May-June 2015
USA DANCE NATIONALS
CROWNING AMERICA’S
CHAMPIONS Celebrating 35 Years (1980 – 2015)
On The Podium. America’s Future.
Official publication of USA Dance Inc.
Intimate Luxury Dance Cruises and Cruises for Dancers. For adults who like to dances and dress up. Find out why sharp cruise shoppers come back to us time and time again. We can book you on any cruise line on any cruise, but here are some of our featured cruise companies and cruises for dancers.
Holland America
Cunard:
Largest Dance Floor at Sea; ballroom, Latin & swing dance teachers, hosts and music on every sailing.
July 14: Queen Elizabeth 12-day Iceland and the Faroes ® May-October: Queen Victoria 7, 14 & 21 Day ®
Mediterranean Cruises to Spain, Italy, Greece
September 27/October 4: Queen Mary 2
®
New England Canada from New York or Quebec
7 & 14 day
November 12: Queen Mary 2 13-day Caribbean roundtrip NYC ® December 22: Queen Mary 2 12-day Caribbean Holiday Cruise ®
January – April: World Cruises and World Cruise Segments on all three Queens featuring:
January 17/20 or February 1: Queen Mary
®
Cruises from NYC, Fort Lauderdale or Rio to Rio, Valparaiso or Sydney.
January 22: Queen Victoria
®
Dancing with the Stars at Sea.
Meet cast members from the TV show, take complimentary lessons and compete to become the cruise champion. Three cruises left plus the grand champion cruise where selected ship champions compete for the overall season title: June 6 7-day Bermuda roundtrip Boston on Ms Veendam, June 13 7-day Canada New England on ms Veendam, January 3 7-day Eastern Caribbean on ms Nieuw Amsterdam, January 10 7-day Western Caribbean on ms Nieuw Amsterdam.
Princess Cruises Alaska Adventures See the best of Alaska with Princess.
Call for availability for cruise tours for this summer. Many cruises are sold-out as well as 7-8 day land tours. Shorter land tours are still available. Cruising with dancers is always more fun!
Crystal Cruises Featured Cruises
Spend the holidays in luxury and warmth.
12-day Panama Canal Transit from Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco
December 19-January 3, 2015 Holiday Brazilian cruise on the Symphony December 22-January 5, 2015 Holiday Caribbean cruise on the Serenity December 20-January 3, 2016 Holiday Island Roundup on the Serenity December 21-Januaruy 5, 2015 Holidays Down Under on the Symphony
Sydney, Hong Kong or Cape Town
Viking River Cruises
®
February 21: Queen Elizabeth 18-day Sydney to Hong Kong ® March 11: Queen Mary 2 18-day Sydney to Hong Kong ® March 10/20: Queen Elizabeth 10-day Hong Kong to ®
Yokohama or Yokohama to Hong Kong or both
Luxury travel to Europe and Asia.
Call about 2 for 1 rates on cruise and air for all inclusive packages. We highly recommend the Roof of the World Tour to China & Tibet and the Grand European Tour from Amsterdam to Budapest (plus Prague extension).
Not all cruises are escorted. We will help you find a cabin mate or a private host.
AROUND THE G N
RLD WO
Many 2015 cruises almost sold-out or wait-listed. Book now. We can book in both US$ and Can$ for most cruises.
DANC I
January 27: Queen Elizabeth 25-day Cape Town to Sydney ® February 7: Queen Victoria Cruises from San Francisco to
Visit www.cunard.com for a complete list of voyages, but call us for our group rates and special offers.
CONTACT INFORMATION: Vivian Beiswenger 215.855.2711 or (toll free US and Canada) 844.921.2144, info@blsdc.com, www.blsdc.com. Join our mailing list for updates at www.blsdc.com.
with Vivian Beiswenger
May-June 2015 Carson Zullinger
DEPARTMENTS
26 50th Anniversary
Fundraising Campaign
5 President’s Message
Yang Chen, President of USA Dance
6 Milestones
Action Report form USA Dance National
Support for the USA World Teams
34 In The Public Eye
By Angela Prince, Public Relations Director
21 Grassroots
44 USA Dance 2015-2016
25 Socially Yours
46 Ovations - Carson Zullinger
DanceSport Calendar
Chapter Highlights & Achievements
The Annual Membership Meetings at Nationals in Baltimore attracted a wide representation of Chapters to learn more about USA Dance’s Strategic Plans and Financial Report. (Stories p. 4, 5)
By Jean Krupa, Social Dance VP
Professional Photographer, Volunteer
FEATURES Cover Story 12
Crowning Champions for 35 Years
Bill Bohan
(1980-2015) USA Dance National DanceSport Championships By Angela Prince
20 USA Dance Nationals: Meet the Adjudicators
28 On The Dance Floor Runway
What’s Trending in Ballroom Fashion for 2015? From the Celebrity Red Carpet to Nationals
32 Mid-Atlantic Championships NQE Last Chance for Nationals 2015
36 Travel Journal: Senior IV Standard WDSF World Championships in Netherlands By Winston Chow, Louise Giuliano
39 USA Dance KIDZ – Role Models One Way to Jump Start the Year – Dallas (TX) Chapter 5044 board members celebrate winning USA Dance Chapter of the Year. (Story p. 7)
May-June 2015
By Linda Succi, Director, K-12 School Programs
Lisa Dubinsky
Tyler Li & An New Natio na jelica Lowe (CA), Junior I Latinl Ch ampion s, , Stan dard , 10 -Dan ce
40 The Big Band Era – Still Going Strong! 42 Dancing Blind
The Annie Park Story By David Wood, Bob Pratico
45 Invigilation
Changes DanceSport Athletes Should Know By Wayne Crowder, WDSF Adjudicator, Advisor
FRONT COVER: At the USA Dance 2015 National DanceSport Championships, Samuel Hacke & Katarina Hermanova (NJ) won more National Championship titles than any other couple – four in all - Under 21 Standard, Under 21 10-Dance, Youth Standard, Youth 10-Dance. Cover Photo Credit: Carson Zullinger BACK COVER: The momentum begins now for the 36th annual USA Dance National DanceSport Championships
in Baltimore, April 1-3, 2016. In the spotlight: Florin Vlad & Natalia O’Connor (VT) at Mid-Atlantic Championships NQE, Adult Standard Champions. Photo Credit: Eugene Brodash.
USA DANCE NATIONALS
CROWNING AMERICA’S
CHAMPIONS Celebrating 35 Years (1980 – 2015)
On The Podium. America’s Future.
Official publication of USA Dance Inc.
May - June 2015
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regular contributors ANGELA PRINCE Public Relations Director
May-June 2015
Official Publication of USA Dance, Inc.
Angela Prince is the publisher/editor in chief of American Dancer Magazine. She has served as National Public Relations Director for USA Dance, Inc. since 2007. Her responsibilities include integrated communications, publicity, social media relations, sponsorship development, promotional support and brand management.
2015/Issue 54
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: President – Yang Chen, NY Vice President – Shawn Fisher, ID Secretary – Greg Warner, MN Treasurer – Michael Brocks, PA VP, DanceSport – Ken Richards, DE VP, Social Dance – Jean Krupa, FL DanceSport Rep – Inna Brayer, NY DanceSport Rep – Roger Greenawalt, IN
JEAN KRUPA
Social Dance Vice President
EDITORIAL STAFF:
Jean Krupa is the Social Vice President for USA Dance, Inc., and is serving her second three-year term of office. She is responsible for the programs, communications and a 11-district representation for 160+ local chapters and its members.
Publisher/Editor In Chief Angela F. Prince Design and Production SPARK Publications sparkpublications.com Photography Advisor Carson Zullinger Advertising Angela F. Prince Printing Publishers Press, Inc. SUBSCRIPTION: American Dancer, the official publication of USA Dance, Inc., is published six times a year for the membership and is included in annual membership dues. Subscription cost to non-members within the USA: $25/year SUBMISSIONS: American Dancer welcomes submissions of unsolicited articles, photos and other graphics. All submissions become the property of American Dancer magazine and are not returned to the sender. American Dancer reserves the right to edit all materials for space, content, grammatical and preferential reasons. Preferred method of editorial submissions is by written proposal to the editor who will initially review the story ideas and materials and make a final decision whether to request more information and/or publish. Submissions should be sent to americandancer@usadance.org with AMERICAN DANCER submission/name of sender/story header on the email subject line. Photo submissions must be high-resolution jpegs (minimum 300-600 dpi and preferably 2400 x 3600 pixels) and American Dancer retains all first-usage rights to submitted copy and photographs/digital images. PUBLISHER’S OFFICE: AF Prince Associates 11101 Robert Bost Road Midland, NC 28107 704-888-3073
CENTRAL OFFICE: USA Dance, Inc. 800-447-9047 Fax 239-573-0946 Email: central-office@usadance.org
MEMBERSHIP: Online registration or renewals at www.usadance.org WEBSITE: www.USADANCE.org NATIONAL SOCIAL MEDIA: Facebook: USA Dance, Inc. American Dancer Magazine Social Dancers USA Dance
Twitter: @usadanceinc LinkedIn: USA Dance Inc. YouTube: usadanceinc
USA Dance Chapter websites and Facebook pages are listed at www.usadance.org. © 2015 USA Dance Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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American Dancer | www.americandancer.org
KEN RICHARDS
DanceSport Vice President Ken Richards is the DanceSport Vice President for USA Dance, Inc, and is serving his fourth three-year term of office. As head of the DanceSport Council, he is responsible for all DanceSport programs, including athlete relations and educational opportunities, Adjudicator Congresses, the USA Dance National DanceSport Championships, the National Collegiate DanceSport Championships, all Sanctioned and Qualifying Events, USA Dance University and all industry DanceSport relations. He also serves as an elected Presidium member of the World DanceSport Federation of which USA Dance is a member organization.
USA DANCE, Inc. is the National Governing Body for DanceSport in the United States as recognized by the United States Olympic Committee, the International Olympic Committee and the World DanceSport Federation. With nearly 160 local chapters, soon to reach 20,000 national members, from pre-teen to collegiate to seniors and an estimated outreach of more than 200,000, USA Dance is also the representative association for all social and recreational dancers in the country. Membership includes both social and DanceSport, pre-teen through senior, amateur and professional classifications.
MISSION STATEMENT:
To improve the quality and quantity of ballroom dancing in America.
P
resident’s Message
Lisa Dubinsky
A
s president, my top priority in 2014 was to engage USA Dance at the national leadership level in strategic planning. Bearing in mind that 2015 would mark the 50th anniversary of USA Dance’s founding, I believed that the time was ripe to take stock of the organization, understand where we came from, where we are now and where we are headed. USA Dance has grown and flourished over the course of half a century. To ensure that we continue to grow and thrive into the future, I believed that the leadership of USA Dance should seek clarity on the organization’s mission, vision and values. Thus, we began the process of strategic planning last September -- just in time for National Ballroom Dance Week. The process has been challenging and rigorous, and at the same time, productive and rewarding. In the first session, conducted over a weekend in Pittsburgh in mid-September, we set about to clarify our mission, vision and values. The statement of our mission, vision and values can be found in the Milestones section on page 6. The next session, conducted in late November in Columbus, Ohio, after the National Collegiate DanceSport Championships, required us to set our strategic objectives for the next few years. We also started to discuss the tactics that would align with those objectives.
At the start of 2015, we entered the final phase of strategic planning, which required our leadership to prioritize our objectives and then decide on tactics and a timeline to meet our goals. During the second quarter of this year, USA Dance leadership is proceeding to implement the strategic plan. I would like to thank Governing Council members Michael Brocks, Shawn Fisher, Marta Pascale, Ken Richards and Greg Warner for taking part in the in-person strategic planning sessions in Pittsburgh and Columbus, as well as conference calls following those sessions. I am also grateful to Mary Wallace, USA Dance member from the MASSabda Chapter 3002 and a professional consultant, for leading and facilitating the strategic planning process so smoothly and masterfully. My fervent hope is that USA Dance will come together around the statement of mission, vision and values that we developed through strategic planning, and that we can move forward together as one unified organization following a common purpose and vision. In this 50th anniversary year of USA Dance, through strategic planning, we can look ahead to a bright future, even as we celebrate our history and marvel at our legacy of dance excellence. We are pleased that you can be with us for this journey.
Join us in helping to shape the next half century of USA Dance.
