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To see MIT Lindy Hop Society announcements, please visit the mailing list archives or join our mailing list.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at the email address listed on our home page.

Sincerely,
MIT Lindy Hop Society officers

Learning social this Thursday 6-8pm, 36-156, waltz lesson

Hi all,

We will be hosting another learning social this week Thursday 6-8PM in 36-156!

I will teach an intro-to-social-waltz lesson in the first 40min or so, and will play swing music for the social with some waltzes thrown in. Dancers who would like to skip the lesson are very welcome to social dance/practice in the same space at the same time.

Due to MIT Covid protocols and current MIT ASA requirements, this learning social will only be open to MIT undergraduate and graduate students.

Best,

Sara

No Learning Social This Week

Hi all,

We're going to be taking a short break this week from hosting our learning socials, but will be planning to resume next week (stay tuned to your email). Looking forward to dancing again soon!

Kindly,

Sara and Victoria

Re: Learning Social this Thursday 6-8pm, 36-112 (MIT students only)

Hi all!

Just a reminder that we'll be having our student learning social today from 6-8PM in 36-112! The lesson will start at 6:15, and open practice will begin at 7:00.

Looking forward to seeing you!

Kindly,

Victoria

On Wed, Oct 27, 2021 at 1:28 AM Sara Sheffels <ssheff@mit.edu> wrote:

Hi all,

We will be hosting another learning social this week Thursday 6-8PM in 36-112!

The idea behind a learning social is to create a casual opportunity to social dance, practice moves, or try swing dancing for the first time! We will again teach an intro-to-swing lesson (review from last week and some new moves) in the first half and will be available afterwards to practice or teach one-on-one for folks who can't come at 6! Dancers who would like to skip the lesson are very welcome to assist in instruction or to just social dance/practice in the same space at the same time.

Due to MIT Covid protocols and current MIT ASA requirements, this learning social will only be open to MIT undergraduate and graduate students.

Best,

Sara and Victoria

Learning Social this Thursday 6-8pm, 36-112 (MIT students only)

Hi all,

We will be hosting another learning social this week Thursday 6-8PM in 36-112!

The idea behind a learning social is to create a casual opportunity to social dance, practice moves, or try swing dancing for the first time! We will again teach an intro-to-swing lesson (review from last week and some new moves) in the first half and will be available afterwards to practice or teach one-on-one for folks who can't come at 6! Dancers who would like to skip the lesson are very welcome to assist in instruction or to just social dance/practice in the same space at the same time.

Due to MIT Covid protocols and current MIT ASA requirements, this learning social will only be open to MIT undergraduate and graduate students.

Best,

Sara and Victoria

Learning Social Thurs 6-8PM 36-112 (MIT Students)

Hello!

We will be hosting a learning social this week Thursday 6-8PM in 36-112!

The idea behind a learning social is to create a casual opportunity to social dance, practice moves, or try swing dancing for the first time! This week, Sara and I will teach an intro-to-swing lesson (for example: the "basic" step, inside turn, outside turn, and charleston) in the first half (dancers who would like to skip the lesson are very welcome to assist in instruction or to just social dance/practice in the same space and the same time) and will be available afterwards to review, practice, or teach one-on-one for folks who can't come at 6!

Due to MIT Covid protocols and current MIT ASA requirements, this learning social will only be open to MIT undergraduate and graduate students. As the situation unfolds, we will keep you posted!

Kindly,

Victoria

Re: Learning Social 10/14 (for MIT students only)

Hi all!

Just a friendly reminder that our student Learning Social is tonight 6-8PM in 36-112! We're looking forward to seeing you there! Please come in comfortable clothing and shoes for moving around, and a mask (or masks) that you will be able to wear while doing light exercise. We will have hand sanitizer available. Feel free to come and go on your own schedule, but do make sure you check-in with one of the officers when you arrive so we can sign you in (as per MIT policy, and so we can meet you!).

Kindly,

The LHS officers

On Wed, Oct 6, 2021 at 10:56 AM Sara Sheffels <ssheff@mit.edu> wrote:

Hi all,

We are excited to announce our first Lindy Hop Society event since Covid began! MIT Covid policy currently allows MIT students to gather for indoor dance events, so we will host a "Learning Social" for MIT students only on October 14, 6-8pm in 36-112. We are not teaching a formal lesson, but the event is intended to be an informal space where folks new to the dance and those who've been dancing for years can dance together, learn from each other, and start to build up a community of student swing dancers again!

