Annual Meeting: Dec 7 2026 After Dance

PCD membership met after dance on Dec 7, 2026 to review our accomplishments in 2025 and vote in new officers for 2026.

John noted that we have 235 members, that we need 10% of the membership present to vote in new officers, and that we have a quorum.

MCs

Jess and Alban were our MCs for the Annual Meeting, leading us into each topic.

Ingathering

Kari and Lori led us in a sacred procession of our PCD prayer flags into a spiral and then out again, toning as we wove our way together and back into a circle.

Appreciations

Rebecca and Jamie offered colored ribbons to each member of the community who has volunteered for PCD in these areas:

• Committee members (Retreat, Vision, Capacity, see below)

• Wiz (Kari, Lori, Lily, Jimmie, Rebecca, Blair, Tim, Brian, Emily)

• Officers (Rebecca, Tasja, Jamie)

• Greeters (Lily and various members)

• Finance (Jamie, John)

• Oversight (John)

• Membership maintenance (John)

• Email communication (Mellen)

• Website updates (Lori)

• Breaking down or setting up (various members)

• Counting money with the Treasurer (various members)

• Hosting a Meraki meeting (various members)

DJ Appreciation 

The DJs present and not present were honored for their offerings to PCD. Much appreciation was expressed!

President's Report

Rebecca offered this report:

It was one year ago, next week, that we had our first dance here at Temple Beth El after a 6 week break of having no place to dance. The experience of suddenly having no place to dance may have fueled some of the energy of this last year. We were all deeply grateful that the Space Committee (Kari, Lori and Mellen) found us a place to dance. 

Some limitations have become apparent over the months, as well as some distinctly positive outcomes. Parking, storage, communal space to gather and a larger dance floor are all greatly appreciated. We changed our time to the afternoon, a number of people became aware of the limitations of dancing on a non-wood, concrete floor and there were concerns raised about whether dancing in a religious space, a Jewish synagogue, would limit access to some people. Our hosts here at Beth El have been gracious, accommodating and welcoming.

Over the last year, there were 3 distinct initiatives to look towards future growth. Capacity and Vision committees were active. Capacity was developed to look at alternatives to managing our growth and a document was devised with ideas for membership responsibilities and pre-registration options. The decision was made to not make any changes at this point and assess attendance numbers for the rest of the year. Membership and Registration committees are currently not active. A document exists in the PCD Meeting notes with those ideas that could be pursued in the future. Attendance and Vision committees will give their update later.

The second initiative deserves some special recognition and appreciation for Tasja and Kiara. In an attempt to address some of the limitations of size, floor, renting from another organization they came up with a real possibility for a forever home for PCD. A Feasibility Committee was considered to explore subleasing a space on Forest Avenue. Several different groups explored the large space there and considered how a healing or dance collective could be developed. Much creative energy was put into this possibility, so a larger meeting was formed which raised even more questions and possibilities for how PCD might grow in the future. From that another document was formed to outline possibilities for a forever home for PCD. Many thanks to Deb Grant for this document which is also available in the PCD archives to be used as an outline for things to consider when starting this sort of big growth endeavor. 

A third possibility developed in June/July when the director of Portland Community Squash (with input from Tasja) pulled together several meetings of different dance communities with an intention of forming a Dance Collective. Several members attended these meetings and even toured the possible home on Lancaster Street in the Bayside neighborhood. This project is still in early stages of development and Tasja is our liaison to them at this point. 

And a fourth smaller initiative was coordinated by Kari and attended by Wiz. This involved ongoing discussion and meetings with Mechanics Hall on Congress Street to consider whether that space would be useful for us to use. Ultimately, it wasn’t a better alternative.

Although none of these options resulted in a change, I’d like to reinforce that the energy and efforts that were put into all three of these endeavors were worthwhile in planting seeds and providing practical information which can be access in the future as new initiatives are considered. 

And here we need to offer a big heartfelt appreciation for the current secretary, and all the past secretaries, who have kept well organized PCD Meeting Notes, easily accessible in the Blog Archive going back to 2013. And we will hear more from the Vision Committee and also a DJ proposal to increase the number of DJs allowing us to increase the number of dances each month. And more good news is that we have a nice nest egg financially, which could be used for future endeavors if/when the opportunity arises. 

So it’s been a year of fertile ideas and ongoing dances. 28 dances in 2025 and 9 Meraki meetings. My hope is we keep encouraging new ideas and new initiatives, new committees and new member involvement to truly help shape our future with the intent to preserve the magic and the mystery, the joy and the transformation, the community and the love we experience here together as we join in the sacred power of collective dance.

DJ Report

Kellie and Jason eluded to the upcoming DJ proposal to be discussed and voted on after the meeting. See Meraki Meeting Notes: Dec 7, 2025.

They also noted that we brought on one new DJ in 2025, DJ CJ Fee' (Charity Joy Robinson), introduced at the PCD Fall Retreat. 

As coordinator with Temple Beth El, Kari noted that starting in January, we have made arrangements with Temple Beth el for PCD to offer three dances a month consistently (except for April). 

Greeter Report

Lily shared that we've had many new PCD greeters this year, especially in the last few months. 

She remains committed to overseeing this volunteer role. 

The group expressed appreciation for her ongoing commitment to the role of Greeter Coordinator. 

Capacity Report

Rebecca reported that earlier this year we began tracking attendance due to steadily rising attendance at our dances. For a number of months, Brian was tracking the number of people who came in the door and the number of people at closing circle and comparing it to the money we took in. 