Yang Chen
National President USA Dance, Inc. May - June 2015
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Milestones
Vision without action is merely a dream. Action without vision just passes the time. Vision with action can change the world. Joel A. Barker
USA DANCE: THE NEXT 50
THE JOURNEY FROM STRATEGIC PLANNING TO LEADERSHIP STRATEGIES TO ACHIEVE MISSION
DanceSport (Nationals 2015)
Social Dance (Charlotte, Lake Norman Chapters)
Community (Rhode Island Special Olympics)
Lisa Dubinsky
As USA Dance celebrates its 50th Anniversary and looks ahead to The Next 50, it was the right time for the Governing Council of USA Dance to participate in a comprehensive strategic planning process. USA Dance has reached an important turning point with many opportunities ahead. As the National Governing Body for DanceSport in the USA and as the leading ballroom dance organization representing both social and competitive dancers, this process has proved to be a healthy, productive process, yielding real insight and clearer understanding about the future ahead. The overall purpose is to create sustainable strategies that achieve the organization’s mission and to build an internal structure and a support system that provide the resources needed to get the job done. In strategic planning, the questions are basic and essential: “Who are we and what is our purpose?” “Are we doing all the right things?” “Do we understand the changing world in which we operate?” “What are our strengths and weaknesses, our goals and mission?” “Are we all that we can or should be?” “Are we meeting the needs of our members, the industry, the communities in which we operate?” “What are the opportunities and challenges ahead?” “Can we be effective and successful?” 6
The first report from the Strategic Planning team presents the following consensus regarding USA Dance’s Identity, Mission, Vision and Values.
IDENTITY
USA Dance is a non-profit membership-driven organization, representing a fifty-year legacy of excellence in dance, inspiring a healthy lifestyle for all generations, and as the United States Olympic Committee recognized National Governing Body of DanceSport, USA Dance promotes DanceSport as an Olympic recognized sport.
MISSION
To create and sustain a nationwide community of ballroom dancers, both social and competitive, through a network of chapters, spanning all generations, through education and community outreach.
VISION
• To inspire and improve health and well-being for everyone through ballroom dance. • To integrate and strengthen the community of social and competitive dancers. • To create a welcoming environment which inspires joy, excitement and excellence of dance across the nation.
American Dancer | www.americandancer.org
•T o develop and produce world-class DanceSport athletes that excel and win in world competition
VALUES
Community: We pursue dance as a lifestyle, seeking to create an environment that is nurturing, supportive, respectful, social, friendly and fun. Health: We promote the physical and mental benefits of dance for its ability to enhance social well-being. Olympism: DanceSport is a sport recognized by the International Olympic Committee, and as the National Governing Body of DanceSport in the United States, USA Dance is part of the Olympic movement and supports the principles and ideals of Olympism. Education: Through dance, we learn, train and coach, leading to growth, development, achievement and self-improvement, and we provide opportunities for outreach to spread the joy of dance to others. Ethics: USA Dance stands for integrity, social responsibility, democratic governance, civility, and fair play. [Additional Strategic Planning updates will be published in American Dancer Magazine. Member input and questions are encouraged and can be directed to the Strategic Planning Team via the website www.usadance.org.]
USA DANCE AWARDS
2014 CHAPTER, VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR WINNERS The lifeblood of USA Dance is the work of its 158 chapters and thousands of volunteers, And it’s that collective strength and energy that quickly differentiates USA Dance from all other organizations, social or sports, and continues to inspire others to become part of an organization that at the grassroots level can make a true difference in their
local communities and in support of the USA Dance mission. Upon the completion of each year, USA Dance National requests formal nominations from its chapters and members to officially recognize the exemplary work of volunteers – selecting a Chapter of the Year and a Volunteer of the Year. And as the national selection committee
CHAPTER OF THE YEAR HONORING DALLAS (TX) CHAPTER 5044 – DISTRICT 7 PRESIDENT: DIANE MONTGOMERY
The Dallas (TX) Chapter 5044 time after time has proven itself an exemplary chapter within the USA Dance organization. Comparison of the Dallas Chapter to other chapters is probably an impossible task. There’s an inspired, exuding energy in Dallas that’s unique and infectious but it’s absolutely Dallas, never forgetting its Texas heritage or traditions, in the midst of all the ballroom music and high heels. The Dallas Chapter, under the leadership of President Diane Montgomery and a dedicated board, is always in overdrive, initiating new ideas to grow membership (currently 190), to create a special synergy among its members (ages 9 to 93) and to bring ballroom dancing to anyone and everyone in their community (which is not a small task, considering the city of Dallas has a population of 1.2 million). To illustrate the Dallas Chapter’s enthusiastic role as true dance ambassadors, one chapter event stood out midst all the 32 regular dances, charity fundraisers, dance workshops and other community activities -- their 10th Annual Showcase, Hollywood Nights! As they described the event, it was “a spectacular night of performances and more than two hours of social dancing. Sixteen area dance studios, organizations and independent instructors were represented with 29 performances by dance teams, amateurs, pro-am couples and professional dancers, nearly 100 performers in all. Including performers, the total audience was nearly 400 people. Lively social dancing with dance hosts took place before and after the show and during intermission….” And as the Dallas Chapter emphasized, “We promote the USA Dance organization everywhere we go! For instance, several of us go to community outdoor concerts during the summer. We dance at those for fun every chance we get. It never fails--people talk with us afterwards and ask us about dancing. It’s a great way to expose people to dance and get more people interested.”
Chapter of the Year – Dallas Chapter 5044 Board Members: Craig Kunkel, Diane Montgomery, Patty Hunter, Betsy Lee, Shawn Lovelidge, Gladys Jimenez, Steve Martin and Barbara Louisell.
will admit, it’s no easy task to choose a final winner in these two categories. The nominations are impressive. All 158 chapters are working hard to make a difference and out of the 15,000+ social and DanceSport members, there are countless volunteers whose contributions, no matter how small or seemingly unsung, are appreciated at all levels.
VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR HONORING ANNA KOVALYOVA MEMBER, HEARTLAND (IN) CHAPTER 2022 – DISTRICT 3
Anna Kovalyova was chosen Volunteer of the Year in recognition of her tireless, inspiring and productive work as a board member for the Heartland (IN) Chapter 2022. The Heartland Chapter board nominated her unanimously. “Anna truly represents the heart of the Indy social ballroom community; and she plays an important role in everyday activities of the Heartland Chapter. She is very sociable and she works hard to make people feel welcome at the chapter events, thus ensuring Chapter’s success.” Making people feel welcome. Anna has a smile and a kind word for everyone. She has been taking dance lessons for over 12 years, and she graciously takes the time to show the basic steps to beginners and to make the newcomers feel welcome…. Organizing public exhibitions. She brought together performers of different ages, backgrounds and dance skills. In 2013, Anna organized and took an active part in eight charity exhibitions….for the first nine months of 2014, Anna organized eight additional exhibitions…. Promoting collaboration and building strong ties with other organizations: Anna began working with other dance groups in Central Indiana…. By becoming more inclusive, Heartland is able to attract more people to its monthly dance parties and special events…. Promoting Heartland Chapter and strengthening its image. In 2012, Anna launched the annual Heartland exhibitions at the Indiana Roof, the largest ballroom in downtown Indy…. Fundraising for a homeless shelter. …for the Rotary Club’s dance contest and fundraiser to benefit the Hope House shelter for the homeless... Anna recruited a total of 47 contestants from 10 dance studios and clubs and put together a three-hour program. Co-organizer of the Chapter’s annual ballroom workshops. Anna became involved in the Heartland’s second annual workshop…attended by over 40 dancers…. Co-organizer of the Heartland’s 20th Anniversary Celebration. The celebration brought together 19 Clubs from different parts of Indiana totaling almost 220 attendees. Anna personally sold tickets to over 100 of Heartland’s anniversary guests. Volunteer Coordinator for the Heartland Classic. Anna recruited over 40 volunteers for the Heartland Classic competition – the largest number of volunteers Heartland has ever had….
Bill Bohan
May - June 2015
7
Milestones
Powerpoint Presentation by Fabio Bosco, on behalf of the WDSF, discusses the negative impact of competition fixing.
‘THE WAY OF THE FUTURE’
WDSF ADJUDICATOR’S CONGRESS PREPARES USA ADJUDICATORS FOR JUDGING SYSTEM 2.1, NEW ROLES
Latin demonstration by Roberto Albanese with Adjudicator Inna Brayer.
WDSF Adjudicators’ Congress Team. Wayne Crowder, WDSF Advisor; Roberto Albanese of Germany; Fabio Bosco of Italy; and Ken Richards, USA Dance DanceSport VP.
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In Baltimore before the USA Dance 2015 Nationals began, a WDSF Adjudicator’s Congress was hosted by the WDSF and USA Dance, as its United States member organization. This important annual Congress for USA adjudicators is part of the WDSF’s continuing commitment to both education and the official certification of judges within the USA. Guest WDSF lecturers were Fabio Bosco from Italy and Roberto Albanese from Germany. The seven-hour Congress began with Fabio giving a brief explanation of the WDSF Judging System 2.1 and the Criteria of Judging based on the key Four Components -- Technical Qualities, Movement to Music, Partnering Skill, and Choreography and Presentation. Fabio further explained that the WDSF has continued to improve on this system with the development of Performance Assessment Standard (PAS). PAS defines the standards of judging and provides a guide to the scoring method. “Knowing the PAS simply means the adjudicator has a standard from which to assess and award the DanceSport athletes’ scores in a more objective manner,” explained Wayne Crowder, WDSF Advisor to USA Dance.
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To give an example of the PAS used in Technical Qualities, Roberto first listed them in a PowerPoint presentation and then demonstrated how they could be used in evaluating a Latin couple. He partnered with Adjudicator Inna Brayer to demonstrate various levels of the same choreography to make his point. Fabio followed with listing and evaluating a Standard couple’s Partnering Skills using the PAS specific to this situation. “It was extremely helpful for the adjudicators to see the development of the WDSF Judging System 2.1. This method of judging was only used in Grand Slam events, but is now being used in some World Championship events. The more this system is introduced, the more widely it is being accepted as the way of the future.” Crowder said. In attendance were 38 USA adjudicators, up from 35 the previous year. Nine in attendance have now met the requirements to apply for their WDSF Adjudicator’s License. Sixteen new adjudicators in attendance took the General Knowledge test, provided by the WDSF and administered by Wayne Crowder.
DANCESPORT CALENDAR
WDSF 2015 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS USA Dance, as one of 92 member organizations of the World DanceSport Federation, selects Championship-level National finalists every year from the Junior II, Youth, Adult, Under-21, Senior I through IV, to officially represent the United States at the WDSF World Championships and Cups, The World Games and World DanceSport Games. To better support the training and competition opportunities for the USA World Teams, USA Dance encourages individual members, affiliated groups and corporations to contribute to the much-needed scholarship funds for America’s best athletes (see story pp. 26-27). Date 4/25/2015 7/11/2015 7/12/2015 7/12/2015 9/05/2015 9/12/2015 10/03/2015 10/04/2015 10/10/2015 10/11/2015 10/31/2015 11/06/2015 11/07/2015 11/21/2015 11/28/2015 12/05/2015 12/05/2015 12/05/2015 12/19/2015
Location Chisinau, Moldova Rimini, Italy Rimini, Italy Rimini, Italy Prague, Czech Rep. Chengdu, China Nice, France Nice, France Chisinau, Moldova Chisinau, Moldova Riga, Latvia Vancouver, CN Vancouver, CN Vienna, Austria Kiev, Ukraine Salou, Spain Wetzlar, Germany Vilnius, Lithuania Riga, Latvia
Discipline Latin Ten Dance Standard Standard Standard Ten Dance Latin Ten Dance Latin Standard Ten Dance Standard Ten Dance Latin Ten Dance Latin Latin Standard Latin
Age Under 21 Junior II Youth Senior II Senior I Adult Senior II Senior II Youth Junior II Under 21 Under 21 Adult Adult Youth Senior I Adult Adult Junior II
Event Type World Championship World Championship World Championship World Championship World Championship World Championship World Championship World Championship World Championship World Championship World Championship World Championship World Cup World Championship World Championship World Championship World Cup World Championship World Championship
Important Note: The dates, locations and scheduling for any/all WDSF World Championships and World Game events are subject to change throughout the year. Please contact the official event organizers before making plans. USA Dance is not responsible for WDSF changes, errors or omissions within this calendar. Please refer to www.worlddancesport.org for official event and contact information.
