Minutes 2024 – Seattle Dances of Universal Peace

1/11/2024

Seattle Dances of Universal Peace Planning Meeting 1/11/24

Present: Martha (convener), Hassan, Phil, Helen (scribe), Jennifer, Ka, John (vfP), Joe

Opening Dance/Song: Montreal Peace Dance and Check-ins

Announcements: Whidbey zikr is on pause for Jan and Feb. Martha is celebrating 30 years with the international dance network this month.

Interim Committee report: Security around GPD was arranged.

Treasurer’s report: Cash plus checking account= $4752. Approx $400 from fall retreat is still not deposited. A member would like to donate via Benevity so matching would be possible, but we are not a 501 c 3, so are not eligible. $190 was collected at Global Peace Dance; see below for decision about these funds.

Fall Retreat report: Finances: Our profit is still about $400, but a few minor details are still not resolved. Evaluations: 19 were submitted. Main categories were mostly “excellent” or “very good”. Liked: variety of leaders, reunion aspect, dances, zikr, inclusion of local leaders, goodwill, young leaders, remembrances, nature, saw whales, kirtan. Wanted more: time for walks, special workshops, meditations, ancestors, zikr. Wanted less: zikr, dramas behind the scenes with leaders. Zoom experiment had glitches; complex new dances, especially on zoom, were difficult to follow. Would you come for an extra day: 11 yes, 7 maybe, 1 no. Nominations for next year’s leaders: a number of known national leaders, Mariko and Christo, preference to stay in NW region, inclusivity important, relaxed loving atmosphere more important than special leaders. Musicians: went well, Nuria’s leadership especially appreciated. Mix of leaders: loved lots of leaders. Could have mix of main leaders and many regional leaders. Suggestions: Begin meals on time. More spaciousness. Sesshin format. Better mics (too loud and inconsistent). Better signage on foods.

Aramaic Lord’s Prayer:This was a meaningful prayer, with good responses from attendees. We had more than adequate attendance (approx. 30). One person was very generous in donations. Good start to our new space. Might have been hard for a newcomer to learn, but flow was strong. We were blessed with a mature circle, and a mature presentation. Would have been better with a mic, especially for low voices.Joe did a good job taking people through Covid testing, which raises question about requiring testing in the future. Several local Sufi groups are doing some kind of test request, especially in the winter. We are older and do high-risk behaviors like hugging, singing, hand- holding. Ka has leftover Covid tests for future meetings.

Global Peace Dance:Finances: Ka rented the room for 7.5 hours, and paid for door attendant, not expecting any reimbursement, which cost $397.50 total. $190 was donated in cash at the door. Security subcommittee had been willing to authorize $200 and rent had also been pre-approved for 6.5 hours. Joe also intends to donate the cash he had planned to leave. Group agrees to make sure Ka is fully compensated, ie $207.50 from the treasury, and Joe’s donation will go to the general basket. Attendance: lower than in the past, fluctuated throughout the evening. A night-time event may have discouraged some, although our daytime event attendance has been improving. Some new people came to GPD. Experiences: Meaningful event! Appreciation for Ka and Munajat for taking on such a large event. Beautiful dances. Food was delicious. We appreciate being able to sanctify the turn of the year.

Updating the North American DUP website:
A leader needs to update the NA site, link has been sent by Martha. Ka will follow through.

Scheduling for winter dances: Leadership: Hassan asked for availability and paired folks as follows: Farishta and Jennifer—Feb, Hassan and Jennifer–March, Zarifah and Elizabeth—April, if we choose to go through the summer with 7400 Woodlawn, Hassan and Elizabeth may also want to have some pop-up dances in the park. Signage: Do we need signs to get people to the right door? Maps in email announcements? Instructions explicitly mention back ramp? Wouldn’t hurt to put signs on the main doors.

Future Dances at 7400 Woodlawn: We haven’t decided about dances past April at 7400 Woodlawn. Should we reserve the second Saturday in May now? Eliz and Hassan want to do some outdoor dances May-Sept. What about dropping the indoor venue over the summer, but how do we guarantee a spot in the fall? How about reserving Oct-Dec now, but wait to see about attendance before committing to year-round? Ka will contact church about scheduling options and when/if to pay for May and for Oct-Dec. We need to clarify what flexibility the church may have. We would like to have at least one Sat dance to check attendance before reserving all year. Outdoor dances attendance varied from 15-20. Attendance under 10 might not be sustainable, both energetically and financially.

Year-end donations: Hope Project $100. No objections. NW Harvest $100. No objections.

Next meeting:Feb 2/21, 4:00 by zoom Convener: Jennifer, Scribe: Helen, IC: Martha, John, Jennifer