| Eighth Annual Dane Dances Season Lessons from the past By Jonathan Gramling |
| The Capital City Hues on the Monona Terrace Rooftop to talk about Dane Dances and where it is headed and the first thing Glenn emphasized was there will be no rainouts in 2007. Each night -Dane Dances kicks off August 3 at 5:30 p.m. with Paul Cebar & the Milwaukeeans -- has a rain location, which are listed in the Dane Dances publicity materials. Another thing that Glenn stressed was that Dane Dances is a non-profit, volunteer organization. While the initiative was originally conceived out of Madison's Task Force on Race Relations back in 1999 and was heavily backed by the city and the county, Glenn stressed that they are an independent project. "We certainly could not get along without the level of support that we do get from the government agencies and Monona Terrace," Glenn said. "But our primary support is corporate and individual donations. That has always been the case and continues to be the case." Due to the need to reserve the rain locations -- nothing in this world is free -- and the fact that August has five Fridays and thus five nights of music, the group has incurred more expenses than they have in the past. "It's a challenge to put this season of events on every year," Sims emphasized. "And with inflation, things just become more and more expensive. We want to keep the event free to the general public. We believe that keeping the event free allows us to reach out to more people of varied and diverse backgrounds, which is what our mission is all about. Enid, as the new president of our board, has a very poignant vision on how Dane Dances should move forward in the future. And we want to make certain that as we do move forward, the event stays free." While the budget and the rain have created challenges for Dane Dances, Glenn and Sims brighten up when talking about this year's line up. "We have a couple of salsa bands that we've had in the past like Que Flavor and MadiSalsa," Glenn said. "MadiSalsa has been with us every single season. They have usually been the band to kick off the season. This year, they are closing the season. We have a little taste of reggae with In Black and White. We have David Hecht & Primitive Culture returning that does a little bit of everything including reggae. We have a couple of other bands that are returning. But the new bands are Kali Kalor and the bands that will be at the Union Terrace. We have Duce Duce, which is something new and different for Dane Dances. It's actually rap or hip hop. In a way, it is a bit of an experiment for us. We're hopeful that things will go well. I expect things to go great there." And the party begins just as people are getting out of work at 5 p.m. "Our food vendors this year -- and we're quite pleased to have them -- are Hong Kong Café, Costa Rican Café, also known as Mango Man, and a new face in town, Gaston's Cajun Café," Sims said. "We strive to be all inclusive. We want our events to be family friendly. And we believe we have managed to accomplish that and have established a reputation as providing a family-friendly and safe environment for the people to grandma or to bring the little toddlers." Dane Dances has something for everyone. "It's really a unique collaborative effort we have between the ethnic vendors, Monona Terrace, what happens on stage and the folks who come to Dane Dances," Glenn added. "It sets a tone unlike anything else I have experienced here in Madison or elsewhere. I think that is what makes folks look forward to Dane Dances every year." The Dane Dances folks can always use a little help to keep the Dane Dances magic going every year. "Dane Dances still needs volunteers," Sims emphasized. "There are several ways that people can contact us. They can e-mail us at info@danedances.org, fill out a volunteer survey at www.danedances.org or call us at (608) 695-5770 and leave a message. And when you're up on the rooftop and you like what you see and want to be a part of this, we have volunteers all around and host tables at either end of Monona Terrace and it is easy to sign up to be a volunteer for either this year or next year. We can always use the help and put you to work right away. And the donation boxes will be at the host tables. Feel free to put in a dollar or $10,000, whatever you happen to have in your pockets and you are moved to give. Just have a good time." And it is that community support - including financial support - that will keep Dance Dances as one of the premier Positive multicultural summer venues in the state of Wisconsin. Donations to Dane Dances may be tax-deductible. People can send a donation to Dane Dances, P.O. Box 1672, Madison, WI 53701-1672. For more information, contact Malika Monger at (608) 695-5770. |
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| Jefrey "J.R" Sims (left) and Enid Glen, two of the many volunteers who implement Dane Dances every year, wear sunglasses to reflect the rain-free August Friday nights ahead |
| Things went pretty smoothly for Dane Dances -- the community's multicultural dance on the Monona Terrace Rooftop every Friday in August -- for the first six years. It had good vibes, food and drinks, great bands and huge crowds. But then this volunteer organization came up against Mother Nature last year and Mother Nature won out, raining out two of the four scheduled dances. And Dane Dances had no rain dates or locations set up. The dedicated followers of Dane Dances were not pleased. "When the dances were cancelled last year, there was a bit of consternation on the part of the folks," said Enid Glenn, president of Dane Dances. "'Why don't you plan for the rain dates,' they asked. We've learned our lesson and we're moving forward." Glenn and Jeff "J.R." Sims, a Dane Dance volunteer sat down with |