NEW USA DANCE CHAPTER IN
OKLAHOMA
USA Dance proudly welcomes a new chapter to the State of Oklahoma – Central Oklahoma Chapter 5056, serving the Oklahoma City and surrounding areas. There are 79 members to launch this new addition to the USA Dance family. New Chapter President is Steve Hamilton.
Ron Hoffman
MEMBERSHIP GOALS: HOW DO WE MAKE THE DANCE WORLD BETTER?
JUST MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
By Jim DiCecca, National Membership Services Director With 158 chapters nationwide, USA Dance is truly diverse in our dancing community. Each chapter’s landscape is different and participation in their respective communities varies. We have many chapters who run regular social dances. Others run DanceSport competitions, many of which are qualifying events for our annual national championships. Still others develop children’s programs, fundraising events, tea dances, theme dances and even Special Olympics programs. The creative endeavors of our chapter volunteers are impressive. The diversity of our membership is recognized -- we have dancers of all ages, skill levels and ethnicities both on the competition and social dance floors. With goals of growing ballroom dancing throughout the country and getting DanceSport into the Olympics, we, as a group, need to grow our organization both in number of members and the presentation of our dance world further. So how do we grow USA Dance, our chapters and make the dance world better? Just make a difference! I would ask each and every member to encourage friends, relatives, co-workers to get out and give dancing a try. Bring them to a chapter dance. Introduce them to others at the dance who will help them get started. Recommend teachers, group classes and places to get on the floor. I especially ask our chapters to expand their activities and involvement in their communities. Think and live outside the box! Chapter members should encourage their boards to include activities they are interested in. Community outreach, kids programs, college programs, social centers and anywhere you can imagine provide many opportunities to introduce ballroom wherever possible. Ballroom dancing offers something for everyone at any skill level or age group. USA Dance offers the opportunity to reach out and introduce the activity that we all love so much. So get involved and stay involved for the benefit of all. P May - June 2015
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All Photos By Moon Dance Studios/Bobby Campbell
Andrew Pool & Connie Carroll (LA)
Duane McKenzie & Carrie DeLorge (MS)
Tyler Vadell & Betty Younger (LA)
THE NEW HORIZON IN DANCESPORT
USA DANCE PIONEERS TEACHER-STUDENT COMPETITIONS IN AMERICA GUMBO DANCESPORT CHAMPIONSHIPS TO HOST FIRST EVENT IN BATON ROUGE, JUNE 26-28
E
xciting things happening in USA DanceSport! USA Dance now offers and sanctions Teacher-Student DanceSport competitions, beginning with the three-day Gumbo DanceSport Championships in Baton Rouge, LA, June 26 through 28. USA Dance TeacherStudent competitions are open to both professional and amateur dance teachers and their amateur students. The new Teacher-Student competitions are included in the new 2015 USA Dance Rulebook, found on the website www.usadance.org. TEACHER-STUDENT COMPETITIONS:
FAQs from Members Does Teacher -Student vary in any way from a pro-am? Do both dancers need be members of USA Dance? And are there any other qualifications that we need to be aware of? The term Pro/Am makes a distinction of competitive categories – a professional dancing in partnership with an Amateur. Under Teacher-Student (T-S) the partners’ personal competitive categories are not impacted. Both partners must be competitive 10
By Ken Richards, DanceSport VP, Photos by Moon Dance Studios are offered as Multi-Dance events. This members of USA Dance, Professional will not change. However, if an athlete DanceSport Athlete, Amateur DanceSport wants to partner with their teacher, and Athlete or DanceSport Official. the organizer decides to offer singleThis new program is being rolled-out dance events, then the opportunity exists as a Special Project of the DanceSport for this. Council (DSC) with a good deal of latitude for the organizers to present T-S as they believe will best serve the members. There How exciting for those of us who can’t find an am partner! What about cost is a minimum set of rules that the DSC and age categories? developed for the launch, to be developed Cost to compete will be established more fully over the coming year. by the organizer of the competition. The expectation is that it will be based on a Is the new category eligible for “per entry” system with different fees for competition at Nationals? single-dance, multi-dance, championship There are no specific plans to offer and scholarship events. Age categories these events in the 2016 Nationals. Yet, the will mirror those of the normal USA Dance future holds many possibilities for State events – but they are based on the age of Titles, Regional Titles, National Titles, the student. International Titles and even WDSF World Teacher-Student Championships. How does dancing in Teacher–Student Please specify the difference between the affect professional or amateur status after that? usual Singles (pro/am or am/am) and An Amateur Teacher does not become a the new Teacher Student categories in “pro” by dancing with their Student in T-S. regards to Junior 1 Gold level? Many Pro/Am comps offer singledance events, where one is marked for More Questions? Write to Ken Richards at a given dance. USA Dance Gold events dancesport-vp@usadance.org.
American Dancer | www.americandancer.org
Observing costumes on the floor: Ann Durocher, Myra Coffield
MORE TO IT THAN MEETS THE EYE
Reviewing shoe compliance: Todd Kirrane, aka “The Costume Guy”.
DANCESPORT OBSERVERS, OFFICIALS OR ‘PANTY POLICE’?
D
By Ann Durocher, USA Dance DanceSport Official, Photos By Lisa Dubinsky
anceSport Observers, or DanceSport Officials at USA Dance competitions have also been referred to as the “Panty Police” and even the “Costume Cops,” sometimes with humor and, at other times, not so much. Although as officials, we sometimes make light of the names, the position is a critical one for USA Dance DanceSport, as it ensures the integrity of not only costume rules, but the overall operations of the national qualifiers and the national championships. Behind the scenes, the work of the DanceSport Officials actually begins working far in advance of the competition, verifying the qualifications of the adjudicating panel and making themselves available to the event organizer for any and all questions that may come up prior to the event. Upon arrival at the competition site, Officials have a check list of items to verify in order to ensure rules and guidelines are followed. They verify that all judges are present and under contract, that all registrants are current USA Dance members, observe the registration process to identify
problems areas, ensure that proper dressing room facilities are available, determine if the ballroom and practice floors meet USA Dance standards and monitor costuming for rule infractions. Then, once the competition begins, Officials are responsible for monitoring the management of the event, music tempos and playing time, issues that create delay problems, and ensuring that the proper number of qualified judges and invigilators are on the floor for all events, not counting other miscellaneous things that can affect the quality of the competition. Following the competition, Officials are responsible for filing a very thorough report that becomes an official document of the USA Dance DanceSport Council. The report is also shared with the event organizer to be used as a tool for improvement. The biggest challenge DanceSport Officials face at competitions is being in all places at all times. For this reason, larger competitions require more than one Official. Ensuring registration It is important to know seamlessness. that the DanceSport Officials serve as volunteers, giving up their weekends to help USA Dance meet its mission and goals. Currently six volunteers serve as USA Dance DanceSport Officials — Scott Coates as Chair, Todd Kirrane, Stan Andrews, Ann Durocher, Ray Kaufman and Myra Coffield. May - June 2015
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C
Jaryd Farcon & Kyla Dzhaniashvili (NJ) WDSF Open Under 21 Latin World Ranking Tournament Winners
over Story
Carson Zullinger
USA DANCE 2015 NATIONAL DANCESPORT CHAMPIONSHIPS
March 27 – 29, 2015 – Renaissance HarborPlace Hotel – Baltimore, MD
CROWNING
AMERICA’S CHAMPIONS
Celebrating 35 Years (1980-2015)
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or the past 35 years, USA Dance has proudly hosted the USA Dance National DanceSport Championships with the distinct honor to showcase the competitive performances of America’s top 65% ballroom and latin dancers who competed at one or more National Qualifying Events throughout the year. This year, USA Dance “Nationals” as it is often called, brought 1,043 competitors to the floor to vye for National titles, and for the Championship-division couples, an invitation to represent the United States at upcoming World Championships and Cups, sponsored by the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF). The 2015 Nationals was once again held in Baltimore at the Renaissance HarborPlace Hotel overlooking the historic Baltimore Harbor, a familiar home for this prestigious event that runs non-stop for three exciting days and evenings.
NATIONALS GONE WILD!
While Nationals was taking place in Baltimore, American Dancer posted a Facebook call for “wild and crazy” photos on the Red Carpet. Competitors were required to post while Nationals was taking place. The result? USA Dance athletes proved it’s no problem to dance and keep up with social media at the same time. A New Tradition at Nationals!!
Award Presentation Carson Zullinger
C. Dan Earley & Ceclia Carlowicz, Honorable Mention Adult Novice Smooth Finalists Samantha Hullihen
lakh ov & Nikita Ma J) V la sova (N Na d ezd a an ce d w o h S , n Adult Lati n ers Latin Win
‘NATIONALS G ONE WILD’ WIN NER
y Lisa Dubinsk
Dwayne Beach, Allen Granzberg, Emily Lin, Giorgio Gagla, Evan Sadler, Charlene Wang, James Repeti, Wenhui Xiao, Prashanth Rajarajan, CindyYan Lin, Sebastian Tomkowski, Anna Raytsina; Adult PreChampionship Latin competitors
Yusif Amsatr & Naomi Spektor (PA) Junior II Championship Standard, 2nd Junior II Championship 10-Dance, 1st Carson Zullinger
Anna Raytsina
Paul Giuliano & Louise Giuliano (NY) Multi-Event Senior III Championship 10-Dance, 3rd Lisa Dubinsky
Jaryd Farcon, Honorable Mention WDSF Open Under-21 Latin Winner Eddie Farcon
May - June 2015
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Under 21 Championship Standard Finals A World Team Selection Event Lisa Dubinsky
USA DANCE 2015 NATIONAL
DANCESPORT CHAMPIONSHIPS On The Champion’s Podium For 35 Years 1980 – 2015
O
utside the ballroom at the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel in Baltimore hung a very distinctive 10-foot high wall banner, recognizing every National Champion that USA Dance has crowned in its 35-year history of hosting the USA Dance National DanceSport Championships. And during the event, there was hardly a time that crowds didn’t gather to look for familiar names of champions who continue to compete, coach or perhaps contribute to dance in other ways. Inside the ballroom, midst the music and cheers, the grandeur and exhiliaration continued. It was history again in the making -- and at the end of three-days of intense competition, 40 more Champions 14
were added to the Wall of Fame and all the 1,043 athletes, who waltzed and rumba’d, quickstepped and jived their way to the podium, would come away knowing the real reasons why all the hard work and sacrifices to pursue their passion were worth every minute of it. At the 2015 Nationals, there were 38 Championship divisions, from Junior I to Senior III. The Senior IV Champions would be added after the Gumbo NQE in June. In Baltimore though for the first time, two Championship Showdance divisions were included. And for the second year, Nationals sponsored the WDSF Open Under-21 World Ranking Tournaments in Latin and Standard. American Dancer
American Dancer | www.americandancer.org
recognizes the top three winning couples in each Championship division; all finalists are listed on the websites www.o2cm.com and www.usadance.org. Photography by Carson Zullinger, except those credited to Lisa Dubinsky or Ryan Kenner Photography.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS. The Senior IV National Championships, all levels, will be held at the Gumbo DanceSport Championships in Baton Rouge, LA, June 26-28, 2015, along with the WDSF Open Senior III & IV Standard World Ranking Tournament. The next USA Dance National DanceSport Championships will be held in Baltimore, April 1-3, 2016.
