Puttin' On the Dance

POTD 3: Dancing Forward Together

POTD3 is happening… with organizers from across the region!

If you registered for the conference, read on… these are the important details (which we also sent via email).   

We’ve balanced a full program with down time for informal connections, whether in shared rooms, in the sauna or spa, on the shore, on the lawn. Let’s settle in and let the outside world fall away, focusing on learning from each other, rejuvenating, and getting inspired!

POTD Sponsors:

These dance and music nonprofits offered generous sponsorship support to the conference, offsetting costs which reduced the fees for all conferees, and funding partial scholarships for conferees who needed extra financial support. Please give them your appreciation (and consider supporting them by becoming a member or contributor.)

• Belfast Flying Shoes (BFS)
• Country Dance & Song Society (CDSS)
• DanceFlurry Organization (DFO)
• DownEast Friends of the Folk Arts (DEFFA)
• Monadnock Folklore Society (MFS)
• Montpelier Contra Dance
• New England Folk Festival Association (NEFFA)

Program:

We’re planning the conference sessions based on what’s top of mind for dance organizers in the region and beyond, especially folks who registered for POTD3. We emailed a descriptive schedule to all organizers who registered.

Conference Photographs and Audio Recordings:

• Photographs:  Volunteers will take photos throughout the conference. The images will be shared through the POTD archive (see POTD2 photos here) and may also be used by POTD or POTD sponsors for future communications and publicity.  If you do NOT want your face shown in any photos, please notify Emily before the start of the conference. (Email us at .)

• Audio Recordings: To help create accurate notes for the POTD archive, volunteers will make audio recordings of all sessions. We wanted to let everyone know in advance, even though these recordings will NOT be made public, and will be deleted by July 1st 2025.

Conference Meals & Snacks:

• We will provide 4 meals: Saturday breakfast, lunch & supper; and Sunday breakfast, plus snacks and beverages.
• We will provide hot & cold beverages, fruit, and other snacks throughout the conference.
• Optionally bring a contribution for the snack table.
• Optionally bring supplementary food for yourself, especially to ensure you have what you want/need. (All hotel rooms have mini fridge and microwave.)

Other meals:

• Other meals are not included in the conference fees.
  
• For your Friday supper, you can:
  
  • BYO meal to the local dance, and eat in the “POTD parlor” while chatting and connecting with other conferees
  • Eat in a local restaurant before the dance.
  • Food options, here.
• For your Sunday lunch/supper
  • Consider getting a meal with other conferees… or get takeout if you need to hit the road.  (Eatery options, here.)

Sat. & Sun. Mealtime Sustainability:

The conference venue doesn’t have dishes and utensils. We weighed various options for the catered meals, considering cost, effort for volunteer organizers, and environmental impacts, and here’s our plan for Saturday & Sunday:

• If you want to BYO dishes, utensils, and cloth napkin for Sat & Sun, please do! We’ll set up a dishwashing station for you to clean them between meals.
• We’ll provide paper plates, plastic utensils, and paper napkins.
• We’ll also offer metal cutlery and plastic plates for you to label and borrow (with the same dishwashing station available.)
• For hot and cold beverages:
  • Please BYO mug and water bottle
  • We’ll also offer mugs and canning jars for you to label and borrow for the duration of the conference.
• Compostable food/paper waste will be collected in buckets.

What to bring:

• Materials you want to share with others (physical copies of promo flyers, things you post at the dances, policies, documents you use for admission & accounting, etc)
• Swag from your dance (stickers, promo material, etc.)
• Dance shoes & clothes for Fri & Sat night
• Water bottle & mug
• Notebook, pens, or electronic device (to collect ideas)
• Camera (to document resources and good times)
• If you’re Canadian – your passport!
• A positive outlook, ready to learn and share with other dance organizers

Optional things to bring:

• Dishes, utensils and cloth napkin (see “Mealtime Sustainability”, optional)
• A contribution for the conference snack table (optional)
• Instruments for Fri & Sat dances (optional) 
• Dance repertoire/cards for Sat dance (optional)
• Bathing suit for pool/sauna/hot tub (optional)
• Games or other amusements (optional)

Schedule:

Friday 5/2

• Anytime on Friday – Enjoy greater Belfast, including these options for fun and food.
• Starting at 3:00 pm – Hotel room check in at Fireside Inn & Suites. Enjoy the oceanfront hotel amenities (pool, hot tub, sauna, ocean shoreline.) Pool and spa area closes at 10 pm.  [Note: Early hotel check-in after 12 noon might be an option. To inquire, call the hotel directly, at 207-338-2090, on the morning of 5/2.]
• 4:00 – 11:00 pm – Conference check in at the Belfast Flying Shoes 1st Fri dance venue, First Church in Belfast UCC, 8 Court St, Belfast ME 04915. Meet conference organizers, sign in, and get your name badge, dance pass & other conference materials. The “POTD parlor” will available for BYO supper and for connecting with other conferees outside the hubbub of the dance.
  
• 6:00 – 7:30 pm – Join the All Comers Band.
• 6:30 – 7:30 pm – Participate in the Community Dance, featuring the All Comers Band with callers Lisa Newcomb & Chrissy Fowler.
• 8:00 – 11:00 pm – Participate in the Contra Dance, featuring Thunderwing (Cedar Stanistreet, Benjamin Foss & Amy Englesberg) with caller Rick Mohr.

Saturday 5/3

• 7:30 – 8:45 am – Breakfast
• 9:00 am – 12:00 pm – Conference opening and sessions, with short breaks
• 12:00 – 1:15 pm – Lunch
• 1:15 – 5:30 pm – Conference sessions, with short breaks
• 5:30 – 6:45 – Supper
• 6:45 – 7:20 – Down time before the dance (5 min drive)
• 7:30 – 9:30 – Evening dance, featuring all of the traditions represented by conferees, called and played by POTD conferees with Cedar Stanistreet & Amy Englesberg. First Baptist Church in Belfast, 95 High St, Belfast ME 04915, parking lot in the back near our entrance.

Sunday 5/4

• 7:30 – 8:30 am – Breakfast
• 8:15 – 11:30 am – Conference sessions and closing
• 11:30 am – Conference ends with farewells.
• before 12:00 noon – Return your room keys to the front desk, checking out of the hotel.
  
• (optionally) – Cultivate more connections with fellow conferees, by sharing lunch, outdoor time, or supper in Belfast (such as these options.)

Getting to POTD3:

Belfast is a coastal town in rural, Midcoast Maine. Contrary to what Maine humorists claim, you can get there from here! Driving is the least complicated option.

• Carpooling: We have sent you the POTD3 registrant list so that you can directly arrange ride shares. (The registrant list is private for conferees only.)
  
• Flights: The closest airport is Bangor International Airport – BGR – where they have car rentals and limited bus service.
• Buses: There is limited bus service to Belfast via Concord Coach Lines.

Please DON’T come if you are sick:

If you don’t feel well or might be contagious, please stay home and text or call 207-323-5665 asap. If someone else from your dance organizing team can participate in your place, that’s terrific!  If you can’t find a sub, we will do our best to reimburse your paid costs, but cannot guarantee a full refund.  

Other questions?

Email .

See you in Maine in May, when the serviceberry is in bloom!