Update from Herrang Dance Camp: Announcing Herrang Monthly [UPDATE 12/22]
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A huge update from the Herrang Dance Camp was just sent out, reviewing the past, present and future of the legendary lindy hop camp. Among the highlights:
The closure of the camp in 2020 resulted in massive financial restructuring, including selling of assets and applying for government support.
A massive crowdfunding campaign has helped meet expenses.
Ongoing expenses continue to come in, threatening the future of the camp. But “the event has no plans to surrender to an evil virus.”
The major announcement is that they are launching Herrang Monthly, a subscription based service that will provide a variety of cool perks to members, including:
A “cavalcade of nostalgic film clips” from the long and winding history of the Herräng Dance Camp.
Library Talk-style personal interviews capturing the portrait of recognized swing dance personalities.
Swing Classes from different internationally recognized teachers in solo jazz, lindy hop, mambo, tap, and balboa.
A monthly talent competition based on new themes every month.
There will be various tiers of membership, from €5 to €50.
To stay informed about the launch of Herrang Monthly, subscribe to their newsletter or keep an eye on their Facebook page. The complete message from the Herrang Dance Camp follows below….
NEWS, UPDATES AND INTENTIONS
This letter will consist of three individual chapters all intimately linked to Herräng Dance Camp: THE PAST, THE PRESENT and THE FUTURE. The first two chapters outline the facts and figures, while the third deals with things to come. If you are already closely familiar with the past and the present of the festival, you may very well scroll directly to the last chapter which is also the most important one. Thank you very much in advance for investing some time on the subject and good luck keeping the swing dance spirit high in times of evil viruses. The following chapters and main paragraphs are included in this letter:
THE PAST:
Soon Forty Years in Showbusiness
The Corona and the Camp
THE PRESENT:
Actions Commencing
THE FUTURE:
Herräng Monthly
Crowdfunding
Newsletter
THE PAST
Soon Forty Years in Showbusiness
Herräng Dance Camp opened its doors for the first time in the summer of 1982 offering a single week of classes in American Jitterbug dancing. Seven years later, legendary Harlem swing dancer Frankie Manning came to the event for the very first time and introduced the African-American roots of the Lindy Hop. His positive and generous personality immediately influenced the nature and philosophy of the event itself and left imprints not only around dancing, but also around human interaction.
The rest was to become history as Herräng soon turned into the epicenter and melting pot for the ongoing international revival of American swing dancing. With time, the once-small event and sleepy village evolved into a slightly surrealistic cultural institution and spectacular venue for all aspects of jazz music and jazz dancing. Many celebrities in addition to Frankie were to visit, including Norma Miller, Dawn Hampton, Chazz Young, Fayard Nicholas, Jeni LeGon, Mabel Lee, Betty Wood, Skip Cunningham, Miriam Nelson, to name a few.
Influenced by many of the old school African-American luminaries, the event has over the years positioned itself as a standard-bearer for much of the Harlem-style swing dancing of the jazz age. No other swing dance event in modern times has been as well-attended as Herräng Dance Camp and in recent years, the camp has offered five weeks of dance classes with each week welcoming some one thousand visitors, staff and volunteers from all over the world.
The Corona and the Camp
When the coronavirus washed over Europe in late February, the camp administration had already been working for over six months preparing for the event in 2020. Considering the all-encompassing nature of the festival, the pre-event period requires a lot of time, demands a good amount of personnel and comes with serious expenses. The entire operation is financially challenging since it is all based on the anticipation of future revenues.
In late March, it became obvious that the event would not be able to proceed for the summer in sight. The decision to cancel was inevitable considering the situation worldwide. Besides the general disappointment, the cancellation also led to that all prepaid expenses suddenly had no capital to draw upon.
First aid measures were immediately taken which included spreading information, cancelling contracts, dismissing personnel and starting the refund process. All work had to be done without any financial compensation since it was obvious that our bank account was not in any condition to manage both incoming invoices and outgoing employee salaries.
During the months to follow, many monetary contributions were generously donated to the event by dancers from all over the world and many work hours were performed for free by all kinds of volunteers. The financial situation was however still alarming since ongoing and unavoidable expenses continued to drain our bank account. At the time of writing this, most late coming issues seem to have been taken care of and we are at last ready to finally look forward again.
THE PRESENT
The remaining administration around the event is today managed by a handful of unpaid enthusiasts. Our office in Stockholm is on long-term lease to another party, and all work has to be performed from back home. At this moment, it has not been possible to make any major decisions regarding the future since all our traditional activities are hanging in the corona-ridden air. No matter the angle or perspective, corona-related question marks seem to be everywhere. The list below is however a good and updated example of the different actions that have been, or will soon be, initiated to try to stabilize the financial situation and secure the event for the post-corona time.
Actions Commencing
Selling at least one of our two camp houses in Herräng
Selling our office in Stockholm
Selling some of our camp vehicles
Selling one of our camp pizza ovens
Selling some of our mobile camp containers
Cancelling all remaining negligible contracts
Negotiating all inevitable contracts
Negotiating with future sponsors
Negotiating with Herräng villagers and organizations
Applying for subsidies within the Swedish government programs
Reopening our crowdfunding
Starting the ambitious Herräng Monthly
Further actions might very well appear if necessary.