Junior I Championship Latin (SCRPJ)
1 2 3
Junior I Championship Standard (WTVFQ)
1 2 3
Tyler Li & Anjelica Lowe - CA
Dave Firestein & Nicole Shtern - NJ Mark Starovoytov & Molly Strout - MA
Tyler Li & Anjelica Lowe - CA
Matthew Zoladkiewicz & Abigail Portnoy - NJ David Kobus & Maya Kulagowski - NY
Junior II Championship Latin (SCRPJ) Junior I Championship Ten-Dance (WCRPJWTVFQ)
1 2
Tyler Li & Anjelica Lowe – CA
Matthew Zoladkiewicz & Abigail Portnoy – NJ
Junior II Championship Standard (WTVFQ)
1 Erik Linder & Rickie Taylor - WA 2 Yusif Amsatr & Naomi Spektor - PA 3 Svyryd Syvyk & Diana Byk - NJ
Youth Championship Latin (SCRPJ)
1 2 3
Mike Monokandilos & Sophia Brodsky - CA Kinsley Lin & Michelle Yiu - CA Samuel Hacke & Katarina Hermanova - NJ
1 2 3
Yusif Amsatr & Naomi Spektor - PA Kristers Smits & Sophie Shvartsman - NY Erik Linder & Rickie Taylor - WA
Junior II Championship Ten-Dance (SCRPJWTVFQ)
1 Yusif Amsatr & Naomi Spektor - PA 2 Erik Linder & Rickie Taylor - WA 3 Kristers Smits & Sophie Shvartsman - NY
Junior II Championship Smooth (WTFV)
1 Donovan Kirrane & Katelyn
Photopoulos - MA 2 Alexei Kiyan & Olga Kiyan - FL
Youth Championship Standard (WTVFQ)
1 2 3
Samuel Hacke & Katarina Hermanova - NJ Kinsley Lin & Michelle Yiu - CA Justin Lin & Sasha Dubinsky – MA
May - June 2015
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Youth Championship Ten-Dance (SCRPJWTVFQ)
1 Samuel Hacke & Katarina Hermanova - NJ 2 Kinsley Lin & Michelle Yiu - CA 3 Mike Monokandilos & Sophia Brodsky - CA
Under 21 Championship Latin (SCRPJ)
Youth Championship Smooth (WTFV)
1 Donovan Kirrane & Katelyn Photopoulos - MA
1 Daniel Romaikin & Dakota Pizzi - NJ 2 Ryan Raffloer & Hanna Sverdlov - NY 3 Ariel Milshteyn & Adelina Ishkayeva - NY
Under 21 Championship Standard (WTVFQ)
1 2 3
Samuel Hacke & Katarina Hermanova - NJ Justin Lin & Sasha Dubinsky - MA Mikhail Vorobiev & Sonya Tsekanovsky - WA
Adult Championship Latin (SCRPJ)
1 2 3
Nikita Malakhov & Nadezda Vlasova - NJ Kiki Nyemchek & Magda Fialek - NJ Jason Chao Dai & Sasha Nissengolts - NY
Adult Championship Ten-Dance (SCRPJWTVFQ)
1 2 3
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Mikhail Vorobiev & Sonya Tsekanovsky - WA
Sergey Dementyev & Viktoriya Kolbenkova - CT Denis Kojinov & Jeanette Chevalier - TX
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Under 21 Championship Ten-Dance (SCRPJWTVFQ)
1 2
Samuel Hacke & Katarina Hermanova - NJ
Mikhail Vorobiev & Sonya Tsekanovsky - WA
Adult Championship Standard (WTVFQ)
1 2 3
Earle Williamson & Charlotte Christiansen - CA Florin Vlad & Natalia Linda OConnor - VT Sergey Dementyev & Viktoriya Kolbenkova - CT
Adult Championship Rhythm
1 2 3
Allen Granzberg & Milana Lazareva - NY James Repetti & Alexandra Kopelovich - NY Craig Abaya-Campos & Samantha Abaya-Campos - NJ
Adult Championship Smooth
1 2 3
1 2 3
Paul Freitas & Kelly Glasheen - CT Damian Pataluna & Irina Morozova - KY
Senior I Championship Latin
1 2 3
Adult Championship Nine-Dance
Jonathan Medlin & Malin Allert - NC
Irsan Tisnabudi & Cami Tisnabudi - TX Arkady Rabinovich & Arlene Yu - NY Carlo de Jesus & Kelley Priest - MD
Ryan Kenner
Matthew Shimizu & Jennifer Crown - MA Damian Pataluna & Irina Morozova - KY Evan Schreiber & Hannah Bundus - OH
Senior I Championship Standard
1 2 3
Thomas Yim & Kelly Cheng - CA Xingmin Lu & Katerina Lu - NY Tulga Ersal & Ilkin Ersal - MI
Senior I Championship Ten-Dance
1 Gokturk Yurtyapan & Asli Yurtyapan - WA 2 Douglas Montanus & Olga Montanus - AL 3 Christopher Temple & Jane Ren - NC
Senior I Championship Nine-Dance
1 2
Paul Duhaime & Kelly Madenjian - RI Carmine Rucco & Maria Bolyard - AL
Senior I Championship Smooth Senior I Championship Rhythm
1 Paul Duhaime & Kelly Madenjian - RI 2 Carmine Rucco & Maria Bolyard - AL
1 Jonathan Medlin & Malin Allert - NC 2 Andrew Nordberg & Janie Nordberg - MN 3 Joseph Brogan & Shelly Brogan - VA
Senior II Championship Latin
1 2 3
Arkady Rabinovich & Arlene Yu - NY Carlo de Jesus & Kelley Priest - MD Roger Korsiak & Holli Hornlien - CA
May - June 2015
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Senior II Championships Ten-Dance
Senior II Championship Standard
1 2 3
Hans Stork & Ans Stork - AZ
Joseph Huesmann & Rebecca Yeamans - MD Vincent Feingold & Irina Feingold - NJ
Senior II Championship Rhythm
1 Carmine Rucco & Maria Bolyard - AL 2 Paul Duhaime & Kelly Madenjian - RI 3 Roger Greenawalt & Amy Greenawalt - IN
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John Linn & Kathy Linn - TN Sean Lin & Vivian Lin - NY
1 Mike Lynch & Rose-Ann Lynch - VA 2 Andrew Nordberg & Janie Nordberg - MN 3 Joseph Brogan & Shelly Brogan - VA
Edwin Bugarin & Charlotte Bugarin - HI Paul Giuliano & Louise Giuliano - NY John Linn & Kathy Linn - TN
Senior III Championship Ten-Dance
1 2 3
Gokturk Yurtyapan & Asli Yurtyapan - WA
Senior II Championship Smooth
Senior III Championship Latin
1 2 3
1 2 3
John Linn & Kathy Linn - TN
Michael Otero & Diane Darling - MA Paul Giuliano & Louise Giuliano - NY
American Dancer | www.americandancer.org
Senior II Championship Nine-Dance
1 Carmine Rucco & Maria Bolyard - AL 2 Paul Duhaime & Kelly Madenjian - RI 3 Roger Greenawalt & Amy Greenawalt - IN
Senior III Championship Standard
1 2 3
Hans Stork & Ans Stork - AZ
Vincent Feingold & Irina Feingold - NJ Mike Lynch & Rose-Ann Lynch - VA
Senior III Championship Rhythm
1 2 3
Ryan Kenner Photography
Darry Martin & Jil Coe - GA
Daniel Barber & Carole Barber - NC Roger Greenawalt & Amy Greenawalt - IN
Senior III Championship Smooth
1 2 3
Mike Lynch & Rose-Ann Lynch - VA Daniel Barber & Carole Barber - NC Henry Hudson & Olivia Hudson - CA
Senior III Championship Nine-Dance
1 2 3
Daniel Barber & Carole Barber - NC Roger Greenawalt & Amy Greenawalt - IN Leland R. Whitney & Leslie M. Whitney – MN
Adult Standard Showdance A Show Award
Adult Latin Showdance Latin Show
1
Nikita Malakhov & Nadezda Vlasova - NJ
WDSF Open Under 21 Latin World Ranking Tournament WDSF U21 Award
1 2
Jaryd Farcon & Kyla Dzhaniashvili - NJ Samuel Hacke & Katarina Hermanova - NJ
1 2 3
Ilia Zakharav & Anna Trukhan - NJ Florin Vlad & Natalia Linda OConnor - VT Fernando Lareu & Nicole Palagashvili - MA
WDSF Open Under 21 Standard World Ranking Tournament WDSF U21S award
1 2 3
Justin Lin & Sasha Dubinsky - MA William Stansbury & Jenny Sokolsky - CA Oleg Moroz & Joy Shen - MA
May - June 2015
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ADJUDICATION AT THE TOP LEVEL Conviction To Make The Right Decisions
ALL PHOTOS BY LISA DUBINSKY
A
great Olympian Scott Hamilton once said, “Half of figure skating is opinion, convincing judges.” I would say that Dancesport competition results are entirely about convincing the judges. Dancers have to convince judges to mark them well, and judges have to convince themselves that the decision they are making, in the brief moment that they are given, is ultimately the right one. Indeed, to many competitors and readers, it is probably hard to believe that judges have to convince themselves, but it is true. The stress that judges feel at a competition like USA Dance Nationals is often even more intense than the stress that dancers are experiencing. Ultimately, it is the judge who can cause someone to lose a title and opportunity to represent their country at the world championships. It’s the judges who could possibly shatter someone’s dreams of becoming a professional dancer. And it is because of those marks that a couple didn’t make the final round or because a chairman of judges’ decision, a couple was disqualified for a costume violation. That is why every minute on the panel, the judges, who have the privilege of adjudicating at the USA Dance National Championships, have to convince themselves that the decisions they are making are the right ones.
USA DANCE WHO’S WHO VIKTORIYA DRUBETSKAYA (NY)
National Certified Judge Viktoriya was born in Moldova and came to the U.S. in 1991. She started dancing and acrobatics when she was five. She held the titles of U.S. Rising Star Latin Champion and UK Rising Star Latin Finalist. She was also a two-time World Mambo Champion and U.S. National Professional Rhythm Finalist. She has been certified in LOD Drubetskaya (Language of Dance Notation) and CMA (Certified Movement Analyst) at the Laban Institute of Movement Studies in New York. She has studied body movement for the past 10 years with different movement 20
By Renata Shvarts, Chairman of Judges, USA Dance 2015 National DanceSport Championships
teachers. Currently, she is working with junior competitors and has trained couples to become U.S. Amateur Junior I and Junior II Latin Champions. Viktoriya is credentialed in A+ through D+ by DVIDA.
CLÉMENT JOLY (NC)
National Certified Judge Clement, originally from Montreal, Canada, at early age was distinguished in the Canadian Amateur Latin Championships and later as a Professional competitor became a North American Latin Finalist. He is co-founder and director of Metropolitan Ballroom in Charlotte, NC, where he trains and mentors amateur students and professional instructors in advanced Latin and Ballroom curricula. Clément is a highly
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respected trainer, coach, choreographer and pro-am competitor. In the past three years, his Latin students have either placed as top three finalists or won Joly their respective World Pro-Am Championship divisions. Clement is credentialed by the United States Terpsichore Association in A+ B+ C+ D+ E+.
TREVOR LUFF (CA)
National Qualifying Events, and Championship competitions throughout the U.S. and is one of just a few individuals in the United States qualified to be a certified invigilator for USA Dance. Trevor is credentialed in A++, B++ and C+ through E+ by the United States Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (USISTD).
KIMBERLY SMITH (AL)
WDSF Adjudicator National Certified Judge WDSF Adjudicator Kim has been teaching all National Certified Judge four styles of dancing for over USA Dance Certified 35 years. During that time, she Invigilator has coached more than eight Trevor is a native of England, National Championship where he was the British Rock couples and many others, & Roll Dance who attained USA Dance Champion before National titles. She holds relocating to the both memberships and United States fellowships with the North and was later a American Dance Teachers representative Association (NADTA) and of the United Licentiates with the States in World USISTD. Kim is a member Championship Luff of the National Committee Team Matches. and Treasurer of the U.S. His competitive career included Imperial Society of Teachers of placing in the finals for most Dancing. As a National major competitions in the Certified Adjudicator, she is a Standard and Latin divisions. For highly sought-after judge for the past 25 years, he has taught many NQE and Championship both amateur and professional competitions. Kim competitors in Standard is credentialed in and Latin in the USA and A+ through E+ by most of Asia including the North Japan, Hong Kong, Korea, American Dance Taiwan, Thailand and Teachers just lately Vietnam. He Association has achieved the highest (NADTA) and the certification level of United States a Dual Fellowship in International style and Smith Imperial Society of Teachers of a Triple Licentiate in Dancing (USISTD). P American Style and Theatre Arts from the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD). Resource: Bios provided With this background he by Todd Kirrane, USA Dance has judged many Collegiate, DanceSport Council
“Sometimes out of the worse of times comes the best of times.” – Charleston Chapter newsletter
Grassroots
CHARLESTON (SC) CHAPTER 6021
FROM THE ASHES, THE PHOENIX RISES Event Photos by RL Photography Red Carpet Photos by Pam Levi
From the ashes. . .In February 2014, just as members Allen and Connie Vance were ready to dance their quickstep routine ironically to “Too Hot to Hold,” an emergency call came to quickly evacuate the building. A fire had started a few doors down and all attendees at the Charleston (SC) Chapter showcase had to leave, wearing their showcase costumes and dance shoes to watch patiently for several hours across the street as fire fighters battled to get the blaze under control. Smoke and water damage to the Chapter’s regular “home” was extensive and renovation plans so uncertain that the Board was forced to find temporary locations for their weekly classes and dances. By April, the Chapter board surveyed members about new location preferences. A lease was then negotiated at Pier Point Crossing Center and a new ballroom/studio would be designed and built in the commercial space. By the end of October, plans were finalized and construction began. Then by mid-December, the floor, sound system and mirrors were in place in time for a New Year’s Eve dance. . . .the Phoenix rises. If you know the legend, you’ll understand why the 2015 Phoenix Ball on Mar. 7 arose “from the ashes” to celebrate the Chapter’s 25th Anniversary and the rebirth of their new dance space at Pier Point in Charleston. In both Greek and Egyptian mythology, the Phoenix is a magical bird, grand in size and radiant like the sun, that lives for hundreds of years before it dies bursting into flames to later rise from the ashes, reborn, to start anew. Highlights of the Phoenix Ball celebration were all in the details. Outside, a flame thrower greeted guests as they arrived. Fiery red colors adorned the walls and the red carpet photo area. Ladies were also asked to wear red colors. Fire-colored flowers and red LED lights adorned the tables. And the DJ added some “fire theme” songs to liven up the evening. In addition, The City of Charleston officially proclaimed March 7 as Ballroom Dance Charleston Day. National President Yang Chen was an honorary guest and presented two lifetime membership awards. Dancers from nearby South Carolina and North Carolina USA Dance chapters were invited, and guests received commemorative Chinese lanterns.
