July 21, 2010
Regarding: TC Swing Departure
Dear Members of the Tapestry Folkdance Community,
There has been a great deal of discussion within the Tapestry community and online social media about the recent decision by TC Swing to relocate to another nearby dance venue. We Members of the Board are collectively and individually very unhappy that things turned out the way they have. We wanted TC Swing to stay in partnership with Tapestry. The Members of the Board did not force TC Swing to leave Tapestry. We did not change their schedule, compensation, or how they teach.
Copies of these documents will be on file for your review in the Tapestry office as of Tuesday, July 27, 2010. Please call ahead to schedule a review time.
How did this issue begin?
In July 2006, our Tapestry Programming Committee was formed to help give the
various dance programs at Tapestry and dance community members a voice in the
decision making of our non-profit community. So programming changes were
submitted to the committee for review to see how they would affect other
programs. All programs at Tapestry have been expected to participate in this
process since 2006.
In October of 2009, TC Swing submitted an informal request to change the format of the Third Friday dance to include live music where a DJ had previously been used. When our staff and the Programming committee requested that TC Swing submit a formal proposal to the committee, this became an issue for TC Swing. We believe that this is the beginning of the misunderstanding that led over time to TC Swing's decision to leave Tapestry.
About our obligation to Tapestry
We, as a non-profit entity, have obligations to all of our programs — Contra,
English Country, Scandinavian, International, as well as Swing. We also have
legal obligations that drive how we conduct activities at Tapestry. That non-profit
status and the diversity of our programs help us get grant money from funders
such as the McKnight Foundation and the MN State Arts Board. We cannot exist
without this support. Because of our non-profit status, we have to do business in a
certain way, or risk losing that non-profit status and lose grant funding. We must
follow rules that govern our Board of Directors, our committees, and what we are
allowed to do to make enough money to remain viable. These rules are part of
federal and MN State law. TC Swing is a completely separate entity which is for-profit
and has different obligations.
What happened after October 2009?
Our staff and the Program Committee requested that TC Swing submit a formal
proposal to the committee for review at the next meeting. For reasons that we
don't entirely know or understand, TC Swing did not want to follow our Program
Committee review process. It was important that the Third Friday Swing live
music proposal be discussed because that change was going to impact the Friday
night International Dance program and the finances of Tapestry. TC Swing
withdrew their informal request by January, but questions on their part persisted
as to why review by the Program Committee was necessary and what its goals of
determining equity between programs are. TC Swing also desired an apology
from the members of the Tapestry Board for how they felt they had been treated
in this process.
By March, the issue had moved into the greater Swing community. Also, by March/April, the members of the Board had begun to take a broader look at the relationship between TC Swing and Tapestry. It was realized that there was no formal written agreement between TC Swing and Tapestry, and that TC Swing wanted privileges such as exclusivity to book swing related events at Tapestry that were unusual compared to other programs. TC Swing brought in approximately 40% of program admissions and sales and the lack of a formal written agreement in place was recognized as a risk to Tapestry. Compensation rates for the services provided by TC Swing were also found to be higher than market rates — which also presents a risk to Tapestry's non-profit status. Without our non-profit status, Tapestry would likely not exist at all.
What did the Program Committee and Tapestry Board members try to do?
What we did do was ask them to meet with us. First, we wanted to discuss their
request for a program change, and the bad feelings that had developed over the
situation in an effort to repair our relationship. Second, we wanted talk about TC
Swing's relationship with Tapestry with an eye toward negotiating an appropriate
agreement that would protect both TC Swing's and Tapestry's interests and
obligations.
We asked TC Swing to meet with us no less than 15 times over the past 8 months. Unfortunately, the first meeting to try repairing our relationship never took place. We approached TC Swing as the partner they have been for the past 16 years and attempted to find common ground. Offers of professional mediation help were made and not accepted by TC Swing.
In early July, TC Swing made the choice to move to the Social Dance Studio.
What could the Board have done differently?
The Board could have done the following actions differently:
- Exchange better communication early in the process.
- Educate the community about the requirements under which Tapestry operates.
- Involve others from the dance community in shuttle diplomacy.
- Provide more communication to the dance community.
- Ensure that written documentation of agreements with our partners are produced at the beginning of those relationships.
Where do we go from here?
Tapestry is financially healthy and we have the resources to continue long enough
to develop new programming.
This is a new chapter for Tapestry — an opportunity to return to our roots. Our goal has always been to provide diverse dance experiences for our community. We realize that, just like many investors in this current economy, we did not diversify our portfolio enough and we need to do a better job in managing risk. It will take us some time to develop the right programming mix. We are starting that process now.
Tapestry is unique in the arts community of the Twin Cities. We focus on several participatory dance forms. We don't train dancers for performance. We just want everyone to come and dance, regardless of age or ability. That's our mission. As part of our mission, Tapestry will continue to have a Swing program. Swing is an important American dance form. We want to have the kind of Swing program that reflects the many types of swing dance that exist. We will find instructors and shape events around Swing dances.
We know that, with your help, we can reinvent our swing program. Most importantly, we hope that you will continue to dance at Tapestry.
Sincerely yours,
The Members of the Tapestry Board of Directors,
Fer Horn, Theresa Mish, Barbara Olson, Eileen Johnson, Barbara Beltrand,
Gwyn Leder, Steve Johnson, Linda Ellinger, Judy Kjenstad, Toni Jelinek