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Thanks to all who came out on Monday night to ACME for the season premier of DWTS6. Maybe because it was St. Patty's Day, the bar at ACME was packed. Those of us who came early took a couple of tables and hunkered down for some dinner and watched the plasma screens from our seats. Rudy the Bartender has been good to us the last few seasons, but without our crew at the bar, he could not turn on the sound, so we watched the first half or so with the benefit of closed captioning. We groaned in dismay and disapproval at Penn Jillette's opening cha cha. Jason Taylor, the Football Star, was surprisingly smooth and pleasant to watch. Once we sidled up to the bar and took over, the audio came on, and our cheering and jeering continued. Karina Smirnoff, who was rebuffed in season 3 with partner Mario Lopez, found herself with another Mario (No Last Name), this one a chart-topping R&B/Hip Hip crooner. This Mario was also quite impressive in his first cha cha, reminiscent of her other Mario. Perhaps she will go all the way to number one with Mario Deux? The remaining male field was not much to write home about, and as much as I'd like to see Julianne Hough dancing week after week in the competition, I fear that her stay this season will be short-lived and paired with Adam Carolla, say "bye bye" to a three-peat for her.

Tuesday night went to the ladies, and for this one, we were not at ACME. I was not home in time to catch the first two female celebs to dance, but glimpsing the short recap at the end, I have a feeling that Monica Seles, the ex-Tennis Champ, will not be going far this season. Kristi Yamaguchi, as expected, turned in a superior performance with her lithe and elegant foxtrot, and earned three 9s for her very first appearance on the show. It's early yet in the season, but I'd say she has staying power. I was not too taken with the other ladies. I'm not sure why the judges were gushing over Priscilla Presley's rather bland foxtrot, and I have to wonder how Louis van Amstel manages to teach in workboots. I guess he wasn't planning on dancing so much during her lesson?

Next week, all twelve contestants will dance on Monday night, followed by a double elimination results show on Tuesday. Who will be the first two to bite the dust? I say Adam and Monica. What do you think? While you ponder that, mark your calendars and make plans to join us at ACME for the Monday night show on March 24. (And meet our new DWTS mascot, Scibelli. Bring something you can dress him in. If you have no idea what I am talking about, then you must come to ACME on Monday night.)

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USA Dance National Championships will be upon us in less than three weeks. If you plan to compete, the final deadline for registration is this Friday, March 21. It will be the biggest Nationals to date, with over 1000 competitors already signed up and eager to dance, especially as this will be the first Nationals to be taped for broadcast. Be there for this historic event in the picturesque Inner Harbor in Baltimore. More details on this post.

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The trend of turning popular movies into stage productions continues unabated as the producers of "Dirty Dancing: The Classic Story on Stage" have put out the call to audition "amazing ballroom dancers" for the United States premier of this show. If you are or plan to be in LA this Thursday, March 20, an audition will be taking place there, but if you are in New York or its environs, that audition is scheduled for Monday, April 7, in Manhattan -- the Chelsea neighborhood, to be precise. For more details, read this post.

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Last week, I announced that Dance Parade 2008 will be happening on Saturday, May 17. Thanks to those who wrote in and indicated a desire to join us. A couple of updates: Our chapter has been officially registered by our own Queen of the Dance Parade, Naomi Geller, and she estimates that there will be 50 of us. Of course, we are not quite at that number yet, but we'd like to have at least that many people, so if you are interested in dancing down Broadway, please let us know. E-mail us at rsvp@nyusabda.org, subject line "Dance Parade" (sans quotation marks) and we will add you to our group. Also, the organizers tell us that the terminus this year for Dance Parade will be Tompkins Square Park in the East Village rather than Washington Square Park, as it was last year. Not sure about the reasons for the change but it should be fun to end up in the East Village this time. We would be glad for you to dance with us, so do drop us a line if you would care to grace us with your presence.

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On the social scene this week:

• Friday, March 21, Salsa with Rodney Lopez at Dance Manhattan, starting at 9:30 pm.
• Friday night social at Dance with Me in Glen Head, Long Island: mixed ballroom music, free lesson, refreshements, starting at 8:00 pm.
• Saturday night, March 22, launch party for a monthly event called "Swing House" in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, featuring hot jazz and early swing, free Charleston lesson, burlesque, dance numbers, fire spinners, tarot card readers -- sounds like a regular carnival. For more info, read this post.

Looking ahead to next week:

• I hear that a new dance floor has been laid down at Taj, and that may be reason enough to check out Salsa Mondays at Taj, especially if you've never been or haven't been in a while. Monday, March 24, after work.
• Hot Latin Tuesdays winds up the month of March on Tuesday, March 25, at Club 56 in Farmingdale. Be there for the lessons, buffet, great crowd and hot latin rhythms.
• Friday, March 28: FREE Open House at Stepping Out as part of their Sundown Fridays, starting at 9:30 pm. More details here.

Other ideas or suggestions can be found on Wayne's Dance Commentary and NJoyDancing News & Notes.

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For something slightly off the beaten path, there is the Wartime Ball on Sunday, March 30. It is part of an art show called "Disarmory" and will take place on 201 Mulberry Street, between Spring and Kenmare. The Wartime Ball goes from 7 pm to 10 pm, there will be a DJ spinning tunes from various eras and dancing is highly encouraged. The invitation says come dressed in attire appropriate to the conflict of your choosing. Admission is free and so are the beverages. For more information, visit the Disarmory website or send e-mail to db@dbfoundation.org.

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That does it for this edition. Wishing everyone a Happy Easter (or Happy Purim, as the case may be).

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