The membership dues are split in three ways. A portion is retained by Eastern Ontario Square & Round Dance Association (EOSARDA). The balance is forwarded to the Ontario Square and Round Dance Federation (OSRDF). A small amount is retained by the OSRDF, and the remainder is sent onward to the Canadian Square and Round Dance Society (CSRDS).
The Canadian Square and Round Dance Society (CSRDS)
Your Society is our national body which coordinates the activities of each provincial federation/association. Every two years, the Society puts on the national convention to which thousands of dancers from around the world are attracted. Conventions have been held in Edmonton AB 1978, Ottawa ON 1980, Halifax NS 1982, Winnipeg MB 1984, Calgary AB 1986, Hamilton ON 1988, Vancouver BC 1990, Winnipeg MB 1992, Halifax NS 1994, Edmonton AB 1996, Ottawa 1998, Vancouver BC 2000, Saint John, NB in 2002, Calgary AB in 2004 and Montreal QC 2006. Future Conventions will be held in London, ON in 2008 and in Halifax NS in 2010. The Society provides funds for training new Callers and Round Dance Leaders, developing training tapes to teach square dancing in schools and communities without Callers. Some of the funds provide third-party liability insurance for members dancing in Canada. The cost for this insurance is a fraction of what other organizations have to pay for protection. Video tapes are being developed to recruit new dancers.
The Ontario Square and Round Dance Federation (OSRDF)
Your Federation coordinates activities within the province. All Clubs and dancers are members of the Federation. Some of the membership fee goes toward the on-going administrative costs. Other funds are allocated to bursaries for training new Callers and Leaders, similar to the Society. A small part of the dues goes toward liability insurance coverage for all Club executives, Callers and Leaders. Again, this is at a fraction of the cost of what is available elsewhere. Publicity is directed at recruiting new dancers, and promoting square and round dancing. The Federation grants annual Trillium Awards for outstanding service and long service to the dancing community. Both the Federation and Society maintain web sites to provide information on dancing activities in Canada. These web sites are linked to EOSARDA's web site.
The Eastern Ontario Square & Round Dance Association (EOSARDA)
Locally, your Association uses your membership fees for a variety of activities. Four open dances: Fall Fest, Frosty Fling, Jamboree and a Special Summer dance are sponsored each year. Additional dances may be encouraged to support other organizations such as Heart and Stroke, Alzheimer, etc. . Some of your membership dues may be used to underwrite these dances should there not be sufficient dancer attendance to generate a profit. Fortunately most of our dances have been profitable for the past five years. Administrative expenses are on-going to replace worn out equipment to produce Square Time, to pay reasonable out-of-pocket expenses for representatives to attend quarterly Federation meetings which are held across the Province, rental of halls for training new Callers and Leaders. There are publicity expenses to recruit new dancers and keep a positive public image of the square dance activity. A directory of the Clubs, dance locations, Callers/Cuers, dance levels, etc. is published on the web site for both the Federation and EOSARDA.
No one on the EOSARDA Board of Directors is paid for any of their time, only for reasonable out-of-pocket expenses to attend Federation meetings and conducting EOSARDA business. Most of the Directors voluntarily spend several hours per week on various square and round activities, in addition to dancing. In fact, most Callers and Leaders spend at least ten hours per week practicing and rehearsing for each night of dancing?
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