THE FUTURE
Welcome to the near future of Herräng Dance Camp! As you have probably already understood, the event has no plans to surrender to an evil virus. No white flag will be hoisted and no peace agreement will be signed. At the same time, we are still forced to be on the defensive side of things and whether the summer of 2021 will be played in the major or minor key is still most uncertain.
At the moment, all our efforts have to focus on how to recover, restore and recreate. We also, one way or another, have to find a new financial structure and strategy for the event. This will inevitably include much more bona fide volunteer work than in previous years. All aspects of incomes and expenses have to be looked upon from a totally different kind of reality. We believe that it’s all possible to do, but initially we are still in serious need of help and support. Please spend a little time to read and consider the following information and alternatives. Thank you very much in advance for your engagement.
Herräng Monthly
We have never done something like this before. It’s all new, and our ambitions are high. Some chapters will deal with pure Herräng stuff and adventures. Some chapters will stretch from Bangkok to Bucharest. Some chapters will hold onto facts, while some others will deal with opinions and vivid views.
What is it all about? Raising the Spirit. Focusing on the Art. Looking into Jazz. Cherishing the History. Staying close to the Roots. Finding Joy. In times of evil viruses. And closed ballrooms. And dark clouds. And far beyond. We heartily welcome you to join us on this comprehensive journey around the swing dance globe. Every month. For any length of time. Across the Atlantic or wherever your whereabouts happen to be.
The following chapters and subscription outline will introduce you to the idea and rough structure of the Herräng Monthly. All details and subscription information will follow in a separate email within a couple of days.
Memory Lane: a cavalcade of nostalgic film clips from the long and winding history of the Herräng Dance Camp. One year will be chosen for each month to present a rhapsody of classes, performances, parties and all that jazz from around the clock.
Face to Face: Library Talk-style personal interviews capturing the portrait of recognized swing dance personalities. These impromptu recordings will not be edited; instead, it will come raw, naked and on the spot.
Larry Schulz Archive: meet Frankie Manning and other swing dance legends at and around the Sandra Cameron Dance Studio in New York City during the 1980s and 90s. Presenting instructions, interviews, TV programs and other pictorial memorabilia from the early revival days of the New York scene.
Aspects on Music: come and spend some time with knowledgeable dancers, musicians and aficionados in general. Swing music and adjacent styles will take the front seat – expect analyses, opinions, comparisons …
Swing Class: learn new things from different internationally recognized swing dance teachers. Solo jazz, lindy hop, mambo, tap, balboa … the possibilities are endless and both classes and teachers will alternate from month to month.
International Outlook: follow our international correspondents (eWa Burak, Sing Lim, Martina Natella, Karina Shorets and Roumany Israil) giving their monthly updates on swing subjects both big and small in their respective regions.
Feature Affair: new one-off features on various subjects every month! Perhaps January will offer a close-up on the movie stars or major news headlines of the jazz age. February might highlight the scandals, the popular drinks, or the fashion of the times … any nitty-gritty low-down from the past or present may very well end up in the spotlight.
Only in Herräng: what are the defining features of a week in Herräng? Is it the classes and social dancing or are there other parameters that are even more essential? New friends. Summer romances. Midnight Ramble. The Marina. Daily Meetings. Maybe banana bread? This section will touch the soul of the event and revisit nuances that make Herräng unlike any other dance camp.
Open Stage: our monthly talent competition based on new themes every month! All you need to do is to follow the theme, create something, record it, and finally send it to us. A good handful of acts will be chosen each month and all subscribers to the Herräng Monthly are welcome to vote for them. More details to come in the January edition.
The chapters above have been divided into three major subscription categories (Bronze, Silver and Gold), offering three, six or all nine chapters. An additional category, also offering all nine chapters, is Gold+ which includes a small donation part to the event. Prices will range from €5 to €50 with €20 and €35 being the middling subscription plans.
The chapters above outlining our planned activities represent the starting point of the Herräng Monthly. New chapters and ideas are in the pipeline, and will be introduced during the spring.
Crowdfunding
After our regrettable announcement in the spring, it has become well known that Herräng Dance Camp has suffered severely from the ongoing virus invasion. We have managed to avoid the immediate risk of total bankruptcy but our financial situation is still fragile and under obvious constraints. The focus for the present day is to reconstruct the basic financial framework for the event, and to establish a new platform to operate from once the coronavirus is history. For one part of a handful of initiatives, we will reopen our previous crowdfunding campaign. Further information will be sent out very soon alongside our Herräng Monthly offer.
Newsletter
Starting in January, we will reactivate our monthly newsletter! This will be sent out for free to all dancers on our mailing list, and will keep you informed about the latest updates regarding the camp and the activities surrounding it.
NEW SIGNUP INFO AS OF DECEMBER 22, 2020: To sign up for Herrang Monthly, go to patreon.com/herrangdancecamp. NOTE: the subscription service will open on January 1st 2021; do not sign up before that date.
For further information, please contact monthly@herranglogistics.com.
