International Steppers Association
19 May 2011
Dear ISA members,
We made it a full business year! Let me congratulate each of you for participating and supporting the effort to standardize, train, educate and promote community programming. What we are doing is very important to urban dance. If we look at Lindy Hop, Jitterbug or other legacy Swing dances the participants and culture does not look as it did over 60 years ago. However, their history is well documented. The difference in Steppin is that we continue to dance in our local neighborhoods and environment. We cannot make the mistake of not writing down what we do. If so, we may miss our opportunity to have a voice in the way our history is portrayed at the hands of others. We also continue to miss out on the financial returns to our urban community which we must take full responsibility for missing.
As Steppers continue to age and the lack of males and youth participants in our numbers, we must be responsible as dancers and senior leaders to ensure that the future includes a formal deposit and a legacy to those who have yet to be born. The average age of Steppers is approximately 48-53 years of age. Steppin is the youngest of all urban dances and we do not have any young instructors or dancers promoting the dance or competing. Our future is in jeopardy of maintaining its indigenous culture if we are not actively involved outside of the social parties and fanfare. The effort of the ISA is very important to this cause. The ISA is the only professional organization with the urban dance genre of Steppin in mind. Your efforts are admirable and will be appreciated long after you have stopped dancing. In order for our efforts to become formalized with content and services we need your continued support and those of your local community.
On 24-26 June 2011 the ISA membership will be celebrating our 1st Annual Convention and Business Meeting in Chicago! Hopefully, you have made plans to attend. The event will be anchored by our annual scholarship and awards dinner and two busy days of business meetings. If you have not made accommodations please do so as the Oak Lawn Hilton Hotel is sold out! The ticket prices for flights and rental cars are increasing due to high gas prices. You must be a financial ISA member to attend. Each member will be provided an access badge to enter the meeting room. If you are not registered at the hotel remember you will be paying $60.00 plus your 2011-2012 ISA membership fees. If you have a hotel reservation your ISA registration fee is $50.00 plus your 2011-2012 ISA membership fee (don’t miss June’s meeting). You can pay online or mail your payments to:
International Steppers Association
4303 West Village Avenue, Apt 2002
Suitland MD 20746
Please let us know if you are eating chicken or fish as seating will be reserved for ISA members and their guests. Registration is now being accepted online.
Finally, we would like all ISA members to call in on Sunday, 5 June 2011 at 7pm for our year end business meeting. This will be the last meeting before we convene in Chicago. There are a lot of details to cover that may impact your 2011-2012 membership. The final items will be covered so please call in to cast your vote:
1. Membership roll call
2. Business Meeting Schedule of Events
3. Scholarship and Awards Committee Report
a. Charter Member Certificate Presentation
4. Officer and Election balloting
5. New Membership Fees
6. 501 C 3 Non Profit Status
7. Website update
8. ISA Annual Survey and Study
9. Chapter Update
10. 2012 ISA Convention Planning
Please call in Sunday, 5 June 2011 at 7 pm Eastern Standard Time. Please dial in by 6:45 pm so that we can start on time. The dial in number is 1-218-862-1000 ACCESS CODE: 307375#.
Very respectfully,
T. Dweylan Wilson, PMP
President
International Steppers Association