Ceremonial Ribbon Cutting: Jan Hyatt (Board), Jane Locke (Board), Dean Riegel (Mayor Pro Tem), Pamela Levi (Pres), Yang Chen (National Pres), Connie Vance (Treas), Sharon Keene (Board), Todd Biegger (VP).
For the Phoenix Ball this time, Allen & Connie Lance were introduced as “Evacuate the Dance Floor” played.
Ceremonial flame thrower outdoors greeted Phoenix Ball guests.
el anean Rieg on ro Tem D P Charlest r e o c y n a a M D m o nty. o u r o ll Ba leston C n o u n ced in Char 7 h c r a D ay a s M
May - June 2015
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Grassroots
LET IT SNOW! GREEN MOUNTAIN (VT) CHAPTER HEATS UP ATTENDANCE WITH BIG BAND SWING TUNES
The Green Mountains of Vermont are often times more like “white mountains.” Ask the natives. Annual average snowfall in the Burlington area, where USA Dance Green Mountain Chapter 3033 is located, ranges from 72 to 85 inches. When there’s snow on the ground, seems that there might be two recreational choices – skiing during the day and ballroom dancing at night. But as the Chapter leadership will tell you, maintaining a dance community in Burlington has had its challenges, until one volunteer suggested hiring a live band for the weekends. To make this financially successful for their holiday social dance in December, the chapter teamed up with local non-profit association Vermont Swings to share the expenses. And by working together, they wouldn’t be competing for the same dancers on the same night. Vermont Swing agreed to sponsor the band – Joe’s Big Band – if USA Dance would pay for the space. It was a deal, and the space was the exquisite Elley-Long Music Center. For the chapter’s Holiday Social aptly named “Let It Snow!,” Joe’s Big Band proved a winning decision, playing all the great favorites from the swing and jazz eras. And with the live band appeal, approximately 160 people showed up to dance, twice the normal chapter attendance. So, in the future, the Chapter plans to collaborate more often. More people = more fun and more time on the dance floor! [And….it was definitely snowing during the Holiday Big Band night.) Resources: Robin Donovan, Bill Heron.
Green Mountain (VT) Chapter’s “Big Band” Holiday Social attracted twice as many dancers. Courtesy of Robin Donovan
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American Dancer | www.americandancer.org
A Starry, Starry Night for Pittsburgh Youth Courtesy of Gretchen Brocks
PITTSBURGH CHAPTER 3007
‘STARRY, STARRY NIGHT’ RAISES MONEY FOR SPECIAL NEEDS, YOUTH PROGRAMS
In March, “Starry, Starry Night” was the theme of a special fundraising gala at the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum in Oakland, PA, benefitting the Pittsburgh Chapter’s Yes, You Can Dance! and Pittsburgh Youth Programs. With 175 people attending and through additional sponsorships and auction donations, the chapter raised more than $14,000. Local media afterwards recognized the special dance performances: showcases by Donovan Kirrane & Katy Photopoulos, Adan Glatz & Gabriella Medina; plus mentor volunteers Chris Roth, Sue Brandell, Ronna Delitto, Tony Delitto, Joanna Reed, Deborah Josbeno, Janice Seidenfeld and Jennifer Freel. As Chapter President Gretchen Brocks explained, the Yes, You Can Dance! performance team program is dedicated to sharing the joys and benefits of dance by making ballroom dance accessible to individuals with developmental challenges, senior citizens and individuals with Parkinson’s Disease. Volunteer mentors provide special support to the performance team. Program founder is Becky Stern. In its second year, the USA Dance Pittsburgh Youth Program involves teaching sixth graders at an inner city school etiquette and the art of ballroom dance. The program is supported by member volunteers under the direction of local dance instructors. The chapter also supports collegiate dance -- its newly formed ballroom dance club at the University of Pittsburgh, as well as the Carnegie Mellon University competitive dance team.
Grassroots JUN 26 – 28
GUMBO DANCESPORT CHAMPIONSHIPS NQE FAMOUS RECIPE, NEW INGREDIENTS The 2015 recipe for the Gumbo DanceSport Championships will debut the new Teacher-Student competitive division, the first USA Dance National Qualifying Event to do so. Event organizer Ann Durocher and her team were accorded this privilege in February by USA Dance, and they promptly began revising the entry rules and explanations necessary to include the new category in the Gumbo event scheduled for June 26-28, in Baton Rouge, LA. “We expect the Teacher-Student category will definitely increase participation in the competition,” Durocher said, “as it opens the door for many students who do not have regular partners at their same age and skill level.” In these categories, only the student partner will be judged. (See page 10 for details on the new Teacher-Student category.) Again in 2015, the Gumbo NQE will include the USA Dance National DanceSport Championship events for the Senior IV age group (one partner 65 and up with other partner 60 and up). The second new ingredient in the Gumbo mix is the World
DanceSport Federation’s World Ranking Tournaments for Senior III and Senior IV Open Standard and both Youth Open Standard and Latin. For the past two years, USA Dance has hosted these events at the National DanceSport Championships and at several NQEs including at the Manhattan Amateur Classic, the Southwest Regionals and The Carolina Fall Classic. This year, the Gumbo Championships will offer at least $10,000 in scholarship awards for various events, an incentive program that is supported by generous private donations and fundraising activities. On Mar. 1 a fundraising dance party in the New Orleans area resulted in a net income of $6,731. This event drew 80 people who were entertained by an exhibition of spectacular dancing by Adult Championship-level competitors Florin Vlad and Natalia O’Connor of Vermont. Each year, the USA Dance Gumbo Chapter 5031 is the official host of the Gumbo Championships; the organizing entity being Louisiana DanceSport. For entry forms and other details of registration and spectating, please visit www.gumboofballroom.org.
Standard Action from the Gumbo NQE 2014
Presentation of Awards at Gumbo NQE 2014
Moon Dance Studios
Moon Dance Studios
Latin Action from the Gumbo NQE 2014 Moon Dance Studios
American Rhythm Action from the Gumbo NQE 2014 Moon Dance Studios
May - June 2015
23
Grassroots ORANGE COUNTY (CA) CHAPTER 4018
PRESIDENT’S BALL AT NIXON LIBRARY RAISES FUNDS FOR ALZHEIMER’S RESEARCH The Orange County (CA) Chapter 4018 rallied behind board member Bruce McCombs in March to successfully host the first annual Presidents’ Ball, a special fundraising dance event in support of Alzheimer’s research to determine more scientifically if dancing can help reduce the risk of dementia in older adults. Approximately 205 dancers and guests attended the President’s Ball, dancing the night away at the elegant Richard Nixon Library “East Room” in Yorba Linda, CA. Also attending was Dancing With The Stars
professional dancer Louis Van Amstel. More than $25,000 was raised that one night, earmarked as funding for the continued research studies by Dr. Joe Verghese of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in collaboration with McComb’s DanCE (Dance for Cognitive Enhancement) Foundation (see story in American Dancer, January-February 2015, pp. 16-17). Afterwards, local newspaper Orange County Register’s story “Fancy footwork fighting Alzheimer’s” explained that the new research study would involve a three
WORD DANCES Joe Sepesy began ballroom dancing in 2009 as a way of dealing with his PTSD. Now, in Word Dances, the author shares his thoughts, offering reflections on and explorations of his many, dancing experiences, hoping to evoke similar memories in others. Aimed at beginners as well as seasoned dancers, this collection speaks to the joy of ballroom dancing and the impact it can have on our lives and well-being.
Now available at Lulu.com, local book sellers, and on-line retailers. Watch for Word Dances 2 and 3 in 2015: Visit www.WORDDANCES.com
OC Chapter Board Members with DWTS Celebrity Louis Van Amstel (far right): Bruce McCombs, Diane Rose, Aydin Aksoy. Not pictured – Bill Rose. Bill Rose
to four-year trial period. And as Linda Robinson, DanCE fundraising chair pointed out, “The study is not drug-related. It’s more of a lifestyle, physical activity focused study….Right now, [dancing] makes a lot of sense anecdotally, but until the study gets done, we won’t have the scientific proof we need.”
“Less is more, and less done well is even better.” —Percell St.Thomass
Percell St. Thomass Ad THE MISSING DIMENSION IN BALLROOM & LATIN DANCE
THE ULTIMATE BALLROOM & LATIN DANCE TRAINING PROGRAM sherriwimberly@gmail.com 601.297.2185 www.percelldance.com 1991 -2015 DanceKinesis & Angelisms are trademarks of Percell St.Thomass. All rights reserved.
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American Dancer | www.americandancer.org
WHY
S
ocially Yours
DANCE SHOES? By Jean Krupa, Social VP
WHY WEAR DANCE SHOES?
Dancing in your normal street shoes is not prohibited at most venues, but by doing so, you instantly make it harder to use your feet properly and it puts you in a disadvantaged position. Plus, a lot of dance venues have installed expensive sprung floors and will not allow anything other than clean dance shoes that have not been worn outdoors. That’s because normal street shoes are not as soft as dance shoes, and you won’t be able to use your feet to the best of their ability. Dance shoes have suede soles, which provide the right amount of slippage, so your feet will glide on the floor enough to dance, but you be less apt to slip and fall.
WHAT SIZE SHOULD YOU BUY? First check the origin of the shoe manufacturer. British manufacturers make shoes according to British sizing, European makers use European sizing and there are also American and Chinese sizing systems, but all these can be relatively easily translated to one another using a size conversion chart available through most shoe distributors and online shopping websites. Ladies, do not wear heels higher than you can comfortably dance in. The higher the heels, the harder it is to dance, and the stronger and more flexible your ankles will need to be. Having heels too high for your
dance experience may add inches to your height, but you could lose a mile in your dancing quality. For many years, slim heels have been popular for dancing Ballroom or LatinAmerican dances. But, if you are not used to wearing high slim heels and find dancing in them difficult, try wearing 2” ladies Cuban (Spanish) heel. They are easier for balance. Also available are flared (flare/fleur) heels, first invented by International Dance Shoes and called IDS heels. Other manufactures followed through and made
“Dancing is the poetry of the foot.”
– John Dryden
their versions calling them Flare or Fleur. Men typically wear 1” low heels for Ballroom and 1.5” Cuban heels for LatinAmerican dances. However, If you feel uncomfortable in 1.5” heels, you can wear 1” low heels for Latin. If you want a heel higher than 1.5” Cuban, there are actually a few choices — International makes 2” men’s Cuban heels. There are also companies that create custom-made dance shoes for people with “problem feet” - defined in terms of pain, or simply hard-to-fit sizes and shapes.
DO YOU HAVE KNEE PAINS WHILE DANCING?
Consider wearing a ballroom shoe with a sprung heel. It works much like a shock absorber and helpful when dancing on a hard surface or unsprung dance floor.
ARE THERE TRENDS IN SHOES?
There is a trend for middle age to seniors just starting dancing to want a lower, more sturdy heel. Another trend increasing in popularity is the Vegan dance shoe, made without leather or other animal products. Although they’re not yet a top-seller, there has been a rising demand for them. There’s also a trend nowadays toward adding crystal and stone adornments to shoes, from simple to extravagant. Dancers are often buying plain satin or leather shoes and adding their own creative touches.
