What you can do to help save the Lovett Hall contra dance...

Lovett Hall Henry Ford Greenfield Village The Henry Ford museum Glen Morningstar Ruffwater String band contra dance dancing lovett hall
You can help save contra dancing in Lovett Hall!
Contra dancing has taken place in the Lovett Hall ballroom for more than 65 years - don't allow it to die!

After 24 years, The Henry Ford's Catering department will no longer allow the Education department to use Lovett Hall for the traditional dancing for which Henry Ford built it. This was a decision driven by the desire for increased revenue. Henry Ford built this ballroom strictly for traditional dancing, not as a banquet facility; he'd be turning over in his grave if he knew about this.

Glen Morningstar's suggestions to THF

Glen's description of events

What you can do
• Write Steven K. Hamp, President, The Henry Ford, 20900 Oakwood Blvd., Dearborn, MI 48124-4088, and express your opinion.
• Write the various members of their Board of Trustees. Their names & titles can be found on THF's site and here.
• What is the mission of The Henry Ford? Is it to provide the opportunity to experience Living History and Henry Ford's legacy, or to provide a premier banquet facility?
Official mission statement
Mission: The Henry Ford provides unique educational experiences based on authentic objects, stories, and lives from America's traditions of ingenuity, resourcefulness and innovation. Our purpose is to inspire people to learn from these traditions to help shape a better future.
• The Henry Ford is a 503(c) "Nonprofit educational" organization. Replacing educational activities (such as the "American Contra Dancing" series) with profit-making activities, such as a banquet & convention facility intended to compete with commercial venues, raises serious "legal status" questions. (NOTE: This is a great item for the media, but probably should not be raised directly with Steven Hamp, less it be regarded as a thinly veiled threat to have the IRS review their status.)
• We're asking for only 6 hours (one afternoon!) a month, and only 7-8 months per year.
• Lovett Hall is the only place in the world where one can participate in one of Henry Ford's favorite activities in a venue built by him specifically for traditional dance.
• Ask "What would Henry Ford, if he was alive today, want Lovett Hall to be used for? What would the Ford family want?"
• Publicize this tragic decision to the media and other dancers, and encourage them to make their thoughts known. Remember that when writing that your letter will be opened and read by an executive assistant who will decide whether the boss sees the letter. Antagonistic or threatening letters will get tossed without the intended party every seeing them.
• Please email Steve Gold to get on a list to be kept informed of what's happening with this issue. If you don't have email, call the OCTDS Dance Hotline, 248-967-1055 and leave a message.
• Please spread the word. Hand out flyers, send the URL to this site, let fellow dancers know what's happening. --Steve Gold

Lovett Hall is one of the reasons that I still live in Michigan. I've been dancing there since at least 1983; many pictures in my photo albums show that distinctive, beautiful decor. (Setting up this web page, I happened to find some photos (from the May 2004 dance) on my laptop.) I think I initiated the December dance's tradition of wearing holiday finery. I might have started the tradition of singing long notes on the "B" music of Judi Morningstar's wonderful tune "March of St. Timothy." And I've even received mail there: someone needed to contact me, and knew exactly where I would be on the first Sunday of the month, October through May.
What's especially wonderful about this event, besides the lovely space, is the strong sense of community it builds. There's no other dance in the area that welcomes everyone: beginners, singles groups, children, seniors, and tourists. Folks can walk in from the parking lot and literally join right in--one of us will ask them to dance. Most of the activities at The Henry Ford are presentation-based; you get to listen to a lecture from a costumed docent presenting a memorized speech. (Stay behind the rope, don't touch the artifacts.) The Lovett Hall dance is literally hands-on. Afterwards, a large and varied group of us always goes out to a nearby restaurant; the fun lasts about six hours and truly rounds out the weekend.
"Who's here from Canada? From Switzerland? From Ohio? From Michigan?" is how Glen welcomes our far-flung visitors. There's always someone who's scheduled a family visit, a business trip, or a reunion around the dance schedule. People from all over the country have been lamenting the bad news. "I've always wanted to dance at Lovett Hall," they say.
At the November dance, the friendly gals who graciously collect our money were handing out flyers for the 2005 season. They pointed out that the admission price would be going up to $9, and the flyers they distributed list dances through December 2005. (Printing has a long lead time; the dance's future only changed, abruptly, right after Thanksgiving.)
The dance community is willing to pay the $600 rental fee for the hall, but the $4000.00 minimum required for catering service is just not feasable. Glen suggested several alternatives to THF management, but they won't discuss them. --Karen Missavage

Co-conspirators Karen and Steve grab a swing (December '94)

Glen Morningstar's ideas for continuing the dance

As a matter of information for the contradancing community, what follows are the six options that I proposed to Steve Hamp, President of The Henry Ford in a letter dated December 6th (immediately following the December dance). Shortly after sending these options, Steve emailed me to note that "Revenue generation was a minor consideration," (in the decision to cancel the series).
The response that I received from Christian Overland on December 24th rejected these six options, and offered neither counter options or new options for contradancing to continue or restart at a later date. I believe that any of these options would work, even with adjustments from THF. If anyone else is pursuing options like these, it would be good for you to know these have been advanced and what the result was...

