PATMAD Information

Mission and Programs

PATMAD's mission, stated in the articles of incorporation, is

Promoting knowledge of and participation in traditional music and dance in the Philadelphia area by sponsoring workshops, dances, and other events that offer musicians, dancers, and teachers the opportunity to teach, learn, perform, and participate.

PATMAD sponsors these programs:

Thursday contra dance in Mt. Airy, PA
Third Saturday contra dance in Mt. Airy, PA
ContraCopia, a 9-hour contra dance Saturday after Thanksgiving
SPUDS, the Philadelphia area open contra dance band
Allons Danser, Philadelphia's Cajun/Zydeco Dance Community

Philadelphia Area Traditional Music and Dance (PATMAD) was created as a Pennsylvania non-profit corporation effective January 1, 2007. Forming this corporation was approved in a community meeting at Glenside Memorial Hall on December 6, 2006.

PATMAD Articles of Incorporation

The Thursday contra dance has been an affiliate member of Country Dance and Song Society (CDSS) for a long time. Effective January 1, 2007, PATMAD received 501(c)3 tax-exempt status through the CDSS group exemption. PATMAD's non-profit filings are available from foundationcenter.org.

Prior to January 1, 2007, the Thursday contra dance was an unincorporated association run by the Thursday Night Dance Committee (TNDC), predecessor to the current board.

Bylaws

Bylaws for PATMAD were approved by the board on June 4, 2007, by CDSS in July 2007, and by the community at a public meeting at Glenside Memorial Hall on September 20, 2007.

Current PATMAD Bylaws
Original 2007 PATMAD Bylaws

Membership

As stated in the articles of incorporation, PATMAD is a membership corporation. The members of the corporation shall elect the members of the Board. Any person who participates in the activities of the corporation may sign up to be a member. The board has established the following procedures for membership:

Membership is good for a calendar year, and must be renewed annually.
Members who sign up or renew in January 1 through July 31 are good through December 31 of the current year.
Members who sign up or renew in August 1 through December 31 are good through December 31 of the following year.

As provided in the Bylaws, members must sign up or renew their membership 4 weeks before voting in an election or community meeting. Members must be in good standing 6 months before becoming a voting member of the board.

Board Elections

As provided in the bylaws, the board has established the following procedures for board elections:

The board shall have at least 5 and no more than 10 voting members.
Terms on the board are for two years. Approximately half of the board members are elected or re-elected each year.
In August of each year, the board forms a nominating committee to recruit and review nominees for the board.
Anyone can nominate a PATMAD member to the board. Nominations must be seconded.
The board runs a membership drive in August or early September, ending by the 2nd Thursday in September. People who become or renew their membership at this time are eligible to vote in the election.
The nominating committee announces the slate of nominations by the first Thursday in October.
If there are more nominations than open positions, an election by paper ballot is held at the contra dance the second and third Thursdays in October.
If the number of nominations is less than or equal to the number of open positions, the new board members are ratified by a majority vote by show of hands the second Thursday in October.
Effective in 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, elections may be done online.
Newly elected board members become voting board members at the next board meeting.
At the first board meeting after the election, the board elects one board member to be President and another to be Vice President.
If a board member resigns, the board may appoint a replacement to serve through the following October. If a board member resigns during his/her first year, the board may designate that slot as a one-year term in the next election in order to keep the number of board positions expiring each year even.

A list of current board members and other volunteers is on our web site.

News Archive

Community Newsletter July 2016
Policy and Procedure for Complaints adopted January 2016
Community Meeting December 12, 2015 Announcement | Notes