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WSDC Hotline
301-340-9732
Volunteer Email
Mailing Address
WSDC
c/o Janice Saylor
43989 Falmouth Court
Ashburn, VA 20147 |
WSDC-celebrating 20 years of swing!
Who are we?
WSDC is a not-for-profit, volunteer organization. We represent approximately 2500 dancers in the Washington Metropolitan Area. The WSDC Board of Directors is composed of five enthusiastic dancers. Our dances attract a wide segment of the local population and large numbers of out-of-town guests. On any given night, you can find people ranging in age from 12 to 75, both dancers and non-dancers who come to Glen Echo Park to simply enjoy the music and the festive atmosphere in the Spanish Ballroom.
WSDC places a special emphasis on introducing new dancers to the joy of swing dancing by offering a basic workshop at each dance (included in the price of admission). Our pre-dance workshops are designed to welcome newcomers to Glen Echo Park and to teach them some basic dance moves so they can enjoy a social evening in the Ballroom. We showcase a wide variety of local dance instructors to give participants an opportunity to see the unique styles and talents of numerous dance teachers. The Spanish Ballroom has provided us with a smoke-free, alcohol-free environment in which to carry on this tradition.
WSDC Members
Sue Ann Barbera Gleason (email) flyer production, accounting, instructors
Janice Saylor (email) bands, email alerts, special events
Derek Chan (email) volunteer coordinator
Eliza Hill (email)
WSDC hotline, secretary, volunteer support
Stacey Spaulding (email) press releases, special events
Contributions
WSDC's "Saturday Night Swing Dance Series" in the Spanish Ballroom has fostered a living history of social dance and contributed to Glen Echo Park's reputation as a national, regional, and local treasure. Because we are an all-volunteer, not-for-profit organization, WSDC members derive no financial incentive or benefit from these or other dance events. All receipts are channeled back into the community through special events, educational programs, and volunteer recognition banquets.
Our not-for-profit status gives WSDC the unique opportunity to contribute discretionary funds to Park projects. In addition to the $45,000 generated from annual benefit dances and donated to the Glen Echo Park Foundation Ballroom Restoration Fund, WSDC has donated over $80,000 to Glen Echo Park for rehabilitation projects and historic preservation from 1989 through 2005. We plan to continue our fund raising efforts to keep social dance a major program element at the Park.
History
For the past 20 years, The Washington Swing Dance Committee, Inc. (WSDC) has been a principal player in a nationwide revival of the "one true American Folk Dance." Our dances originated in 1985 when dancers couldn't find a decent place to swing dance in the DC area. Bars and nightclubs were smoky and crowded with small or nonexistent dance floors. Live music was often too loud and too fast. Or, DJ's played oldies, from the 60's, 70's and 80's, rather than the 30's, 40's and 50's. Private parties provided dancers with a space to swing dance but the number of dance enthusiasts quickly outgrew the dance space.
Anne Townsend, the founder of WSDC, sponsored the first "official" swing dance on March 2, 1985 at the Thornton Friends School in Olney, Maryland. The evening consisted of a potluck dinner, a workshop by Donna Barker and Ken Haltenhoff, and music by the New Jive Bombers. Anne's idea at that time was to find a hall, hire a band, and get her friends together to dance the night away-the way folks did just a few decades ago. The dances moved to the Church of the Ascension in Takoma Park. Attendance soared and a committee was formed. The first WSDC dance was a sell-out and people were turned away.
In 1986, the Committee produced its first special event, the Ragtime Revival at Forest Glen Ballroom. Based on the success of the regular dances and the Ragtime event, the Committee decided to put together a whole weekend of swing dancing. The first Savoy Swings Again dance weekend sold out rapidly. We are proud to see that many dance groups around the country took our lead and started producing similar events.
WSDC serves a much larger audience today. Our swing dances now draw 400-700 participants-committed dancers from near and far and members of the local community who just want to enjoy Glen Echo Park and its famous Spanish Ballroom. |
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