OPTIONS FOR CONTINUING AMERICAN CONTRA DANCING AT LOVETT HALL
OPTION 1: Reinstate the "First Sunday" American Contra dancing series in February 2005 with a price of $9 per dance for the year. Pare down the number of dances to the original 6 months, FEB-MAR-APR 2005 and OCT-NOV-DEC 2005. Increase the price to $10 for FEB-MAR-APR 2006. In May 2005, review the attendance and the net income from the series to determine if any course correction or earlier price increase should be effected. If public interest and net income is below expectations, consider winding down the series with the completion of its 25th series year in April 2006. Plan a farewell 25th Silver Anniversary celebration. Responsibilities would be shared as they have been between The Henry Ford and the Ruffwater Stringband.

OPTION 2: Reinstate the "First Sunday" American Contra dancing series in October 2005 with a price of $9 per dance for the first three dances. Pare down the number of dances to the original 6, OCT-NOV-DEC 2005 and FEB-MAR-APR 2006. Increase the price to $10 for FEB-MAR-APR 2006. In January 2006, review the attendance and the net income from the series to determine if any course correction should be effected. If public interest and net income is below expectations, consider winding down the series with the completion of its 25th series year in April 2006. Plan a farewell 25th Silver Anniversary celebration. Responsibilities would be shared as they have been between The Henry Ford and the Ruffwater Stringband.

OPTION 3: Provide two dances per year, one in October (Harvest Hop) and one in February (Valentine's Dance). The October dance would be for all levels of dancers, newcomers to advanced skills. Price both dances at $10 per person. Review the attendance and the net income from the each dance to determine if any course correction should be effected. If public interest and net income is below expectations, then do not continue to offer the dances. Responsibilities would be shared as they have been between The Henry Ford and the Ruffwater Stringband.

OPTION 4: Rent Lovett Hall to the dance community for OPTION 1 or 2 above, at the price of $600 listed in The Henry Ford website. The dance community would assume responsibility for collecting monies at the gate, providing the sound system and enlisting the caller(s) and band(s) for the dances.

OPTION 5: Rent Lovett Hall to the dance community for OPTION 3 above, at the price of $600 listed in The Henry Ford website. The dance community would assume responsibility for collecting monies at the gate, providing the sound system and enlisting the caller(s) and band(s) for the dances.

OPTION 6: Provide one traditional dance every year on the first Sunday in February. Price this dance at $10 per person. Responsibilities would be shared as they have been between The Henry Ford and the Ruffwater Stringband.

Paperback editions of the "Good Morning Book."

More comments from Glen

WHAT THE HENRY FORD HASN'T SAID…
As we travel toward our last dance of the American Contra Dancing series at Lovett Hall, my thoughts keep returning to what my contacts with The Henry Ford (THF) Senior Management Team HAVE NOT SAID in any of their communications with me or the dance community. What has not been said provides insight into the chances of the Lovett Hall dance series continuing.

Here's what has not been said…
No one from THF has approached me to say "What can we do to improve our income and increase our attendance and keep the series going?" In July 2004, when the Education Department contacted me to request we continue on in 2005, as we have in the past, we reviewed the value of the Newcomer's Instructions at 1 pm, and discussed raising the ticket price to $9.
We agreed to continue the 1 pm offering since it was bringing in new dancers, and raising the price in line with surrounding dance communities. I requested additional advertisement in the local Dearborn papers. NO ISSUES.
No one from THF has approached me to say, "This living history experience is important to continue in the location specifically built for old-fashioned dancing, what can we do to involve more history enthusiasts?"
No one from THF has approached me to say, "We believe this is a wholesome, recreational and community building experience, what can we do to reach a broader base from the community?"
No one from THF has approached me to say, "The use of this hall for dancing is as important as the newly built train roundhouse and we'll use our THF gate revenues to maintain Lovett Hall and provide hosts for this living history experience."
It appears that THF has looked beyond the importance of 150 dancers gathering in Lovett Hall, 8 months out of the year, and is shifting their resources to support their goal of attracting 2 million visitors each year to VIEW their attractions (per their 2003 annual report). That means during its regular operating months (the Village is "mostly" closed during the winter), THF plans to attract 200,000 people per month. OVERWHELMING.

Our dance master at the last dance on February 6.
Sandy Cameron photo

No one from THF has approached me to say, "How do we take the next steps in marketing the appeal of contra dancing to the 200,000 people we have go through our gates every month and have them come up and view the dancing or join in?"

