The roof of our primary dance venue for the Summer Soirée,  Bryson Gym, partially collapsed about 5:30 p.m. Thursday 5/22.   

With Soirée kicking off this Friday, everything is coming into place. Warren Wilson College is installing clear roll down tent sides for the pavilion and has contracted a builder to construct a covered stage that will join to the pavilion.

Registration Status:

To attend the Summer Soirée you need to pre-register for the entire weekend - No walk-ins, No single dances or day passes.

Single Women - CLOSED
Single Men - OPEN (we room for a few good men)
Couples - OPEN (we have room for one or two couples)

Soirée Dancers:

It’s time to get packed up and head to the 2008 Ashville Summer Soirée.  We are excited and honored to be hosting this fantastic dance party again this year.  Most everyone has pulled together so well to make this year happen.  The bands and callers are pumped.  Our staff volunteers are pumped. And best of all, the dancers are pumped.  Let’s all make this the best Soirée ever! 

It looks like the weather will be wonderful this weekend. The forecasted temperature is for the highs to be in the low to mid 80°s and the lows to be around 60°, with scattered thunderstorms possible.   Dance Forecast:  Huge fun at the Year of the Pavilion!

Our budget is extremely tight this year because we had to cut registration numbers to fit on the pavilion.  Please consider bringing a snack to share for Friday or Saturday evenings.  (cookies, finger food....nothing that needs refrigeration)

Other things you may want to bring, since we'll be spending most of our time at the Pavilion:  lawn chair or picnic blanket; screen house or tall tent for friends to hang out in on the lawn; sunscreen and/or mosquito spray.

We will start checking in dancers at 5:15pm on Friday at the Pavilion.  When you get on campus, find a designated parking space and walk to pavilion. Unless you would like to lend a hand in setting up, there is no need to show up before then.  Many of the dancers bring snacks such as cookies and brownies to share on Saturday night.   Our goal is to help you have a wonderful weekend.

Here is some information that should help us get off to a great start:

• We have a list of safety reminders.

• We have a checklist of some things to bring and not to bring.
• At the bottom of the page we have directions to Warren Wilson College.

Reminders –

We want everyone to have a SAFE and enjoyable weekend.

• Warren Wilson College strictly enforces their parking regulations and will not hesitate to tow cars that might get in the way of emergency vehicles or that are not in designated parking spaces.  Please do not park on the grass. We will direct you to the appropriate parking lot. 
• Please dance safely.  The dance floor will be snug at peak times such as Saturday night.  There will be less crowded times when your dancing could be more expressive, yet still safe.
• Please be sensitive to dancers with fragrance allergies and refrain from wearing scented products such as perfume and cologne.
• If you bring children, you are responsible to make sure they have adult supervision at all times.
• NO DOGS, CATS, OR OTHER PETS.  We love them, but we have agreed with WWC that none of our dancers will have pets on campus and we will strictly enforce the college’s rule.  
• Please do not leave valuables in the dance hall or in the dorm rooms – lock them in your car.

Asheville Summer Soirée Checklist

Things to bring:  (remember we have an open air venue this year and will be outside)

• Screen house or tall tent for friends to hang out in on the lawn, if you can.
• Sun screen – we will be outside more this year.
• Lawn chair or picnic blanket.
• Insect repellent - we will be outside more this year.
• Towels & Bedding (sheets, pillow, light blanket)
• Umbrella or rain jacket
• Sweater or light jacket
• Small Fan
• Water Bottle
• Dance Clothes
• Dance Shoes
• Instrument for jams

Things to leave home:

• Perfume, cologne, and any scented products
• DOGS, CATS, and other PETS
• Worries

 

 

We had a handful of dancers drop out because of the venue change, but the vast majority of the community has rallied and committed to make this year's dance the best ever. I was so touched by the supportive comments and kind words, I took the liberty to compile excerpts.
<click here to read how dancers feel about this year's Soirée>.

 

Again, I'll keep stats changes updated on a daily basis, but feel free to email me with
questions. avlcontra@bellsouth.net 

Hope to see you at the Soirée,
John

 

We have been working with Warren Wilson College and coordinating with the Old Farmer's Ball organization and Swannanoa Gathering to adapt Morris Pavilion for this summer's contra dancing. The pavilion has an excellent, suspended wood floor. Here are some photos from tonight's OFB dance.








We talked to dancers tonight to get some feedback about the facility. Here's what we heard:
"Dancing in the fresh open air is one of the most magical dance experiences ever!"

"The space is smaller and somewhat disorienting because of the shape."
We are addressing the size by limiting registration more than in past years and relocating the band to gain more floor space. We are also scheduling more contra dancing on Saturday to give you more quality dance time. We are working on the orientation issue. The college is making arrangements to fit the building with roll down sides in case of rain.

We will try to answer any questions and make information regarding further developments available. We believe this will be remembered as one of the most
wonderful and magical Soirées ever. It's overwhelming to see how our dance community has come together to keep on dancing in spite of all obstacles. If you are not registered, we sincerely invite you to be a part of this soon-to-be-legendary dance.

Like most dances, we have a NO REFUND policy three weeks before the dance. This year, because of the venue change, we gave everyone the opportunity to drop out before before June 7th and get a full refund. It's even more critical this year that we have accurate counts. We've reduced the number of dancers we can take this year, yet
many of our costs have increased. We must stay solvent so the Summer Soirée can happen next year and hopefully many more. We will allow dancers to transfer their
registrations, but no refunds will be given from this point forward.



STAY TUNED FOR MORE UPDATES.

                    
Hope to see you at Soiree!
John and Barbara