HOW TO CLEAN THOSE SATIN BALLROOM SHOES?
To clean the uppers: put some warm water and hand washing liquid into a bowl. Take a sponge and gently apply the soapy water onto the uppers of the shoes till clean. Then leave them overnight to dry out. To clean the soles: use a specially made wire metal brush to brush off any dirt and dust. Simply brush along the shoe sole from the back towards the front until the suede regains its nap.
May - June 2015 25
USA DANCE 50th ANNIVERSARY THE
NEXT50
EMBRACING THE IDEALS OF OLYMPISM IN DANCESPORT
A Letter from National President Yang Chen To USA Dance Chapters, Members, Supporters
U
SA Dance is proud to be recognized by the United States Olympic Committee as the National Governing Body for DanceSport. One of my duties as President is to represent USA Dance as a member of the MSOC (Multi-Sport Organization Council) at the Olympic and Paralympic Assembly organized annually by the USOC. At last year’s Assembly, held at the end of September in Chicago, I was introduced to the concept of Olympism. It is defined as: “A philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy found in effort, the USA SENIOR III WORLD TEAM educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental Antwerp, Belgium Courtesy of Vince Feingold ethical principles.” All of us who are part of USA Dance embrace these ideals which are prominent in DanceSport. Whether you compete or have competed, have supported or cheered on a DanceSport athlete, you recognize these values to be true and inherent in all those who struggle and sacrifice to be the best, for the chance to represent the United States in world competition. USA Dance was founded 50 years ago to pursue the dream of getting ballroom dancing into the Olympics. The first step to the fulfillment of that dream came in 1997 when the International Olympic Committee recognized DanceSport -which includes competitive ballroom dancing -- as an Olympic sport. DanceSport is already a regular event in the World Games, and in 2013, USA Dance sent representatives in Standard, Latin and Salsa to the World Games held in Cali, Colombia. In December 2014, the IOC approved Olympic Agenda 2020 which accepted USA UNDER-21 & SENIOR I the recommendation that the IOC cooperate closely with the International World WORLD TEAMS M A E Games Association (IWGA) on sports program composition and evaluation. The Rimini, Italy MES T RT GA O P S E potential presented by this collaboration was illustrated at the IOC session via a D A NC OR L D US A W photograph of DanceSport athletes competing at the World Games in Cali. n Taiwa Even more exciting, the IWGA just announced on January 22 that the World Games will be held in Birmingham, Alabama in 2021, marking a return of the World Games to the United States for the first time since the inaugural World Games were held in Santa Clara, California in 1981. DanceSport will be at the 2021 World Games, and USA Dance will be selecting the Champions that will be representing the United States at those World Games. We invite our Chapters, Members and Supporters to join in the excitement of being part of this Olympic movement. Help us develop the talent today that will be traveling that long road to the World Games in 2021. Champions are not made overnight. They must train, practice, rehearse and compete all across the United States and qualify for Nationals at one of our National Qualifying Events. From there, they earn the right to represent the United States in world championships organized all across the globe by the World v Pavlyuk eschysla M f o sy DanceSport Federation (WDSF). Courte 26
American Dancer | www.americandancer.org
USA JUNIOR II LATIN WORLD TEAM Moscow, Russia
Lisa Dubinsky
The path to world representation is an arduous and costly one, with dancers facing the high costs of lessons, coaching, travel, lodging, costumes, dance gear, among others. We seek to enlist your aid to host fundraisers and events that will help us raise the money needed to develop and sustain our DanceSport athletes and propel them to excellence and victory this year and in years to come. The proceeds will help fund athlete stipends that cover a portion of the substantial expenses associated with training to compete at a world-class level. Your efforts will make a huge difference in the lives of our Olympians. Help them achieve the Olympic ideal of creating “a way of life based on the joy found in effort, the educational value of good
USA UNDER-21 10-DANCE WORLD TEAM Ashdod, Israel
Irina Nevolina
example and respect for universal fundamental, ethical principles.� On behalf of our DanceSport athletes and future world representatives, we thank you for helping them pursue and realize their Olympic dreams.
Yang Chen
National President USA Dance, Inc.
May - June 2015
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FROM THE
RED CARPET
50 SHADES OF HOT AND FIERY Arresting Crimson, Scarlet and Ruby Reds
TO THE
DANCE
FLOOR ON THE NATIONALS
‘RUNWAY’
SPORT & ARTISTIC
EXPRESSION PUT
FASHION DESIGNS
TO THE TEST
Mikhail Vorobiev & Sonya Tsekanovsky (WA) Under 21 Championship Latin Lisa Dubinsky
Earle Williamson & Charlotte Christiansen (CT) Adult Championship Standard Lisa Dubinsky
HOLLYWOOD GLAM, YESTERYEAR INSPIRATIONS Oscar Night Gloves, Boas, Bustles & Floral Appliques
I
n Baltimore, for three non-stop days and evenings, 1,000+ of America’s best International and American style DanceSport athletes, ranging from age five to mid-70s, brought to the competition floor their best athletic and artistic performances, in hopes of winning divisions, National Championships and, for some, a place on a USA World Team. These accomplished dancers also brought to the floor the latest fashion trends – total package looks from head to toe, hoping to attract the attention and approval of adjudicators and audiences. Behind the scenes are stylists and designers (and sometimes parents) who have invested time and reputation into creating the winning looks, holding their breaths and hoping crystals and feathers stay glued, straps and buttons don’t pop and all the new fabrics hold up to all the kicks, flicks, leaps and strides.
Mike Monokandilos & Sophia Brodsky (CA) Youth Championship Standard Lisa Dubinsky
Each year, on the celebrity red carpet at the Emmys, the Grammys and even the Golden Globes, there are distinctive design and color trends that are discussed and dished by the fashion, entertainment and news media. For DanceSport, the question is did those trends also make it onto the dance floor runway at USA Dance Nationals this year? See trend ins and outs for ballroom and Latin costumes from fashion designer Galina Tsybikova of Euro Glam Designs/Boston (page 30).
Irsan Tisnabudi & Cami Tisnabudi (TX) Senior I Championship Latin Carson Zullinger
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American Dancer | www.americandancer.org
EMBELLISHED HOT WHITE & ORANGE, THE NEW BLACKS Embroidered Sheers, Sparkling Pearls, Ribbons & Beads
Sergey Dementyev & Viktoriya Kolbenkova (CT) Adult Championship Ten-Dance
Erik Linder & Rickie Taylor (WA) Junior II Championship Standard, Ten-Dance
Lisa Dubinsky
Carson Zullinger
William Stansbury & Jenny Sokolsky (CA) Under 21 Championship Standard Carson Zullinger
Xingmin Lu & Katerina Lu (NY) Senior I Championship Standard Lisa Dubinsky
3-D TEXTURES, LAYERS UPON LAYERS Color Contrasting Underskirts, Structured Lace Matthew Kheyfets & Vanesa Falisova (NY) Youth Championship Standard Lisa Dubinsky
WISPS OF PASTEL, FROM DELICATE TO DRAMATIC Adorned Silhouettes in Pale Pinks, Subtle Blushes, Creams Paul Freitas & Kelly Glasheen (CT) Adult Championship Smooth Carson Zullinger
May - June 2015
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INSIGHTS FROM GALINA TSYBIKOVA
Euro Glam, Dedham, MA
F
ashion Designer Galina Tsybikova began creating ballroom competition gowns for her daughter 15 years ago. Each dress was so unique on the floor and of such exceptional quality, that other dancers started requesting custom designs for themselves. Then seven years later, she launched Euro Glam with a modest collection of six dresses at her first show. Now, eight years later Galina has become a much sought-after designer for DanceSport, offering both ladies and gentleman’s costumes, practice wear, jewelry and accessories. American Dancer was on hand to observe “fashion statements” at the recent USA Dance National DanceSport Champi-
onships, where colors, fabrics and design trends often follow what’s new on the Los Angeles/Hollywood celebrity red carpet. So what does Galina predict we’ll see on the 2015 competition floor post-Nationals?
LADIES’ LATIN: WHAT’S IN AND OUT?
Conservative style has gone out of fashion, only to come back! Maxi dress is one of the most popular styles not only for evening/club attire, but for the Latin dresses as well. But don’t forget, long sleek dress is good only for the high-level dancers. This style will not improve your movement. Fringes, sequins and 3-D decorations still prove popular among many dancers.
LADIES’ STANDARD. WHAT’S IN AND OUT?
High fashion in Standard today is feminine and Retro 70s. It is solid color, multi-layered, stiff net skirt and shorter length skirt which stays two to four inches below the knee. A lot of laces, hand embroidery and batik-style painting are still very trendy. We use it a lot to make our gowns distinguished on the floor.
MEN’S STANDARD. WHAT’S IN AND OUT?
It’s becoming more and more popular for men’s smoking and tail suits to be made from stretch gabardine. We use only luxury collection stretch English fabric, and that makes suits more comfortable and easy to take care of. Very popular is the standard shirt from color fabrics with white pique. The shirts are very stretchy, thin and fit like a second skin.
WHAT IS THE LATEST USE OF STONES AND OTHER ADORNMENTS FOR LADIES’ COSTUMES?
In January 2015, Swarovski unveiled their latest innovation “2088 XIRIUS Rose Cut” crystals, applying a diamond cutting standard to rhinestones. It is one step closer to the actual diamond. New 2088 has exceptional sparkle and light refraction. New colors - Blush Rose, new Crystal Metallic Sunshine and Smoky Mauve.
WHAT IS THE HOT NEW LADIES’ COLORS (OR COLOR COMBINATIONS)?
Color orientation for 2015 is not standard colors. Most popular this Spring/Summer will be exotic bright red, deep bright purple, deep green, summer sky blue and cocoa brown. Solid and bright is the trend of today. Design by Euro Glam Courtesy of Galina Tysbikova
ON THE COMPETITION FLOOR
WHAT’S TRENDING FOR 2015? 30
American Dancer | www.americandancer.org
USA DANCE 2015 SPONSORS & DONORS present AMERICA’S BEST ATHLETES
HIGHEST LEVEL OF SCHOLARSHIPS IN COUNTRY Since 1980, the USA Dance National DanceSport Championships has a revered history of showcasing America’s top DanceSport athletes and proudly presenting them with well earned scholarship funding and awards. On this 35th Anniversary of Nationals, USA Dance awarded more than $68,000 in Championship-level scholarships and an additional $16,900 in scholarships and other prizes to champions and finalists in various divisions. This is the highest scholarship funding awarded by a single USA DanceSport event or association to amateur athletes. Each year, the generosity and support of USA Dance sponsors and individual donors enables USA Dance to support its aspiring athletes of all ages the opportunity to train and compete at the highest possible levels. Following Nationals, the new USA World Teams will go on to represent the United States at the upcoming WDSF World Championships, Cups and Games around the world (see calendar p. 9).
ON THE PODIUM: USA DANCE 2015 NATIONALS SPONSORS & DONORS
Platinum Perimeter Lorenco Industries Inc.
Emerald Perimeter
Aria Services Francis & Catherine Burzik The MAC & Greater New York Chapter 3004
Silver Level
Arlene Yu, Arkady Rabinovich & Mark Mongold Chicago DanceSport Challenge Gumbo DanceSport Championships & LA Gumbo Chapter 5031
Bronze Level
James DiCecca Steve & Pamela Hamilton Henry & Olivia Hudson Los Angeles County Chapter 4031 Carolina Fall Classic Islanders DanceSport Challenge Liberty Ball New England DanceSport Championships & MASSabda Chapter 3002
Individual Level
LLyn Adler Beverly Birkhimer Marian Birth Michael Brocks Matty Bush Wade Butaud Robert & Estella Clasen JADA Judy Martindale Douglas McClellan Patricia Panebianco Patrick Quinn John Santos Patricia Tanzi Eileen Tenn Venus Wilmer Fay Yao Central Florida Chapter 6002 Greater Daytona (FL) Chapter 6026 Richmond (VA) Chapter 6006 Treasure Coast (FL) Chapter 6004
Sponsor Irsan Tisnabudi of Aria Services presenting Senior II Latin Championship scholarships and ribbons. 2nd place to Carlo de Jesus & Kelley Priest (MD).
