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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNomination Submission FormQ1: Your Name Rebecca Ballotta Q2: Your Email Address rebecca.ballotta@gmail.com Q3: Phone Number Skipped Q4: Name of Nominee (Property, Project, Group, or Individual) Rebecca Ballotta Q5: Address/Location (if applicable) Q6: Award Category Preservation Stewardship & Leadership Q7: Statement of Merit - Why do you believe this nominee deserves a Historic Preservation Award? Rebecca Ballotta deserves a Historic Preservation Award because she has single-handedly been able to save, revive and rebuild the 80-year-old legacy, Ballroom Dance Bozeman, post-Covid. Rebecca Ballotta is the current President of Ballroom Dance Bozeman (BDB), with whom she’s been dancing for 20 years. (Ballroom Dance Bozeman has also been nominated for a Historic Preservation Award.) She was asked to join the Board of Directors in 2019 to help with marketing, but was quickly told there was no budget for marketing—that whatever she did, it needed to cost nothing. So, she immediately expanded the number of Face Book groups to which she posted events from one group (BDB’s own) to eight groups, and then wrote an article about Ballroom Dance Bozeman that was published in Bozeman Magazine (February 1, 2020). Because of her musical friendships, Rebecca also facilitated the hiring of Bridger Mountain Small Band (featuring Adam Greenberg and Jeni Fleming) for BDB’s gala in February 2020. That gala was the last dance Ballroom Dance Bozeman was able to host in 2020 due to the Covid-19 societal lockdown. The board continued to meet in 2020, but was obviously unable to plan more seasons. In July 2021, when things finally began opening up again post-Covid, five of the seven Board members resigned at the same time because they didn't think Ballroom Dance Bozeman could be resurrected from the Covid-19 shutdown. That left only Rebecca and the treasurer. Since she was willing, the last official business of the full board was to vote Rebecca in as president. Then the treasurer told her, if she could pull it off, he'd be part of getting BDB going again. If she couldn't, he was done too—said to let him know if she accomplishes anything. This placed the entire weight of Ballroom Dance Bozeman’s survival squarely on Rebecca’s shoulders. She did not hesitate. Rebecca was not about to allow this legacy to die on her watch and she immediately got busy. Since Ballroom Dance Bozeman is a nonprofit organization, which requires the board to have at least three members, the first order of business was to recruit at least one more board member, something the other board members were certain would be an impossible task. However, after making several phone calls to fellow dancers, two of them said yes (Charles & Carla)! So the shocked treasurer stayed on. Next order of business: figure out how to properly run this organization. For some reason, the resigned members resisted sharing any information with Rebecca that would help her pick up the ball, so she jumped into extensive research in order to be the best board president and steer this extraordinary organization forward. She built a brand new website and reorganized MailChimp. With two complete neophyte members and the treasurer who had never ventured into the actual running of events, with board approval, Rebecca figured out the 2021-22 dance schedule while reserving the venue for the season (Bozeman Senior Center), contacted and contracted all necessary music providers for every dance (who were thrilled to be back to work), and updated the other directors at every turn. She then worked with the directors to update and bring into compliance BDB’s Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation. One of the newbies (Carla) volunteered to be the secretary and chair of the two-person event committee (Rebecca being the second person). And together, this new board pulled off a very successful first season post-Covid. The dancers were so ready to dance again! Every year since, Rebecca has continued to learn and grow as a leader and has engendered enthusiastic participation and support from every board member. All agreed that marketing needed to be added as a line item in the fiscal budget each year, so Rebecca has been able to strategically (and frugally) increase outreach and awareness. In 2022, she wrote another article, this time published in Bozeman City Lifestyle Magazine; in 2024, she added a POS terminal at the dances to accept all cards & touchless payments; and in 2025, she enrolled Ballroom Dance Bozeman as a member of Downtown Bozeman Association. She personally designs every promotional flyer (distributed to 30+ places around Bozeman and Belgrade—never done before). Over time, she’s had to diplomatically navigate losing all live music providers (who quit for health reasons), replacing them with all DJ’d music. But, to make sure the dancers still get the most appropriate music for ballroom dancing, she personally constructs every DJ playlist, whether for the “regular” DJ (Joe’s DJ Service) or for when she DJs (which she does whenever needed). She added group lessons at the annual BBQ (which she teaches) as well as annual workshops (enlisting other instructors) to bring in more revenue. She also teaches private dance lessons and even taught last season’s waltz workshop when no other instructors were available. Whatever is needed to keep Ballroom Dance Bozeman thriving and growing, Rebecca doesn’t hesitate to jump in. There have been a couple of “normal” personnel changes on the Board: treasurer retired having been on the board a total of about six years. Carla retired after four years (she still volunteers at events). And recruiting board members is still not an impossible task. Our current board of directors is fantastic and includes (among others) Charles, who has stayed on the board since he first said “yes!” in 2021, and Kenzie, the first-ever young person (23 years old) to join the board. Rebecca is an irresistible force who lifts and inspires those around her! And she has no intention of slowing down any time soon. The list of all that Rebecca has done and continues to do for this organization could fill many pages! But I’ll stop listing now and simply reiterate: Rebecca Ballotta deserves a Historic Preservation Award because she was the only one who stood up and refused to allow the iconic 80-year-old legacy, Ballroom Dance Bozeman, fade away into oblivion. On behalf of all the ballroom dancers in Bozeman, we strongly encourage you to honor her tireless and completely selfless hard work to preserve local history and promote a valued cultural heritage. Q8: If a Project: Briefly describe the type of work completed. Please include relevant history of the structure (year built, original purpose, etc.) Skipped Q9: If an Individual or Organization : Provide a summary of contributions to local history and how they promote cultural heritage. Contributions to Local History: The existence and practice of ballroom dancing provide a tangible record of past social activities and cultural expressions that might otherwise be lost. Ballroom Dance Bozeman contributes to local history by acting as that record of the community's social customs, values, and evolving cultural expressions through the dances themselves and the social events they are a part of. Ballroom dance serves as a medium for passing down cultural knowledge and traditions from one generation to the next, creating a living legacy. Promoting Cultural Heritage: Ballroom Dance Bozeman has been serving and promoting a unique and rich cultural heritage in Bozeman for the past 80 years. From the early days of the Viennese Waltz in Austria to the vibrant Tango of Argentina, ballroom dance itself has always been a reflection of cultural diversity and artistic expression. Ballroom dancing is in fact a colorful mosaic of the world's cultural heritage. Ballroom Dance Bozeman provides a vital space for people to connect, bond, and form relationships, especially important in an increasingly isolated world. If it wasn't for Rebecca Ballotta, Ballroom Dance Bozeman would not be around to contribute so richly! So her contributions make possible their contributions. Q10: Upload photos or supporting documents Rebecca Ballotta photo-historic preservation award.png Q11: Upload photos or supporting documents Letter of Support for Rebecca-from Dorothy Bradley.pdf Q12: Upload photos or supporting documents Letter of Support for Rebecca-from Kenzie Ferguson.pdf Q13: Upload photos or supporting documents Letter of Support for Rebecca-from Michele Letendre.pdf Q14: Upload photos or supporting documents Letter of Support for Rebecca-from Matt Lavin.pdf Q15: Photo Use Permissions I grant permission for the City of Bozeman to use submitted photos in print and digital publications Q16: If you are submitting on behalf of someone else or a property owner, are they aware of the nomination? No Q17: If yes, please provide their contact information (email and/or phone number) Skipped Q18: Are there other people or organizations affiliated with this nomination that you would like to acknowledge? No Q19: If yes, please provide their contact information. Skipped