We learned that with a margin of error of about 10%, we consistently have between 60 and 100 people attending dance. 

Although various proposals were introduced during the year to address capacity, they are all on hold given generally steady numbers that the committee feels is within capacity.

Finance Report

Jamie shared our overall financial picture (with images created by Lori and data provided by John), which is rosy. 

Our numbers have been growing steadily over the past number of years, partially due to switching from a suggested donation to a fixed price. 

We have about $25,000 in the bank, which is well above the minimum that we decided to stay above, which is $7000. 

Each dance costs PCD about $500: $200 for DJ, $150 rental, $150 overhead (insurance, etc). 

Wiz Report

Kari and Lori offered this report:

We are the group of intrepid dancers whose goal is to make sure our PCD dances happen smoothly for us all. For those of you who may not know, the name "Wiz" was chosen years ago when PCD was young, and it’s definitely a more fun title than "Operations Committee"! It’s derived from the Harry Potter stories and is short for "Wizengamut," or Council of Wise Folks!!!

What magic does the Wiz make happen for each dance, you ask? (waving a wand with each)

clean floors...

set up sound equipment...

shhh—quiet on the dance floor...

we need signs...

it's getting hot in here...

it's too bright...

break down sound equipment...

manage contents of the lost and lost box...

Kari has had the honor of being the unofficial organizer of the Wiz for several years now and has gained much respect for all that we actually do besides cleaning! As PCD has stretched and grown, our role has taken on new and challenging tasks as we stepped up to meet the needs of that growth.

You mean even more magical magic? (waving a wand with each)

Woah, what's going on over there on the dance floor...!?!

I need help figuring out this whole dance thing with these people?

I'm having an emergency!—help!

Is there a suggestion box around here?

Last year Kari came to realize that it was time to step out of this position and step aside for some one else to take over. Luckily for her, that person is also a dear friend and is as devoted to PCD as she is. 

Thank you, Lori, for stepping up and bringing your great skills and clear intentions and kind nature to lead our little group as we all move forward!

Thank you, Kari, for keeping your loving attention on the needs of PCD for so long. We have felt your deep care. Lori will try to follow in your loving footsteps as the Wiz works together to find easeful resolutions to any new challenges that come up.

Retreat Committee

Nate honored those on the two retreat committees for 2026 (Nate, Nev, Devin, Marion, Tasja, Sunshine, Kiara, and Sadie). In particular, Devin was honored as having written up a playbook for organizing retreats going forward. 

Nate noted that this is the first time PCD has hosted both a spring and fall retreat.

The spring retreat at Oceanwood was the first time PCD introduced a sliding scale to make the retreat more accessible to all PCD members, with no extra cost for different types of rooms (introduced by Nate). We experimented with Oceanwood because we had a number of issues at the last retreat at Ferry Beach in 2024.

The fall retreat at Ferry Beach was much better than in the past, and we continued to offer a sliding scale. 

We will likely continue to offer spring and fall retreats, most likely at Ferry Beach. 

Nate and Kiara will continue on the committee for 2026 and are looking for one other person to join. Please reach out if you are interested in joining. 

Vision Committee

Shelagh shared that the Vision Committee (Shelagh, Deb, Jason, Brian, Tasja, Nev, Kiara, Kellie) has met irregularly since last spring to explore the future vision for our community. 

The initial goal was to offer creative ways of soliciting input from the wider PCD community about what we want for our future in a way that we could process the information in an effective way. However, after meeting a number of times, and taking a long hiatus, the group has not come to a general consensus as to how to move forward. One of the big issues is whether there is enough individual time, energy, and commitment toward moving anything forward in new ways given people's busy and otherwise engaged lives. 

As a result, the committee has formed two smaller groups, one that is considering offering community trainings on various issues around culture (Jason and Brian) and the other that is continuing to explore our mission and engagement as a community (Shelagh, Kiara, and Tasja). 

Please reach out if you're interested in joining these conversations.

Appreciation of Past Officers

Our current officers were honored for their service:

President, Rebecca

Secretary, Tasja

Treasurer, Jamie  

This is Tasja's second year as Secretary and Jamie's second year as Treasurer. 

Electing New Officers

This slate was voted in, donning the royal regalia in the form of passing of the hats from existing to new officers:

President, Brian Simpson (in absentia)

Secretary, Marion Knox (in absentia)

Treasurer, Jamie Scwellenbach

Filling in for each were three stuffed animals. Rest assured, membership, we are in good hands for 2026!!!

Outgathering

(Lyrics co-created by your outgoing officers with musical accompaniment by Cor, sung in unison to the tune of If I Had a Hammer by Peter, Paul, and Mary)

If We Had a Dance

If I had some rhythm

I'd move it in the morning

I'd shake it the evening

All over this town 

I'd wiggle my bootie

I'd open my heart and soul

I'd dance out love between my brothers and my sisters

All over this land

If we had some friends

We’d rock it in the morning

We’d swing it in the evening

All over this state

We'd twirl and spin ‘em

We'd boogie and sweat with them

We'd dance out hope between our brothers and our sisters

All over this land

If we had community
We’d gather in the morning
We'd meet up in the evening
All over this world
We'd join our hands in trust
We'd touch our hearts and souls
We'd dance out joy between our brothers and our sisters
All over this land

Well, we got some rhythm

And we got some friends 

And we got our P! C! D!

Right here in our hearts

It's the rhythm of release

It's the dance of freedom

It's the song about love between my brothers and my sisters

All over this land