Dear TSoM Member,
 
This weekend at the 2nd Saturday TSoM Milonga, you will be able elect  the future members of the TSoM Board of Directors.  TSoM Elections are a formal  process that needs to be followed, and your vote should be based on what  you think will be best for the tango community. It's important that you vote  because the future of TSoM and its actions depend on that.
Please read the information below.
Thank you and see you at the Milonga!
Tamara
You will be voting for the  following candidates and positions:
 
For Secretary:
-       Fran  Howley (currently a member-at-large, candidate to fill the position of  Secretary for a 2-year term)
 
For Treasurer:
-       John  Tuthill (new to the Board, candidate to fill the position of Treasurer for a  2-year term)
 
For Members-at-large: new to the Board, candidates for a 2-year  term:
-       Terri  Davis 
-       Yanhua  Deng
-       Avery  Harrington
-       Irene  Erickson
-       Sarah  Sommers
 
Renewal of member-at-large:
-       Nicky  Bowman (currently a member-at-large, and will act as the Database manager)
 
 
Meet your  candidates.  What do they say about  themselves?
 
Terri Cox Davis:
My tango journey started  in the spring of 2011.  It began  when I watched Lois Donnay demonstrate and talk about tango at the Northeast  Arts Crawl.  I attended my very  first beginner lesson the next day at Lois' house and was – predictably – quite  awful. But I stuck with it and soon loved it.  My recent trip to Buenos Aires has just reinforced that  commitment to and love of the tango.   As a board member, I would bring to the table marketing, advertising,  and project management skills that I utilized in my career in advertising and  marketing.  If elected, I promise  to do my best to help spread the joy of tango.
 
Yanhua Deng:
I am passionate about tango  because the experience is always exciting and challenging. Tango is a never ending  pursuit and learning process. As an avid tango dancer, I have been actively  participating and supporting many events in the tango community since coming to  Minneapolis. I am constantly expressing my passion for tango through dance,  music, and photography. I am hoping by getting more involved in the TSOM board,  I can share my experience and bring fresh perspectives to the community.
 
Sarah  Sommers:
I am very aware of the impact that TSOM has had on  developing our tango community. I first stumbled upon tango in the late 90's,  before there were organized milongas, venues, workshops, and the significant  community that we have now. I was aware of only a few milongas being held that  year. One was a New Year's milonga, which I anticipated greatly and attended,  dressed in my finest. Granted, still a novice, I didn't dance even once. Our  community has grown not only in size and level of sophistication, but also in  awareness. The pleasure that I now find within the tango community as a most  significant aspect of my life, is undoubtedly due to the overwhelming  generosity of spirit as well as the talent and passion of the dancers. I would  like to be part of continuing to foster the excellence that TSOM has generated.  And even help to further it to the next level. I feel very honored that members  of the community have nominated me to become a contributor in this endeavor. 
 
Avery Harrington:
There are two stories I like to tell people when I am asked  how I got into tango, my story and my wife's story.
My story.
My wife wanted to take dance lessons. I told her, "you pick  the dance and we will do it". She was asking around to get input on all of the  different kinds of dance we could learn. One of her clients who is a former  dance instructor told my wife "Whatever you do, do not start with tango. It is  too difficult. You will take a few classes become frustrated and never take  another class". I told my wife, "It is just a dance not rocket science. It  looks like we are taking tango."
My wife's story.
She and some girlfriends ended up at the Loring Pasta bar one  Sunday evening. There she witnessed a wonderful mix of ages and abilities,  dancing to live music in a magical space.  She fell in love with the  dance. Odds are some of you reading this now were there that night and helped  seduce her.
Both stories are true. At this point both are irrelevant. It  does not matter how we started. Now all that matters is… when is the next  Milonga.
See you all there.
 
Fran Howley:
Oh my.....
I've been on the TSoM Board for  the past year and feel ready to take on a specific assignment.   I am  exceptionally time oriented and organized which are Secretarial Skills!   (Many, many years ago, I actually went to Katherine Gibbs Secretarial School  for a year....yes, we wore white gloves to the school and learned short hand  and typing using carbon paper!)   Be assured I have now updated my  knowledge to include computers and the delete button!
 
Nicky Bowman:
In the fall of 2012, I signed up for an Argentine Tango class  offered by U of M's dance department because one of the goals on my bucket list  was to learn tango. The rest, as they say, is history. Today, I am an  unrepentant tango addict. I love the complexity of tango and the richness of  connection I find in the embrace. As a violinist, pianist, and classically  trained singer, I also love that tango continually challenges me to be  musically expressive. I'm committed to the ongoing growth of the Twin Cities  tango community, and I see my involvement in TSoM as a means of supporting that  growth.