HEDIYA ARABIC DANCE CLUB
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
23rd September 2006
Present: Hon. Secretary Chrissy Stephenson; Committee members Ali Comyns, Jo Elliott, Karey Foster; Members: Adrienne Thompson, Mo Robinson, Julia Elliott, Jackie Readshaw, Celia Francere, Kerry Sharpe, Den Goodburn
Apologies for Absence: Wendy Horn, Joan Sumner, Amanda Butler, Catherine Kneen, Shelly Kilpatrick.
Minutes: The minutes of the AGM held in October 2005 were distributed to the members. They were read and approved.
Matters Arising: Mirrored Studio sessions. These never happened because the Operatic Studio was not available to rent at any time. Some alternative venues have been discussed but are mostly too expensive. Attempts to find and book one will continue.
Secretary’s Report: The report was read out by Chrissy.
Financial Report: The report was distributed and read by the members. The membership approved of the purchases which have been made: the TV and DVD player have proved very useful, and the Bedouin tent hangings are magnificent.
Election of Officers: All the existing committee members declared they were willing to stand again and were elected unopposed. There were no new volunteers.
Adrienne will continue to run the video library.
Chrissy will look after the magazines as they all come to her anyway.
Membership: Various ideas for encouraging people to become members of the Club were discussed.
Wendy (by letter) put forward a scheme for charging class attendance fees at different rates for members and visitors. This was discussed but rejected as being too difficult to implement. However her proposal for charging newcomers £1 only for their first lesson was accepted, as was the £1 discount for members introducing a friend.
It was suggested a voucher pack could be issued as an incentive both for new members and for renewals. It would consist of one voucher for a free video hire, one for a free CD, and £5 off an item in the Bazaar (This would apply to Hediya stock only). We agreed to try this out for one year.
The existing discounts on workshops will continue to apply.
Dance Sessions: The fee for all classes has remained at the same level for the last three years, although costs have risen. It was agreed to raise it from £3 to £4 per session. This still compares well with other classes, both here and across the water.
Because of rising numbers it was decided to alter the way the classes are structured.
The Wednesday night session in Ballasalla will remain a mixed ability class, although the last half hour of it may be set aside for dance troupe practice when needed. When it is not needed it may be used to teach an intermediate level choreography.
The Saturday morning session in Onchan will be split in two. The first hour will be for beginners (which improvers may attend as a warm up and revision class). This will be followed by a coffee break, as at present. The second class will be for intermediates only, although beginners may stay to watch. The fees will be £3 for one class, or £4 for both. Again, the last half hour may be used for troupe practice. It will be necessary for the classes to start strictly on time, at 10:00 and 11:30.
New beginners must attend at least eight classes before they can move up to the next level.
It was suggested that a schedule should be drawn up showing which choreographies will be taught in the Intermediates classes. These could be taught by various people to take the pressure off Chrissy.
Performance Troupe: Chrissy read out her thoughts on the past and possible future of the performance troupe. It has achieved a good measure of success, but the cost has been high.
It was agreed:
The Performance troupe will continue.
Entry to the troupe will be by audition, and will depend on what is needed in artistic terms for particular events.
It will initially be funded by the Club, but it should work towards becoming self-financing.
Troupe practices will be in addition to normal class hours.
Costumes; members will normally buy or make their own, but there may be help on a case by case basis for those unable to do so.
Music: CD’s of the music being used will be provided free of charge to members so they can practice at home.
Content: So far performances have consisted almost entirely of Tribal dances. It was agreed to widen this to include some traditional Arabic styles.
All members of Hediya are invited to think of a suitable name. (Jo’s suggestion: it can include the word “Hediya” in the name to show that the two are closely related.)
Workshops: It was agreed to raise the fees for all-day workshops from £20 to £25 to members, and from £25 to £30 for non-members.
The present number, of four or five per year, was felt to be about right.
Suggestions were invited from the members about which styles they would like to learn, or any particular teachers they would like to invite.
Further drumming workshops may be held if people can be encouraged to attend.
Costume workshops for making specific items may also be considers.
Jo is to draw up a questionnaire to circulate among members regarding days, dates and content of workshops.
Social Events: We are currently planning a Halloween Hafla and a Christmas daytime hafla. Chrissy felt that Easter was not a good time for a hafla, in view of the poor attendance last time. Suggestions were invited as to how many haflas we should hold, and at what times of the year.
Occasions such as birthdays were suggested and a ‘girls only’ evening.
Several people felt that celebrating Chrissy’s birthday was such fun that we should do it every year.
Any Other Business: There were several suggestions about how to raise funds for the dance troupe: raffles at haflas, commercial sponsorship, charging fees for performing at events such as weddings and hen nights.
The meeting closed at 3:40pm