As I type this week's edition, I am heading north on US 95, on my way back to New York City from College Park, Maryland, where I was privileged to be the MC at DC DanceSport Inferno. DCDI, as it is more popularly known, is one of the largest competitions on the East Coast, hosting nearly 800 dancers this year for a weekend of competitive dancing. The vast majority of the competitors were collegiate dancers, but a fair number of non-collegiate couples were in attendance, particularly during the Saturday night championships. The competition ran quite smoothly through both days, and most impressive was the number of newcomers who turned out to dance at DCDI. All the newcomer events -- smooth, standard, latin and rhythm -- required at least four heats for the first rounds. In the newcomer latin categories, more than 100 couples had entered, requiring five heats to get through the first rounds. Among the highlights of the weekend was a performance from US Professional Standard Finalists, Linas Koreiva and Ieva Pauksena. Linas and Ieva demonstrated their world-class foxtrot, quickstep, tango and waltz and finished off with their showdance routine, danced to "Don't cha" (by the Pussycat Dolls). And they didn't "cha"; Linas and Ieva melded some foxtrot and tangos instead, to prove that standard is not so stodgy and staid after all. The audience enthusiastically received the performances, as shown by their thunderous applause for all the numbers. Congratulations to the organizers for putting on such a successful event yet again. If you were not able to attend this year, make sure you mark your calendars to attend next year -- it's sure to be a wonderful time.

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As announced in the middle of last week, our next workshop will be presented by US Professional Standard Champion Katusha Demidova. The subject will be "Foundations of a World Class Waltz and Quickstep." Those of you who wish to improve your Waltz and Quickstep by getting tips and insights from a World Finalist should definitely attend. Pre-registration on paypal is available now. The workshop takes place on Saturday, Nov. 10, starting at 4 pm. For full details, click here.

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For those who are interested in taking part in our new Corporate Membership Initiative, the next corporate member event will be a Tea Dance on Sunday, Nov. 11, from 2 pm to 4 pm at City Center in midtown Manhattan. The Tea Dance allows our corporate members to take a refresher course in the dances taught at the Corporate Launch Party that took place last weekend before the Halloween Social. Time is allotted after the lesson for practice. This event is free for corporate members. If you are interested in attending or in learning more, send an e-mail to rsvp@nyusabda.org with the subject line "Corporate" (minus the quotes).

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Last Week on DWTS: Shocker! Cheetah Girl Sabrina Bryan was booted off. This outcome is a harsh reminder that no matter how strong a dancer a celebrity might be, if he or she does not have the fan base, the quest for the Ghastly Mirrorball Trophy will come to a sudden halt. And such was the case here. Sabrina started off strong with a knockout cha cha on the season premiere, and although her last two outings were not as strong as her initial performances, she was still a solid dancer who stood out among the pack of lackluster celebrity ballroom dancer wannabees. Last week, with a score of 25 (too low in my opinion), coupled with what must have been unimpressive voter counts, Sabrina faced the Dreaded Red Light and Ominous Thumping Music and then -- the axe dropped. I, for one, had assumed that Sabrina was a shoo-in for the final but now, that coveted spot in the final is up for grabs. And the way things are going, with another overrated set of 10s from the judges for a so-so Rumba, Mel B. (Scary Spice) may be a leading candidate for that spot in the final. That prospect is somewhat hard to swallow, but if there is any message to be gained from Sabrina's ouster, it's that if you want your favorite celeb to take the top spot at the end of the season, you'd better vote for him or her. The judges' scores, inflated or not, counts for only half. So get out those phones at the end of the show, and call or text for your favorite celeb. Who goes next? It's anybody's guess now.

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Looking to social dance?

• For those out by Farmingdale, LI, you can hit Club 56 on Tuesday nights, starting at 7:30 pm, for some hot salsa dancing, with a good mix of cha cha, merengue and other latin dances.
• If you are free on Friday night, Nov. 9, I strongly suggest that you make your way downtown to the NYU campus for Top Hat and Tails, the NYU Ballroom Club's annual formal, with dancing and a fun dance competition open to members of the NYU Ballroom Club and Team. It all starts at 7 pm, with a buffet dinner, show and general dancing. The party is open to the general public and admission is a mere $5. However, you will need to purchase a ticket from Ticket Central at Kimmel Center, the site of the party, before 9 pm that night. It should be a wonderful evening, so we hope you can make it.

For other social dance ideas, visit Wayne's Dance Commentary or NJoyDancing News & Notes.

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And that wraps it up for this week. See you tonight at ACME for DWTS . . . or see you at Top Hat and Tails on Friday night.

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