Photos by Lisa Dubinsky
MID-ATLANTIC CHAMPIONSHIPS
LAST CHANCE NQE
before USA DANCE
2015 NATIONALS
By Kay Teague All Photos by EnMotion Photography/Dave Cunningham
A
Eric Groysman & Shelby Joy Cole Adult Championship Latin
fter almost being snowed out last year, the Mid-Atlantic Championships organizers thought they had dodged the snow bullet this time, the worst snow storm appearing to have avoided Maryland on its way up to Boston. However, you have to “be careful what you wish for” as the weekend experienced record-breaking, frigid temperatures and snow “showers” with gale-force winds, causing the one California judge to endure a 100-degree temperature drop in just 24 hours. Weather aside, the 7th annual Mid-Atlantic Championships was an excellent event.
The Mid-Eastern Chapter 6001 – the first chapter established following the inception of USA Dance (formerly USABDA) – was founded in 1978. The Fall Festival, the Chapter’s first competition, was held one year later in 1979, and the Chapter has hosted a competition almost every year since. The event name evolved over the years into the Mid-Eastern Regional Championships, and for the past six years, it has been organized as the Mid-Atlantic Championships -- the “last chance” NQE event before the USA Dance Nationals. A few dedicated chapter members have been on the organizing committee since Jordan White & Dominique Barnes (NC) Adult Pre-Champ, Novice Latin
Tymur Chumachenko & Daniela Dargis (PA) Pre-Teen II Silver, Gold Latin
ari a Ru cco & M Carmin e Pre II I, r io L),Sen ooth Bolyard (A m S ships Ch ampio n
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Paul G iuli
an o & Lou
ise G iuli a n o (N Y) Senior III Latin
Rodney Berry & Shannon Berry (TX), Adult Championship Smooth
the beginning. And several of the vendors return year after year to what they characterize as a “friendly” event, including VeeFine Music, which has handled the music expertly since 1990. The 2015 Mid-Atlantic Championships were once again held at the elegant Marriott Bethesda North Hotel and Conference Center on Valentines’ Weekend. It is an excellent, competitor-friendly venue, and the vendors are situated conveniently “on the way to the ballroom.” This year, 270 couples competed from 26 states plus the District of Columbia, and 815 entries were danced over the two days. Competitions were offered at all proficiency levels and in all age categories up to Senior III, in both International and American styles. More than $11,500 in scholarships was awarded to the finalists. Saturday daytime events included the Bronze through Pre-Championship Rhythm
and Standard events, while the evening featured all the Semi-Finals and Finals of the Championships in all four disciplines. On Sunday, the Bronze through Pre-Championship Smooth and Latin events were danced. The results are available on the chapter website www. usadancedc.org. Dan Calloway, long-standing USA Dance adjudicator, handled the Chairman of Judges role in his usual efficient manner, overseeing 13 judges from the East Coast to the West Coast. The master of ceremonies was Yang Chen, national president of USA Dance, assisted by Greg Knoop. Len and Dawn Diana were the scrutineer and registrar, and the observers were Ray Kaufman and Todd Kirrane. Cezary Dyrd a & Je nnifer Chin (N Y) Adult Ch ampion ships Stan dard
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IN THE
PUBLICEYE REPORTING FROM NATIONALS: NPR RADIO WAMU 88.5 FM
“VIRGINIA BALLROOM DANCERS TWIRL THEIR WAY TO THE TOP”
N
ational Public Radio station WAMU 88.5 FM in Washington, DC featured USA Dance 2015 Nationals in Baltimore, focusing on the Senior II, III American Smooth couple Mike & Rose-Ann Lynch of Virginia. Show host Lauren Landau attended the Saturday night championship performances, hoping to grab a personal interview with them. Being unfamiliar with how ballroom competitions run, little did the host realize it would be nearly 1 am before she could capture the couple for an exclusive interview. The interviews also involved USA Dance DanceSport VP Ken Richards, Adjudicator Dan Calloway, a Maryland resident, and PR Director Angela Prince, who had a chance to talk about all the wonderful aspects of ballroom dancing and DanceSport. And for the Lynches, there was news coverage on Monday morning news and a fourminute Metro Connection segment later in the week.
By Lauren Landau, WAMU Art Beat April 3, 2015, as reported on www.wamu.org. “Fredericksburg residents Mike and Rose-Ann Lynch glide on to the dance floor at the 35th annual USA Dance National DanceSport Championships in Baltimore. With her deep red hair neatly piled on top of her head, Rose-Ann twirls in a form-fitting zebra patterned dress. The Lynches are among more than 1,000 34
Carson Zullinger
dancers here from across the country, including 50 from the D.C. area. They compete in the American Smooth style, dancing the waltz, tango, foxtrot and Viennese waltz. Mike recently turned 55, placing him and 53 year old Rose-Ann in the Senior III division—the dancers compete in different styles and age groups. But on this night, the Lynches face off against both their peers and dancers ten years their junior.
American Dancer | www.americandancer.org
And they win… in both categories. It isn’t their first time out-performing younger dancers. In 2012, they also took home the gold in their age group and the one below it. Rose-Ann says competing against people a decade younger than her feels “darn good.” “You gotta keep yourself in shape, and that’s one thing ballroom is so good at and USA Dance promotes it is good health,” she says. “You eat right, you exercise, you
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR FOLLOWS MASSACHUSETTS AMERICAN SMOOTH COUPLE TO THE CHAMPION’S PODIUM 100+ year old Christian Science Monitor was on the scene at USA Dance Nationals following Adult Novice Smooth couple Eric Nielsen & Haley Smith-Fries of Massachusetts. At press time, the article was not online yet. Publication online is www.csmonitor.org.
Lisa Dubinsky
make sure you stretch — it’s a lot more stretching now than it used to be — but with all that in mind, yes you can do it. This is the wonderful thing about dance. You can do it the rest of your life.” Rose-Ann and Mike are both retired lieutenant colonels in the Marines, but they still hold full-time jobs. He’s an envi-
those very same things where the brain is engaged, at the same time the feet are engaged to music while holding on to someone.” And he says TV shows such as Dancing With the Stars bring conversation about the sport to the mainstream. “Now even a couple of guys can stand next to the water cooler at work and say,
“You know, you’re Cinderella for how many hours when you come to these competitions,” she says. “The makeup, the bling, the dresses, good-looking men in tail suits. It’s fabulous. You just feel so amazing doing it.” — Rose-Ann Lynch ronment consultant, while she works with the Pentagon Force Protection Agency. “Ballroom is our sense of leaving the workday behind, and when you walk through the studio doors, that’s precisely what you do,” Mike says. “Once you leave the ballroom and it’s time to go home for the night, you’ve really committed yourself to something worthwhile. We’re not the kind that are going to go home and turn on the TV and just sit there for hours on end.” DanceSport Vice President Ken Richards says ballroom dance offers a variety of benefits, in addition to being good exercise. “With children we see the socialization of partnering and of course musical appreciation as well as culture,” he says. “There are also studies that talk about how dancing is a benefit to those with Alzheimer’s because of
‘hey, how’d you like that paso doble last night?’ It’s a popular thing,” he says. “We see athletes doing it and it’s not something just for those that compete but it’s something that anyone can do and enjoy.” When people decide they’d like to give ballroom dance a spin, they often seek out local studios and coaches, like Daniel Calloway. He’s been dancing and teaching for 40 years and is the DanceSport coach for Georgetown University and the University of Maryland. He says there’s a pretty strong ballroom dance scene in the D.C. area. “I could live anywhere,” he says. “I choose to live in Bethesda because it has the best of everything, including ballroom. It turns out that we have many, many dance studios and we have had a lot of immigration, which has really boosted the
The Baltimore Sun’s photographer at the USA Dance Nationals captured Mark Starovoytov & Molly Strout (MA) in the final round of the Junior I Pre-Championship Latin division Sunday afternoon. Algerina Perna/Baltimore Sun
quality of dancing in the D.C. area.” As a judge, he’s seen the Lynches compete many times and says their power as a team stems from their commitment to the sport and to each other. “They take everything very, very seriously,” he says. “They of course work together very well. They’ve got a very devoted marriage and that really, really helps.” Rest of story and radio interview online at: http://wamu.org/programs/metro_connection/15/04/03/virginia_ballroom_dancers_twirl_their_way_to_the_top May - June 2015
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WDSF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
SENIOR IV STANDARD – Feb 20 - 22, 2015 Tilburg, Netherlands ON THE WORLD STAGE
A TRAVEL COMMENTARY FROM USA SENIOR IV COMPETITORS IN TILBURG, NETHERLANDS By Winston Chow
S
ome 60 miles south of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, is the normally quiet industrial city of Tilburg. Nestled in the countryside near the border with Belgium along the Wilhelmina Canal, Tilburg (population 210,000) is well known for centuries as a textile manufacturing center, exporting woolen products all across Europe. But on this wintery weekend of Feb. 20 through 22, the city comes alive with ballroom dancers and enthusiasts. For the first time, Tilburg hosted the WDSF World Senior IV Standard Championships as part of the 2015 Tilburg Moves DanceSport competition. In all, there were no less than 16 WDSF Championship categories, plus another 12 Dutch National events over three days. A daunting weekend, indeed. The huge sports center at T-Kwadraat was the venue. And what a beautiful venue it was. Covering approximately four square blocks, this modern complex houses many sports facilities‌.and one huge sports hall for our ballroom competition. And under this backdrop, 127 couples came from all over the world, representing 15 countries. The largest contingents were 58 couples from Germany and 29 from Italy. The official USA Dance
City View of Amsterdam Winston Chow
36
American Dancer | www.americandancer.org
WDSF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP SENIOR IV OPEN STANDARD
Winston Chow & Lilly Chow
Tied 27-28 out of 127
Paul Giuliano & Louise Giuliano
Tied 88-90 out of 127
NOTE: USA Dance Couple Adel Ghoneimy & Karen Chow also entered the Senior IV divisions in the WDSF Open Standard as well as the WDSF World Championship in Tilburg. In the Open Standard, they placed 20 out of 39; in the World Championship, they tied 69-71 out of 127.
representatives were Paul and Louise Giuliano of New York and Winston and Lilly Chow from California. Adel Ghoneimy and Karen Chow of California also join us as this competition is open to the world. The judging panel was comprised of nine, each representing a different country, which included Wayne Crowder of the USA. It took a total of seven rounds of dancing over the course of more than 12 hours to complete this world championship event. At the end of the day, Winston and Lilly tied for 27th out of 127 couples; Adel and Karen tied for 69th; and Paul and Louise were tied for 88th. Overall, we thought that Team USA managed well. Paul and Louise spent Sunday in Amsterdam, while Winston and Lilly went into downtown Tilburg for a visit. Adel and Karen decided to tackle the WDSF Senior IV Standard event on Sunday and achieved a good result, coming in 20th out of 39 couples.
Team USA at the WDSF World Championships, Senior IV in Tilburg.
I
AMERICAN
DANCER
nterview
WINSTON CHOW & LILLY CHOW (CA)
American Dancer: What makes the Chows a good competitive team? W&L: For us, it’s all about the enjoyment derived from dancing together and being together as a team. The music, the activity, the way we move, the beautiful costumes, all contribute to the atmosphere of dancing. It gives us joy and enhances our ability to cooperate well on the dance floor.
Based on over the nearly 45 years of marriage, we believe that our success on the dance floor is directly attributable to five things: 1) we’ve learned that a partnership requires constant patience with each other, 2) the ability to plan projects and objectives in a cooperative way is critical, 3) all along the journey, we’ve established that persistent collaboration as a team is the key towards satisfying our common goals, 4) success and failures work hand in hand, and we continue to learn from them, and 5) we try hard to maintain our sense of perspective and proportion. Thus, whether in our lessons, our practice sessions, or at competitions, we constantly put these principles to the test.
Paul & Louise
Winston & Lilly Helmut Roland
AD: What's the future for Senior IV DanceSport? W&L: As the lifespan for the human race extends, we would expect the Senior IV levels of dancing to be increasingly more agile, more dynamic, and certainly become more exciting to watch. In fact, we’ve noticed that in Italy, they even have Senior V standard events now. Now there’s something to look forward to. I guess we’re never too old to start dancing.
PAUL GIULIANO & LOUISE GIULIANO (NY)
American Dancer: How did competing at the Senior IV World Championship compare to other world events you've attended? P&L: This was our fourth WDSF World Championship, but the first in standard.
