---

Thanks to all who came out to our social on Saturday night at Studio 101. Approximately 75 of you joined us at our first social since New Year's Eve. It was a fundraiser to help our chapter raise the funds necessary to participate in Dance Parade. This time, rather than raffle off goods, we raffled off dances with some of our favorite dancers: Alicia Alvarenga, Dru Brown, Michael Fenton, Megan Furman, Ilya Korsunsky, Vichet Ou and Jana Veliskova. It was a first for us, and I think it worked out quite well. Between the raffle and the good turnout, we raised the needed monies to cover our participation in Dance Parade. Thanks for helping us reach our goal! For those of you who missed it, Raphael Pungin took some video footage, so take a look at what you missed.

Our next social will take place at Dance with Me in Long Island, with the co-sponsorship of Dance Team USA. It will be at the end of June, and details will be forthcoming, so keep your eyes and ears peeled for announcements in this very space.

---

Dance Parade 2008: New York City has been recognized around the world for its nightlife, but did you know that in this day and age, there is still a cabaret law on the books in New York City requiring bars, lounges and restaurants to have a cabaret license if they wish to allow dancing in their establishments? In other words, if you put money in a jukebox at a bar and you decide that you'd like to start dancing to the tune you just picked, and the bar has no cabaret license, you have just broken the law and the bar can get fined or shut down. This outdated law apparently comes from the days of Prohibition, which legal history buffs might know was eradicated by the 21st Amendment. Yet here in the 21st Century, in one of the world's entertainment and culture capitals, dancing is not allowed in a vast majority of bars, lounges and restaurants in New York City because they do not hold a cabaret license. Dance Parade was started last year as a reaction to this antiquated and anti-social law. Dancers of all different stripes and styles -- ballroom included -- came out in force to take the streets of Manhattan and show this city the joys and pleasures of all kinds of dancing. Now we are into the second year of Dance Parade, and I believe the political undertone is still there, but it has now become more of celebration of dance in general, and I am glad to say that NY USA Dance will be part of it on Saturday, May 17, with ballet dancers, jazz dancers, hip hop dancers, swing dancers, salsa dancers and the many other styles and schools of dance that populate our great city. The parade route begins at 28th and Broadway and will end in the East Village, in Tompkins Square Park. Thanks to all who have already told us that they plan to dance with NY USA Dance. If you have not yet signed up with our group, send your contact info to rsvp@nyusabda.org, subject line "Dance Parade" (minus the quotes) and we will provide you with further details about where our group will be lining up. We have a shiny red Jeep Comanche pick-up to carry our music and accompany us down the parade route, and we will have some t-shirts to identify NY USA Dance, so we are looking forward to dancing in the Dance Parade with the rest of the New York City dance community. Hope you will be there to dance with us.

---

Speaking of the wide variety of dancers and dance styles to be found in New York City, you may be interested in catching some Afro-Latin dancing on stage next month. Abakuá, a dance troupe based here in New York City, will have three nights of dance performances at the Tribeca Performancing Arts Center, from June 19 through 21. Abakua is the first dance company to take mambo and combine it with Afro-Caribbean folkloric dances to create a unique fusion that they refer to as "Afro-Latin Funk." These performances are sure to be an exciting and enthralling dance experience, so visit the Tribeca Performing Arts Center box office (in person or on-line) to buy your tickets now.

---

DWTS last week: Once again, DWTS has forced me to eat my words. Mario will not be making it into the final, as he was the next celeb to go last week. Despite Mario's strong dance skills, DWTS -- once again -- reminds me that the show is a popularity contest, and it is more about the votes of the viewing public rather than each celebrity dancer's talent or ability. Exhibiting a strange kind of sadism, the viewing public for DWTS has voted to keep in Cristián de la Fuente, even though we are told that he needs surgery for his torn tendon in his arm in a couple of weeks. Rather than let the poor injured man go, the audience has brought Cristián back for yet another week of one-armed dancing. Who will be in more pain: Cristián, or those of us interested in good dancing who will have to put up with a couple of more weeks of his not-so-good dancing? Yes, I admit that I'd rather see Mario stay and am indifferent as to whether Marissa or Cristián goes. After Mario's ouster, I am not laying any bets on whether Miss Hairspray or Mr. Latin Soap Star will be next to go. As for Kristi Yamaguchi last week, her dancing continues to go downhill, and this time, even the judges had to own up to the fact that her samba just wasn't cutting it. For me, Jason Taylor remains the best dancer among the pack, although I did read reports that his samba was not quite up to snuff. (I had to depart ACME before I was able to catch Jason's samba for myself so I have no first-hand commentary to offer.) I expect to be in attendance at the bar at ACME on Monday night, so please join me and the rest of the gang there!

---

On the social dance tip: Looking about two months ahead, fans of dancing outdoors during the summer in New York City might like to know that the schedule for Midsummer Night Swing has been posted. The fun starts on July 8 and runs through July 26.

For this week, join the fun at Club 56 in Farmingdale, LI, on Tuesday, May 13, for Hot Latin Tuesday, starting at 7 pm. At the end of the week, enjoy some mixed ballroom at the Saturday Night Special, at You Should Be Dancing, near Madison Square Garden, May 17, starting at 8 pm.

---

Reminder: Karina Smirnoff and Louis van Amstel perform at the Suburban Temple in Long Island on May 31. Deadline for reservations is May 24, so you might want to book today to avoid missing out.

---

Speaking of Karina Smirnoff, she is confirmed to teach at the Independence Day Ball, which takes place in the Nation's Capital, July 2 through 6, 2008. Regular registration closes on May 14. Late fees will be applied after May 15, so register now to avoid those fees (you procrastinators, you)!

---

And that just about does it for this edition. Did you dance with your mom on Mother's Day? We sure hope you did! See you at Dance Parade (moms welcome).

---

Yang Chen
President
Greater NY
USA Dance
(NYUSABDA)