Burlington Westie

08/24/2021

Hello and thank you for coming dancing last Friday :) I was so nervous to jump back into hosting after so long. But I quickly felt fulfilled and relieved to be dancing with you all again!
I asked how often you want to dance and you mostly said 3 to 4 weeks. However, the 4th weekend is already a no-go for a few people.
Please comment below your preference for Friday Sept 10th or Saturday Sep 11th. (Since the polling option is missing for me somehow 🤷‍♂️). And please let me know if you're aware of any big event or dance conflicts.
Thank you so much and see you all again soon! :D

08/11/2021

We are so excited to see that Brett Hughes will be playing at the free weekly event, Summervale, this week (Thursday)!
Come dance in the grass, or just enjoy being outdoors together listening to the nostalgic singing and playing of this local icon and his H***y Tonk friends 😃
Food and beverage for sale on premise. Details Below. See you there!

This week at Summervale we are so excited to welcomed back to the stage one of our favorites, Brett Hughes and his H***y Tonk Crowd! Brett will be joined by Lowell Thompson, Steve Hadeka and Tyler Bolles – what a stellar lineup! Come on down to the Intervale Center this Thursday from 5:30-8pm, grab a brew at Zero Gravity Craft Brewery, Halyard Brewing Co. or Citizen Cider and enjoy! We encourage you to bring a picnic with your favorite local snacks or enjoy food from The Skinny Pancake or American Flatbread Burlington Hearth, and ice cream from Lake Champlain Chocolates! Activities provided by Slow Food Vermont, City Market, and Winooski Valley Park District. Plus enter our raffle to win fun prizes! Free bike parking with Local Motion, please carpool otherwise as we have limited car parking! No pets or outside alcohol, please. All the info at http://www.intervale.org/summervale. Thanks to our sponsors: City Market, Vermont Family Farms, Gardener's Supply Company, Mascoma Bank, Twincraft Skincare , Dealer.com, Four Seasons Dermatology, The WaterWheel Foundation, Ceres Natural Remedies, Natural Mattress Company VT, The Skinny Pancake, Zero Gravity Craft Brewery, American Flatbread Burlington Hearth, SKIRACK, Patagonia Burlington, EatingWell, Burlington Electric Department, and New Vitality.

04/18/2021

Dear friends and dance fam,

We are very disturbed to hear the news that Ben Bergstein, the former* president of the Vermont Performing Arts League and former* director of North End Studios (where we have rented studio space for the past 10 years), is alleged to have initiated many, many inappropriate encounters with women in spaces he directs or manages. That report is linked at the bottom of this message. We caution that some readers may find portions of the article, including the more severe allegations, triggering.

We want to first express our concern for and solidarity with the survivors who have come forward, and for those who may still be silent. We appreciate that those brave people are now being heard and that the broader Burlington community can take steps to prevent Ben from causing additional harm in the future.

We also want to take this opportunity to remind everyone that we aspire to build a safe and supportive community at Burlington Westie. If you have ever experienced behavior from Ben or anyone else in our community that made you uncomfortable, we invite and encourage you to let us know.

Knowing that you may find it helpful to understand how we will respond to you and your concerns, we’ve been developing a reporting process that we look forward to sharing with you all soon. In the meantime, if you want to let us know about an experience you have had, please reach out to Alison and/or Ryan, our designated reporting individuals. If you do, you can choose whether that information remains confidential, whether any information is shared with any of the other instructors, and whether we take any action. If you are concerned about being identified, we will work with you to ensure your comfort and avoid actions you think would put your anonymity at risk.

Alison Nihart - ‪802.349.1559‬ or [email protected]
Ryan Doyle - 802.528.9322 or [email protected]

We hope to update you in the coming months about when we might expect in-person dancing to start again. We have missed you greatly throughout this past year and hope we can see each other and dance again soon.

https://vtdigger.org/2021/04/15/north-end-studios-founder-ben-bergstein-accused-of-sexual-misconduct/

Edits since posting
* Ben Bergstein is no longer employed by or on the board of the aforementioned organizations.

Eight people, including three former employees, allege that Ben Bergstein sexually harassed or abused them over the course of a decade. He has been barred from Winooski city property.

12/24/2020

Burlington Westie wants to share well wishes and holiday cheer with this entire community! 🤗 A toast to a new and better year where we can come together to dance, hug, and cavort once again. In the meantime, may your days be merry and bright 😎🥳
Congrats to the Frisbees! Enjoy their holiday announcement 😁

Happy holidays from the Frisbee's, and stay tuned for a special surprise!🎁🎄🎅🏻 ▶️Online Classes: https...

11/05/2020

Great News! Our long awaited BWestie shirts have arrived!
Ariana (who says "Hi, I miss you all!") has lovingly sorted out all the shirts and bags into little piles with your names on them 😃
Now we just have to get them to you! I am happy to drop them off on your doorstep, meet you for a catch-up chat and cup of tea, or even exchange a masked dance when I bring your shirt to you. Message me to let me know how you'd like to get your shirt and we'll set up a time 😁
We hope this brings a little joy to your unusual year. We miss dancing and socializing with you and hope you are staying healthy in other ways right now.
We love you, Ryan & Ariana 🤗