece of securing officials for the event. We'd like to thank the many professionals who have helped put on this event, and we are excited to have the expertise they bring.

Registrar

The Registrar manages and records all registration. Beginning with answering the many questions about the process, to verifying that every single registration is correct, this is a time-intensive job that takes up several hours per day leading up to the event. In addition, the Registrar is one of the first people in, and the last people out, on the days of the event. Rosemary O'Connell is pulling double-duty by filling in as our Registrar, and Food and Beverages Coordinator. Managing both roles she exceeds a time commitment to this event of over one hundred hours in the last month.

Scrutineer

The Scrutineer is responsible for ensuring that results are calculated fairly. At a modern competition, this means they manages the IT component of the registration, and callback system, making sure it performs optimally on the day of the event. Realistically, something almost always goes wrong, and the Scrutineer's job is to make sure that the process appears seamless to the outside participant. After a lot of tinkering, we've found the best results with a hybrid that utilizes custom scrutineering software, and pen and paper. As chaotic as that sounds, Nicholas Westlake and his team of volunteers, including dutiful assistant Maria Russett, manage to make it look easy.

Sponsorship Coordinator

This position is designed to go to local professionals, studios, dance-related businesses, corporations, and government entities to seek out money dedicated to putting on our best event. Those tasks include increasing sponsorship, and advertising, lowering costs of attendance, and improving facilities. Thanks to the work of Sponsorship Coordinator Daniel O'Connell, and Professional Liaison Taylor Wall, total scholarships to the event exceed $15,000. We'd like to thank all of our sponsors for their extremely generous contributions.

Treasurer

The Treasurer develops the budget with the Committee Chair, and ensures that all income is received, and expenses are paid, and logged in a timely manner. With a wide assortment of odds and ends, this can be a fairly intensive job. Like Registrar, Treasurer is a 'first in, last out' position on event days. Once the event is over, the treasurer provides a final budget report along with a detailed breakdown of income and expenses. Craig Hagensick is our treasurer this year.

Vendors Coordinator

Competitors appreciate services from outside professionals that they might want to utilize on the day of the competition. On the pro/am circuit or at events with a higher concentration of Senior I, II, or III participants, there tends to be more money changing hands, but at events we've put on, the market tends to be strong for certain select services. At last year's Dance Fest, makeup artist Jana Rose was booked as early as 4 a.m.—far in advance of the start of the event. Jewelry in the moderate price range, practice-wear, and simple costuming also has a tremendous market.

Volunteer Coordinator

This position seeks out volunteers to fill many of the 'day-of' positions at the event, such as deck captain, setup and teardown, ticket-takers, management of water, etc. Another 'first-in, last-out' position, Volunteer Coordinators have to be good at identifying strengths, and managing a group of people they may not be familiar with, in a high-stress situation. Taylor Wall has done a tremendous job over the last few years, building a volunteer team with many new and returning faces. We'd like to give a special shout out to volunteers Shane Haggerty, Cathy Dessert, Maria Russett, Len Ferrington, and Jeff and Bridget Knickerbocker who have enthusiastically volunteered for our events over the past several years.

All volunteer hours combined, the total donated time over the last thirty days was over one thousand hours. By the end of the event weekend, those hours will exceed thirteen hundred as numerous volunteers, and professionals donate their entire weekend to make the event enjoyable for the three hundred and fifty competitors and eight hundred or more spectators that will be in attendance.

Whether you have been there before, or are a first-timer, come and enjoy one of the largest competitions in the five-state area. The venue is at Dancers Studio, 415 Pascal St. N., St. Paul, MN. and admission is only $10 to spectate. Make time to attend the Saturday evening session on March 5th at 6:30 p.m., which will feature national champion level talent and the entertaining collegiate team match.

The Dance Fest Volunteer Team hopes to see you there!