Here's what HAS BEEN said…
On Monday November 29, 2004, Christian Overland, Director of The Henry Ford, phoned to tell me that the upcoming December 2nd Sunday dance in Lovett Hall was the last one in our American Contra Dancing series. Out of the blue. He pointed at the new direction and challenges of THF (he didn't provide specifics) and the fact they had to focus their energies and staff resources on key and core mission-serving activities.
As I probed for more information in the telephone call, it repeatedly came back to these same issues. When I asked if there were other issues he said no. When I asked if the series was losing money, the response was that it wasn't making money. There was no inferences or references to dwindling attendance or hidden costs or subsidization as a problem with the dance series. Christian described how Catering could generate revenues for THF with expanded use of the hall. That alerted me to the fact it might be a money issue, although never stated. When I asked Christian if the decision was final, he said it was. That is when I requested to speak to his manager and he gave me Patricia Mooradian's name and number, the Chief Operating Officer for THF.
When I first talked to her she was not familiar with the situation, and said she would be back with me. In two subsequent phone discussions, she repeated what Christian had said. She did offer one additional dance, as a fallback to my request to at least finish out the Spring season, so the dancers would have a chance to say goodbye to the hall.
With that, I wrote a letter to Steven Hamp, President of THF requesting reinstatement, and offering six options to do so. The options touched on paring back the number of dances, and also increasing prices because of my hunch at it being a money issue. In addition to sending the letter via landmail December 6, I sent it electronically to Steve Hamp. He responded on December 9 with an email that included "putting this issue off on the catering group or focusing it as erely a matter of money does not do justice to our situation." … "Revenue generation was a minor consideration."

The first response letter to inquiries by the dance community (view it on the Letters page) was sent by John Nielson, General Manager of Village and Museum Operations, on December 13th. In it he stated, "…we found it necessary, after much research to cancel this activity in order to meet the goals of our strategic plan. I'm sure this is a disappointment to you, and these choices to(do) not come easily, but the program has been declining over the past few years."
When I received that alert, I pulled together our stats for the past few years…the average monthly attendance at the Lovett Hall dances has been 156 people/dance in 2002, 137 people/dance in 2003 and 143 people/dance in 2004. While this has certainly dwindled from our averages of 200 people/dance in the mid 1980's and the averages of 170 people in the 1990's, these numbers are substantial by any dance community standards.

Holiday card Karen sent to members of THF's Trustees

The second response letter to inquiries by the dance community was sent by Christian Overland. (It is also on the Letters page, further down.) Christian expanded Nielson's response by adding "The fact of the matter is, attendance for the American Contra Dancing classes has dwindled in the last few years and expenses have increased. The Henry Ford subsidizes this program each time it is offered. Moreover, the contra dancing classes' hidden costs such as staff time, set-up, the waxing of the ballroom floor, facility cleaning, etc. are absorbed by the institution. The diminishing attendance mixed with added costs and limited staff resources forced us to cancel this class in these tight economic times." This was new information to me on December 21, 2004. Digging into this claim a bit surfaced the fact that the Catering Department charges the Education Department for work they do, like setting up chairs and tables, at what appear to be the rates they charge a wedding reception (complete with mark-up so as to show a Catering Department profit).
So…your assessment of this information will paint a picture as to the chances of the series continuing. It has to be important to THF senior management and all indications are that currently it is not.
If they would reinstate the series with vim and vigor, all would be wonderful. If they would reinstate it with reluctance, all would be agony. The Education Department certainly sees the many values to this series, but those around and above them don't. The dance community certainly see it as important, as witnessed by the outcry and support through the Save-Lovett-Hall-Dance website and outpouring of letters to The Henry Ford. It's this passion that will be remembered and help bring back dancing in Lovett Hall someday.

The future does hold lessons-learned, possibilities and eternal hope. Where there is a will there is a way. I'm looking forward to the time we can again dance in Lovett Hall.

In the meantime, let's be proud, honored and thrilled to celebrate 23½ years of Ruffwater Stringband calling and music, dancing, learning, sharing and building friends together in Henry Ford's Lovett Hall. It's been the longest running dance series in Lovett Hall since it was dedicated in October 1937. We hope for the day that another dance series arises and is as fortunate as us to count many years of fellowship. I'm looking forward to seeing you February 6th.

Glen Morningstar Jr.
Instructor, American Contra Dancing Series
October 4, 1981 – February 6, 2005

In "real life," Glen Morningstar worked in leadership roles in the Automotive Manufacturing Engineering and EDS Information Technology Groups at GM for 33 years. Some of his responsibilities included supervision, strategic planning, leading meetings, human resources, financial administration, bringing people together, and coordinating projects among a wide variety of personalities and temperaments.

Please join our Yahoo group where we can communicate interactively. And do vote on the dance admission fee poll.
Glen has asked for "thank you" letters to be sent to THF. They could recieve several hundred letters from all over the country, if not the world, like in that scene from the movie "Miracle on 34th Street."

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