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How was everybody's weekend? I hope you were all able to get to the final Saturday Night Social at Dance NY on Feb. 9. I was out of town and not able to be there but wish I could have been. Patricia Applegate was there, and she tell us, "Well, there certainly was a party last night at DNY -- it was completely packed -- wall-to-wall dancers for every song. The full range of dancers from college age to seniors, and social through competitive dancers were tearing it up." To read the rest of Patricia's summary, follow this link. Thanks, Trish, for the update!
(Photo, r., of Ed Simon and Karen McDonald, by B. Sherman.)

And where was I, you might well ask? I had the privilege and the honor of MCing the USA Dance North Central Regional Championships (Region 2) in Knoxville, Tennessee, at the foot of the Smoky Mountains. The unique feature of this competition is that the organizer, Tim McGhee, also runs the Smoky Mountain Pro-Am Challenge, so Friday was comprised of a full day of pro-am events, followed by a Welcome Dance in the evening. The performers at Friday night's party were 5-time World Champions Alain Doucet and Anik Jolicoeur, from Canada, who were also judging this weekend's events. They put on a great show, and as former 10-dance champions, we were treated to two different performances that highlighted Alain and Anik's mastery of both the Standard and Latin styles. The amateur events were run on Saturday and Sunday, with the championship events taking place on Saturday night. During the course of the weekend, four workshops were offered, presented by members of the judging panel (when they were not on the floor judging, of course). As a regional event, this competition hosted more than 120 couples from numerous states encompassing the North Central region and beyond. Many Midwestern and Southeastern States were well represented but couples came from as far away as Massachusetts, Iowa and Washington. The event ran very smoothly and everyone who attended had a wonderful time. The results are already available on the o2cm website. Congratulations to Tim McGhee and the Greater Knoxville Chapter for organizing and hosting such an excellent event!

Are you looking to dance on (or near) Valentine's Day? If so, here are some options:

Valentine's Day Dance at Club 56 on Tuesday, Feb. 12, in Farmingdale, LI, starting at 7 pm.
Valentine's Day Dance at Ballroom OFF Fifth, on Thursday, Feb. 14, on West 37th Street between 5th and 6th Ave., with a show starting at 7 pm sharp.
Valentine's Day Dance hosted by the NYU Ballroom Dance Club, downtown at E&L Auditorium at the Kimmel Center, starting at 6 pm, Thursday, Feb. 14.
Finally, on a slightly ballroom (but admittedly not quite) note, there is a Roaring 20th Century Valentine's Day Party in Williamsburg, Brooklyn that features some charleston and lindy but also includes a program of music, burlesque, performances, a variety show and lots more. Doors open Thursday, Feb. 14, at 7:30 pm for the dance lessons and 8:30 pm for the festivities. For more details, read this post.

For other social dance options, check Wayne's Dance Commentary and NJoyDancing News & Notes.

Reminders:

America's Ballroom Challenge continues on Wednesday, Feb. 13, with the Open Standard Championships. Check your local listings for your PBS station schedule.
USISTD Congress at Arthur Murray Studios in New York on Feb. 23 and 24. Lectures and workshops by top dance professionals, private coachings available.

Looking for a dance partner?

Joy is looking for a latin partner, at the silver or gold level, starting this summer. If that sounds like you, check her post and let Joy know of your possible interest and availability.
Anya is a pre-champ level latin dancer looking to jump back into dancing after studying hard in grad school. If you are interested, read her post and let her know.

That does it for this week. Hope to see you at the Valentine's Day Social at NYU.

Yang Chen
President
Greater NY
USA Dance
(NYUSABDA)
www.nyusabda.org
www.nyusabda.org/forums-df
yang.chen@nyusabda.org