For community members, we are sorry that we cannot hold events that are open to the public at the moment, but we look forward to dancing with you again when that becomes possible.

Best,

The Lindy Society officers

_______________________________________________
MIT Lindy Hop Society http://mit.edu/swing
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Learning Social 10/14 (for MIT students only)

Hi all,

We are excited to announce our first Lindy Hop Society event since Covid began! MIT Covid policy currently allows MIT students to gather for indoor dance events, so we will host a "Learning Social" for MIT students only on October 14, 6-8pm in 36-112. We are not teaching a formal lesson, but the event is intended to be an informal space where folks new to the dance and those who've been dancing for years can dance together, learn from each other, and start to build up a community of student swing dancers again!

For community members, we are sorry that we cannot hold events that are open to the public at the moment, but we look forward to dancing with you again when that becomes possible.

Best,

The Lindy Society officers

Projected Breath & Dance Activities

From: Student Organizations Leadership & Engagement <mailer@campusgroups.com>
Date: Thu, Sep 9, 2021 at 10:19 AM
Subject: Projected Breath & Dance Activities

Projected Breath & Dance Activities   Q: Will “projected breath” activities and events (such as a capella or wind instrument performances, theater rehearsals, and debate practices) be permitted?  A: “Projected breath” activities are a subset of music, theater, and arts activities-- including singing, woodwind/brass instruments, speech/debate, and theatrical acts-- that include projecting one’s breath and thus respirating more than normal.   Indoor activities: “Projected breath” activity rehearsals and performances are allowed indoors at unrestricted capacity when: All performers are on Covid Pass; All performers are masked and/or using appropriate instrument PPE; and All audience members are also on Covid Pass and masked; no visitors will be permitted. Event organizers are responsible for limiting the audience to COVID Pass holders only.    A 3-6 foot spacing among indoor performers using projected breath is recommended. Similarly, 3-6 foot distance from performance attendees is recommended.   For indoor performances that are a “special program element” (e.g., not the main reason for the event but a secondary element), event organizers should seek alternatives and opt for a genre that does not include projected breath.    Indoor projected breath performances by non-MIT entities (e.g., outside groups seeking to “rent” indoor performance space on campus) are paused until further notice.   Outdoor activities: The use of outdoor spaces for rehearsals and performances/events is strongly encouraged. Face coverings and physical distancing are not required outdoors for vaccinated individuals at this time, but a 3-6 foot spacing among performers using projected breath is recommended. Similarly, 3-6 foot distance from performance attendees is recommended.   Student organizations: Until further notice, participation in all MIT student organization-sponsored “projected breath” activities is limited to MIT COVID Pass holders only. Affected student organizations are encouraged to contact the SOLE office (sole@mit.edu) to discuss adjustments to scheduled activities, alternative arrangements for groups that rely on non-COVID Pass holders as coaches or trainers, and assistance with planning future events.    DANCING Q: Some student groups host events/rehearsals with visitors (not in Covid Pass) who may or may not be vaccinated. Is dancing in close proximity (“cheek to cheek”) allowed? Should we limit dances to the MIT community only? A: Participation in all indoor MIT dancing groups, clubs, and activities, including those sponsored by MIT student organizations, is restricted to Covid Pass holders only.    Use of outdoor spaces for rehearsals and performances/events is strongly encouraged.    Face coverings and physical distancing: Participants must remain masked at all times while dancing indoors. When dancing outdoors and the technique does not permit physical distancing between dancers, masks should be worn. Instructors should focus on unpaired techniques whenever possible to allow for greater distance between dancers.    Student organizations: Until further notice, participation in all MIT student organization-sponsored dancing activities is limited to MIT COVID Pass holders only. Affected student organizations are encouraged to contact the SOLE office (sole@mit.edu) to discuss adjustments to scheduled activities, alternative arrangements for groups that rely on non-COVID Pass holders as coaches or trainers, and assistance with planning future events.

Student Organizations, Leadership & Engagement

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

The CampusGroups offices are located at 902 Broadway, New York, NY 10010.

Fall 2021 and MIT LHS Updates

Hello MIT Lindy Hop Society!

This week MIT kicked off an in-person fall semester with all undergraduates, grad students, staff, and faculty invited back to campus. Things look and feel a bit different now -- masks are required indoors, all events require contact-tracing information to be collected, all MIT personnel must be on Covid Pass which tracks our twice-weekly tests and daily health attestations, and visitors are welcome, but must be escorted through campus. We are thrilled to be back in our labs, but are still trying to navigate these new policies and what it will mean for the MIT LHS this semester.

