Breanna Perry

Dear Dancers and related parties,

I'd like to start by suggesting that if you have no idea what situation I'm referencing in this letter, you go ahead and ignore it. If you're curious because you feel it actually has some effect on you, I encourage you to seek information from all sources. Otherwise, don't get involved! Enjoy your dancing, instead!

With that out of the way, I am writing to you in regards to the email newsletter you may have seen. I know that, at this point, anything I say is an expected refutation of what was written about me, and the impact of my words is therefore likely to be lessened. You may have been surprised to receive that letter instead of a typical dance-details newsletter. You may have wondered why you were on the email list at all. You may have not received the email directly, but had it passed on from a friend. You may not know me, and it is those people especially that I want to address.

Some of what was written is very serious and potentially cause for legal action, particularly the felonious accusation, and as such I will not address it in a public forum, so as to avoid any possible repercussions. Instead, I urge you all to reserve your judgment on these statements until you have been able to gather all the facts and all sides have been represented fairly. However, in the interest of clarity, there are some simple facts I would like to present. If you doubt the information I give below, I would refer you to the current NSDF board members or to Solomon Douglas, all of whom know the facts of the booking situation.

1.) I was contacted directly by Solomon to arrange the dance on behalf of myself and of him.

2.) I then contacted NSDF, in order to ask for their help in getting the information about the dance out to all the dancers in Nashville.

3.) I am in no way profiting from this dance, except that I get to have good live dance music in my town, to dance to, with my friends. All proceeds minus the cost of the venue (to be paid directly to the studio manager) will go directly to the band. So come on out and support live music and local musicians!


It is my hope that in presenting these facts I can allay any fears that anyone might have that would keep them from attending a great chance to dance in Nashville. Attendance of this dance doesn't support me and doesn't support NSDF; there is no taking sides. Rather, your support of this particular dance on Friday night will show your support of good live swing music played for dancers.


I would also like to apologize to anyone who read the letter and has little knowledge of Nashville or its dancers. I don't feel that this newsletter is representative of normal operations in Nashville, and it's my hope that those who have read the newsletter but have no intimate knowledge of Nashville's usual operations will hold their judgment and allow the scene to recuperate on its own. Relatedly, I take responsibility for the email I wrote that was excerpted in the newsletter--though I used unprofessional language, there was no malicious intent and the letter was never intended to be disseminated to a large, national audience. In fact, the email was sent as a personal communication between myself and Jimmy, and was never intended for anyone but him.


I think it has been agreed upon at this point that the newsletter sent out was a mishandling of a sensitive situation. Unfortunately, that mishandling has resulted in backlash on myself, Nashville's other dancers, and our dance community as a whole. For those that don't know me, I'm sorry that your first impression of me has been set in such a negative light, and I hope that you will reserve judgment of my character until such time as you are able to interact with me yourself and form an opinion then. For those who don't know very many Nashville dancers or aren't very familiar with our scene as a whole, I ask the same. This newsletter is not representative of those dancers, nor of the scene they choose to take part in. 


In closing, I want to thank those that have exhibited their support, concern, or even outrage on my behalf--I am lucky to have such friends and professionals in my life, and luckier still to have them all over the country to defuse the situation as much as possible. Please know that the situation is being handled by the two individuals most directly affected, and that Nashville's scene is in the capable hands of all those who care about it.


Sincerely with swingouts,
Breanna Perry