We hope everyone is well and safe. We miss seeing you all on the dance floor but also recognize the importance of a safe return to dancing when it is possible. Some good news related to Covid-19, the vaccine testing is progressing well and looks promising for being available sooner rather than later. We are thankful to live in an area where most people are very considerate and follow the CDC guidelines.

Following the club presidents, callers & RAF meeting in August, a Return to Dance (RTD) Task Force was created. The task force is made up of a very dedicated team including callers, club presidents and RAF leadership. The RTD task force has been diligently working on establishing Virtual Square Dancing in the Rochester Area with our own local callers. We are happy to have our first RAF sponsored Virtual Square Dance scheduled for Friday 12/4 at 7pm. Five of our local callers will be calling: Ron Brown, Mike Callahan, Dave Eno, Jim Gotta and Gil Porter. The dance is a Zoom session so you can dance in the safety of your home. RAF will be sending the dance flyer and Zoom link to your club president and or RAF representative. We hope you can join the fun either dancing or watching. We consider the best part of a Zoom session is seeing everyone. Now this is becoming more important since we can’t gather with each other in person. We already have scheduled two more virtual Friday night dances for 12/11 and 12/18 at 7pm. The 12/18 Dance will have a holiday theme. Also, we are currently working on testing Virtual Round Dance sessions too.

Another task of the RTD Task Force has been to provide recommended safety measures to our RAF clubs when in-person dancing can safely return. The safety recommendations are being included in the December 2020 Promenader.

We realize this is an uncertain time for all our clubs and dancers. We all are missing the social aspects of dancing and being with our friends. RAF’s current priorities are to protect everyone’s safety.

As the holidays approach it is uncertain if or when we will see family & friends.

The callers, club presidents & RAF have been working hard to provide this opportunity for fun safe dancing in your homes, appropriate for all RAF club members and recent graduates. We definitely are ready for Fun Square Dancing and anticipate Virtual Round Dancing will be available shortly. Your club presidents and RAF representatives will be given the Zoom link for you to access the dances.

We hope you take advantage of our virtual dances. Please join us to dance or watch on Friday nights at 7pm.

As always, you can reach out to us if you have any questions.

Hope you all enjoy the holidays!

Take Care & Stay Safe,

Debbie & Jeff Blood

Email: dfbjvbhome@aol.com

Cell: 585-880-9161