For now, we will not be holding any dances in these first weeks of the semester, as we anticipate the first round of testing statistics and updates to covid policies to come swiftly and potentially change frequently. We will have a more detailed update for you in approximately two weeks regarding our dance status for the rest of the semester.

In the meantime, we'd love to get your feedback on how you would want us to proceed this semester if we were to go forward with dances. Interested in lessons and socials that focus on solo dances? Would you prefer us to skip the socials completely and just do structured lessons? Have an idea for how to set-up our dance space this semester? Are you concerned about etiquette and hygiene at our dance and have suggestions on how to improve it? Please let us know your thoughts on this form (long link: https://forms.gle/bBheypmv3a1UKWcLA) so we can keep track of your feedback.

Thanks everyone for your continued patience. We are so close to being back and swinging again; hopefully we'll see you soon!

Kindly,

Your MIT LHS Officers

lindy-society-officers@mit.edu

PS If you wish to be unsubscribed, let us know, or visit http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/lindy-society; we understand that your situation may have changed and might want a break from our spam. Thanks!

MIT LHS Announcements -- Teaching Opportunity and MIT Policy Updates

Hello all, and happy summer term!

Re-Recognition Success!

Many thanks to everyone who helped us successfully be re-recognized as a student group on campus; this status allows us to reserve spaces for our weekly lessons and socials and apply for large event funding.

As a student group, we adhere to MIT policies and practices. To this end, we specifically would like to point towards two resources for our members: the MIT nondiscrimination policy and the MA state hazing law. While we share these resources at the annual request of MIT, we also want to emphasize that discrimination of any kind is unacceptable in our community, and that any activities that could be construed as hazing will not be tolerated. If any community members have concerns along these lines, we very much invite you to reach out to the MIT LHS leadership team, MIT's Association of Student Activities, or MIT's Division of Student Life. As always, we appreciate everyone's efforts to keep our in-person events fun and approachable, and online discourse civil and supportive.

Teaching Opportunity

Silent Rhythms (http://silentrhythms.org/) is a local non-profit operating since 2008 with a mission to teach people of all abilities how to dance. They have recently launched a virtual Dance-ASL project (http://silentrhythms.org/dance-asl-classes/) which captions and interprets short (15-30min) dance classes taught by local dance instructors. They are interested in doing a swing series, and wanted to reach out to this group for interested teachers! If you would like to learn more or engage with this effort, please reach out to Kerry Thompson (kerry@silentrhythmsboston.org) for more information!

Updated Covid Policies

In addition to students, MIT will be requiring faculty and staff to be fully vaccinated by the fall. MIT is tentatively assuming that full in-person operations will resume September 7th, 2021, and is currently planning on 1/weekly Covid-19 tests for all on-campus employees/students for some portion of the fall as a means of monitoring community health. Masking and social-distancing is not specifically going to be required for the fall, however, MIT will be following MA-state and federal recommendations on this matter going further and will have more complete recommendations as September approaches.

Additionally, MIT is hoping to welcome visitors back to campus in the fall for visits, tours, meetings, workshops, etc. There is no specific guidance yet for community members engaging with student groups on campus, but this is a positive first indication that we may be all back to dancing again soon! You can read more about MIT's policies and plans here: https://now.mit.edu/.

Congratulations to the Class of 2021

Many warm congratulations to graduating members of our community! Commencement can be viewed online this Friday from 12-3PM EST. More information here: https://commencement.mit.edu/special-classes/class-2021.

Many well wishes to all of you, and we'll be in touch as plans for the fall solidify.

Kindly,

Victoria + the LHS Leadership Team

Lindy Hop Society Updates and Yearly Organization Re-Recognition

Hello all!

It is that time of year in which we ask once again for student participants of our organization to help us stay a recognized club at MIT by submitting a survey from MIT's Association of Student Activities (ASA): https://engage.mit.edu/submitter/form/start/484895. Please fill in this form by Friday May 21st, 11:59PM EST to assist us in the re-recognition process.

Staying recognized as a student group on campus helps us apply for and receive event funding, allows us to have a vote at student group meetings, and generally permits us to keep hosting free dances at MIT. If you have additional questions about this process, please email us or check out the ASA webpage!

