Hi Framily!
It seems ages ago that we, with YSBD! leadership and support, closed down Frim Fram for the remainder of March. It was only three weeks ago, but in that time so much has changed. We can clearly see that re-opening in April was very optimistic thinking and so we are prepared to hunker down for April and May as advised by New York City and State government recommendations.
For 11 years we have been celebrating Women’s History Month by featuring female teachers and DJs throughout the month and this one was no exception. Whether in-person early in the month or virtually later, we were so happy to bring joy and connection to the community in the tri-state area and around the world with our killer playlists provided by Stina, Heather and Mimi, and the amazing Live from the Living Room concert hosted by Paul Cosentino and his Boilermaker Jazz Band.
While we are all staying safe at home in the coming months, we thought we’d put together some sweet programming for you. Ryan is going to host a series of record listening parties and an online DJ workshop, Heather will organize an online class for beginners that have just found Frim Fram and are itching to get a head start on dancing the Lindy Hop from home and special guest instructors, DJs and historians will be popping in from time to time to provide some sweet relief to your normal routine.
Some of you have asked, “How can we help Frim Fram?” First off, we want to thank you for the outpouring of concern but want to reassure you that Frim Fram - when all is said and done - will be fine. We have little to no overhead costs, so as long as we have the roof over our heads (that’s YSBD!) we will be back in whatever way makes sense - and is safe - at the time that we do.
Like many small businesses, we are most concerned about the small family of employees that rely on the income that they receive from us on a weekly basis. Gig workers everywhere have seen their incomes - cobbled together from a hundred jobs in a month - disappear in an instant, and for months to come. We will be putting out a virtual (voluntary) admission jar during our special programming to help us keep those “lights” on. The funds will be applied to help support the staff critical to the lifeblood of Frim Fram as much as we can, for as long as this goes on. There may come a time, and we hope it doesn’t come to that, that we may all need to pitch together to help You Should Be Dancing, and we will be holding aside a percentage of any funds raised to go there should they need it. For right now, they are doing ok and are staying focused on paying their desk and teaching staff during the closure.
We hope that you are all safe at home, staying socially distant and washing your hands early and often. We miss you madly, and can’t wait until we can all dance again.