Additionally, there have been some recent Covid-19 updates regarding summer/fall that we'd like to make this community aware of. All students will be required to be vaccinated in Fall 2021, and MIT is currently planning for full academic operations in the Fall (with a slow-burn ramp-up this summer). You can read the latest message for President Reif here. While the plan has yet to detail the operations for student group and community member engagement, we are hopeful that we'll be dancing together again soon. The latest information regarding MIT policies can always be found on the MIT Now webpage.

Finally, thank you all, as always, for your patience and support through this time. If you have questions, comments, or concerns, please always feel free to reach out to lindy-society-officers@mit.edu (CC'd).

Kindly,

Victoria Preston

Re: MIT Lindy Hop Society: Planning the Future

Hi all,

As promised, meeting minutes from our student check-in can be found here. We'd very much like to thank community members who emailed with thoughts, suggestions, and questions which helped us shape some of our discussion! We don't necessarily have any concrete answers yet about when and how dancing will be back (many decisions await hearing a final policy from MIT), however we're very optimistic that we'll all be back together again in some capacity within the next academic year. In the meantime, we'll be checking in periodically over the next few months with you, and following up with MIT admin to shape a plan for the fall and spring. As always, feel free to reach out to us (lindy-society-officers@mit.edu, CC'ed) with questions, comments, or concerns. We're looking forward to safely dancing with you soon!

Many well wishes,

Victoria on behalf of the LHS officers

On Wed, Apr 7, 2021 at 7:05 PM Victoria Preston <vpreston@mit.edu> wrote:

Hi all,

We're (current LHS officers) hosting a preliminary discussion April 12, 5:30-6:30 about how to structure a return to lessons and socials over the coming year, as MIT policies adapt to reflect current best practices in the light of vaccination. For this conversation, we'd particularly like to invite current MIT students; we'll be looping in community members at a future date.

If you are a student, please email lindy-society-officers@mit.edu (CC'd) for Zoom call info! If you cannot make this meeting, but would like to stay informed or are interested in joining LHS leadership, this is also a great time to get in touch with us!

If you are a community member, please feel free to reach out to us at the same address with thoughts, feedback, concerns, etc. which we will bring with us to the meeting!

Minutes from the meeting will be made available to everyone afterward.

Thank you all for your patience in this time; we're very much looking forward to dancing with you again!

Kindly,

Victoria Preston

MIT Lindy Hop Society: Planning the Future

Hi all,

We're (current LHS officers) hosting a preliminary discussion April 12, 5:30-6:30 about how to structure a return to lessons and socials over the coming year, as MIT policies adapt to reflect current best practices in the light of vaccination. For this conversation, we'd particularly like to invite current MIT students; we'll be looping in community members at a future date.

If you are a student, please email lindy-society-officers@mit.edu (CC'd) for Zoom call info! If you cannot make this meeting, but would like to stay informed or are interested in joining LHS leadership, this is also a great time to get in touch with us!

If you are a community member, please feel free to reach out to us at the same address with thoughts, feedback, concerns, etc. which we will bring with us to the meeting!

Minutes from the meeting will be made available to everyone afterward.

Thank you all for your patience in this time; we're very much looking forward to dancing with you again!

Kindly,

Victoria Preston

Recent news

Dear MIT Lindy Hop Community,

Nearly a year ago the Covid-19 pandemic closed our dance floor down, and while there is hope on the horizon that we'll be together again soon, unfortunately this spring we will continue to be on hiatus. Within this context, this makes our next announcement even more difficult to share, but we think it is important that the community is informed: last night news broke that one of our MIT LHS officers, Qinxuan Pan, is wanted for questioning as a person of interest in connection with a homicide that occurred recently in New Haven, CT. We have no further information than what has been provided in news briefs and in a statement by MIT President Reif (which you can read in full here), but want to highlight that officials have noted there is no immediate risk to the MIT or Greater Boston communities.

We know that many of you have known, danced with, and been friends with Pan, potentially for years, and we recognize that the news may be distressing, shocking, and confusing. We urge you to reach out to your friends in the community to support one another, use MIT's campus resources (listed in President Reif's message), or seek out local mental health advocates and organizations as it makes sense to you. While discussion can be part of processing, we would like to request that Pan's privacy be respected, and that this thread or email group not turn into a forum for speculation or judgement.

There is so much that has happened in the last year, and we want to consciously invite a time for healing for all. Be kind to one another, take care, and hopefully we will see you all again soon.

Kindly,
MIT Lindy Hop Society organizers