Helmut Roland
This was also our first time in Amsterdam, the others being in Spain and Belgium. Although the weather was cold and damp, the people were extremely gracious and friendly. The general structure of the competition was similar to the others, but the biggest difference for us was that our fellow competitors were closer to us May - June 2015
37
WDSF OPEN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS SENIOR IV STANDARD
Feb 20 – 22, 2015 - Tilburg, Netherlands
A USA JUDGE’S PERSPECTIVE – WAYNE CROWDER
Adel & Karen Helmut Roland
Windmills of Volenda Winston Chow
in age. In previous events, we felt that we were competing with couples our childrens' age. AD: What makes the Giuliano's a good competitive team? Louise: Hard to say. We don't have the "killer instinct" that some competitors have, but we try to practice diligently and drill the basics. Many people have said that we look like we enjoy what we are doing, and I guess that counts for something. AD: What is your unique story, a little history? P&L: We started dancing socially on our 25th wedding anniversary. We will be celebrating our 45th this year. We have now been competing at USA Dance events since the year 2000. AD: What have you learned that gives you a strong advantage as seniors on the floor? P&L: The fact that we still practice and 38
I was excited to receive the invitation to judge the WDSF World Senior IV Standard Championship in Tilburg, Netherlands. The venue was quite modern and impressive. The organizers, Cees Boutkan & William Hermans, did an outstanding job running this fantastic event. The event was well attended with over 127 couples from 50 countries participating. The USA had three couples attend this competition, Winston & Lily Chow, Paul & Louise Giuliano, and Adel Ghoneimy & Karen Chow. Winston & Lily Chow who placed 27th out of 127, started out strong presenting clean fundamentals with a very competitive execution. The Europeans can be quite aggressive in their competitive dancing, but the Chow’s experience in the world arena was evident by their ability to maintain a clean cut ballroom style while exhibiting excellent floor craft in those crowded first heats. Their best dances were the Waltz and Foxtrot where they showed impressive musical style. Paul & Louise Giuliano tied for 88th place. I have judged this couple in a number of USA Dance events and I knew immediately they were not having their best day. I found out later that both were recovering from an illness and lacked the stamina to put their usual performance on the floor. I look forward to seeing this couple in future competitions. Adel Ghoneimy & Karen Chow tied for 69th place. I was happy to see this couple attend this WDSF World Championship. They were a very consistent couple who will only improve as they gain experience in WDSF events. I am always delighted to see the parade of countries at the beginning of each WDSF World Championship event. I was especially proud to
compete in 10 dances, both Latin and standard, gives us an advantage because there are techniques we practice in one style that can help the other. AD: What do judges and the audience remember most when you're on the floor? L: I think they remember us for our attitude. No matter what the outcome, we are enjoying each other, the audience, the music and the dancing.
American Dancer | www.americandancer.org
see three outstanding couples from the USA holding our flag in this outstanding World Senior IV Championships. Wayne Crowder is a WDSF Licensed Amateur and Professional Adjudicator, USA Dance National Certified Adjudicator, and a Fellow of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD).
AD: What's the future for Senior IV DanceSport? P&L: These are not "old" people playing at competition. They may be over 60 or 65, but they are true competitors in great physical and mental shape. Expect a challenge! Senior IV DanceSport should continue to grow as more people reach their 60s and 70s in good health. We can't wait for Senior IV Latin and 10-Dance World events.
USA DANCE KIDZ GOES SOCIAL MEDIA ™
GIVING CHILDREN THE GIFT OF DANCE
U
SA DANCE KIDZ is now on Facebook! USA Dance Chapters, school dance teams and event organizers, as well as sponsors and parents are encouraged to join this growing discussion group, primarily for the purpose of sharing new school dance program ideas and experiences, and making valuable personal connections. USA Dance chapters have jumpstarted many youth teams around the country. Some were instant hits, others simply took more time to develop. Through trial and error, they’ve all learned the ropes on how to work inside their local schools and school districts. They’ve also become great models for anyone wanting to start a local program…and they are all willing to share their experiences. According to Linda Succi, USA Dance K-12 Programs Director, more and more chapter inquiries and discussions have happened since USA Dance launched the Kidz program. “My goal as director of K-12 programs to provide information and to increase team as well as individual youth participation in USA
“We want to bring the joys of ballroom dancing to as many youth dancers as possible.” Dance-sponsored activities. Membership in USA Dance has its unique privileges for school-age children.” “USA DANCE youth members, from pre-teen to juniors, are ideal role models and mentors within their own schools by demonstrating their joy for dance, as well as courtesy, consideration, team building, cooperation and positive athletic spirit. It can be infectious!” emphasized Linda, who also reminds everyone of the many physical, mental and social benefits of ballroom dancing. “We want to bring the joys of ballroom dancing to as many youth dancers as possible.” Start a USA Dance KIDZ program today. Members and chapters interested in starting a USA DANCE KIDZ dance team at their local school, please contact Linda Succi directly at K12Programs-Dir@usadance.org.
Lisa Dubinsky
Two years ago, USA Dance sponsored an intensive training weekend at the United States Olympic Training Facility in Lake Placid, NY. While learning more about the Olympic ideals for athletes, USA Dance Junior competitors came away with a stronger sense of being a role model to other kids, whether they dance socially or competitively. USA Dance DanceSport Kidz are good ambassadors for chapter-sponsored school dance programs. Inquiries: Development Director Ann Durocher, development-dir@usadance.org
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I
t goes with saying that ballroom and swing dancers go hand in hand with Big Band. And dancers wish there were more Big Band opportunities around. Big Bands that have made successful comebacks are often 2nd and 3rd generation musicians who have deep roots in the Big Band Swing era and want to sustain their love for the music and its history. And other than the “ghost bands” of Glenn Miller, Harry James and others that tour, most big bands are talented
local musicians who perform part time on weekends. As USA Dance chapters (for example, LA Gumbo, Greater Memphis and Cedar Valley, IA) know, successful Big Band dances and galas make ideal fundraisers and holiday celebrations like Christmas or New Year’s Eve. Yet, all know, there’s a financial investment to bring in a live multi-player band, but if the event is well promoted and organized, it becomes an affordable “luxury” for members and guests.
For the Love of Swing
BIG BAND COMEBACK IN
BALLROOM
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American Dancer | www.americandancer.org
Cedar Valley IA Chapter 2033 Veterans Event Larry Busch Orchestra Mary Kay Hardinger
THE BIG BAND ERA: From World War II to Today
From an article by Len Weinstock, historian
“As World War II approached there were at least 50 nationally famous big dance bands in the United States and hundreds of others with local reputations. During the war, Swing distinguished itself on the home front as well as overseas, both in uniform and in civies. It was such a positive morale booster that it is arguable whether we could have won the war without it! In the bitter cold of December 1946, however, economic factors brought on the sad decline of the Big Band Era. Six major bands broke up that month alone, but the movement did not die. It only went into semi-retirement….there was indeed a Swing revival in the 1990’s. It was played mostly by ex-Rock and Roll musicians and like all revivals, it lacked the urgency of the original. Nevertheless it was, and still is, danced to from coast to coast by millions of Swing dance enthusiasts. “Each of these musical forms has left a permanent mark on American popular music, especially the sound of the Big Bands which still holds a special place in the hearts of millions of Americans. It was a positive and optimistic music and an inspiration to millions during one of the more difficult periods of American History. It helped guide us through the Great Depression, World War II and the post-war recession. The music was so indelibly etched into American Culture that virtually no person living at the time was ot touched in some deep way by it. Swing music was appreciated at many levels. It fulfilled the yearning for a sentimental, romantic escape from the mundane and at the same time was appreciated for its excitement and even as fine art.”
Larry Busch Orchestra
THE BIG BAND ERA: From its 1920s Origins Beginning in the mid-1920s, Big Bands were the main popular music. These bands did little improvisation. By the end of the 1920s, big bands added more improvised soloing. Radio was a major factor in helping bandleaders like Benny Goodman to achieve fame. Big bands appeared in movies in the 1930s through to the 1960s. Swing music began in the 1920s and flourished through the early 1930s. After 1935, big bands rose to prominence playing swing music. There was a considerable range of styles among the hundreds of popular bands. After WWII, bandleaders pioneered the performance of various Brazilian and Afro-Cuban styles with the traditional big band instrumentation. In the late 1990s, swing made a comeback in the U.S. While jazz “combo” performances are largely improvised, big band music is primarily crafted in advance by an arranger…. Toward the end of the 1920s, a new form of big band music emerged, giving more space to improvised soloing.
Cedar Valley (IA) Chapter Regular
The three major centers in this development were New York City, Chicago and Kansas City. In the first, a sophisticated approach to arranging predominated, originally in the work of Don Redman for the Fletcher Henderson band, later in the work of Duke Ellington for his Cotton Club orchestra, and Walter “Foots” Thomas for Cab Calloway’s, and Charlie Spivak and His Orchestra. Some big ensembles, like the Joe “King” Oliver outfit played a kind of half arranged, half improvised jazz, often relying on “head” arrangements. Other great bands, like the one of Luis Russell became a vehicle for star instrumentalists, in his case Louis Armstrong. There the whole arrangement had to promote all the possibilities of the star, although they often contained very good musicians, like Henry “Red” Allen, J. C. Higginbotham and Charlie Holmes. Resource: Wikipedia
TOP 15 BIG BAND SONGS OF ALL TIME 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
In the Mood Stardust Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be) Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy One O’Clock Jump Why Don’t You Do Right? Marie Sweet Loraine Sing, Sing, Sing Take The A Train White Christmas Chattanooga Choo Choo At The Woodchopper’s Ball Flying Home Don’t Be That Way
Glenn Miller Band Artie Shaw & His Orchestra Billie Holiday The Andrews Sisters Count Basie Orchestra Benny Goodman Band w/Peggy Lee Tommy Dorsey Band w/Jack Leonard, vocal Nat “King” Cole Trio Benny Goodman & His Orchestra Duke Ellington Bing Crosby Glenn Miller Band, w/Tex Benecke & The Modernaires Woody Herman Orchestra Lionel Hampton Band Benny Goodman Orchestra
Greater Memphis Chapter 2012, Edd Jones Orchestra Sylvia Rose
BIG BAND
FACT: Any jazz band with 10 25 instruments is a Big Band. Most common number of instruments is 17 – five saxophones, four trumpets, four trombones and four “rhythm” instruments (piano, bass, drums, guitar).
Green Mountain (VT) Chapter 3033 joint Holiday Dance with Vermont Swings, featuring Joe’s Big Band, increased dance attendance by 200%. Courtesy of Robin Donovan
May - June 2015
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DANCING BLIND : The Annie Park Story 42
‘There is no Braille for dance steps.’
American Dancer | www.americandancer.org
“There is no better way to thank God for your sight than by giving a helping hand to someone in the dark.” – Helen Keller
By David Wood, Reporter/Photojournalist, WHNT News (Huntsville, AL) & Bob Pratico, Instructor/USA Dance member sk any ballroom dance instructor you can find about the prospect of teaching a novice to proficiently Paso Doble, Quickstep or Tango. They’d tell you without hesitation, that it’s certainly going to take plenty of practice and willingness to work hard. Tell the instructor their fledgling student has been blind since birth, and they’re likely to look at you as if you’ve shuffled one too many rounds of continuous cha-cha in an all night, dance-untilyou-drop Latin rhythm competition. Think of the world’s famous dancers, classic or contemporary. They all have many attributes in common. Those among us who share a mastery of fanciful footwork also share poise, dedication, agility and vision — and I don’t mean creative foresight or artistic intuition. By vision, I mean the ability to actually see. How, after all, could one expect to study, observe, absorb then replicate specific dance maneuvers without the benefit of sight? There is no Braille for dance steps. Professionals might not go so far as to say the thought of instructing a blind dancer would be ‘impossible’, but they would likely at least admit the effort and the outcome, while admirable, may not be pretty. Enter Annie Park of Huntsville, AL to prove them all wrong. In addition to falling shy of the typical demographic interested in ballroom dance, the 19-year-old has also been blind since birth. Annie has always loved music and dance, but in July of last year her dream of sailing across a dance floor started to become a reality. When they heard about Annie’s desire to dance, Bob and Debbie Pratico (USA Dance North Alabama Chapter 6114) offered to give Annie lessons free of charge, and Southern Elegance Dance Studio owner Rick Jones graciously agreed to forego the floor fee. Atlanta Professional dancer Jari Muller also freely dedicated some of his time to help instruct the teen when he visited Huntsville. Bob also corresponded with Professional Instructor/Judge Larinda McRaven of Boston, who had taught a blind person to dance several years ago….who told me this is probably going to be one of the most challenging things I will ever do, but probably one of the most rewarding things I will do — and she was right,” Bob said.
“I was amazed at how fast Annie could learn. A photographic memory, but extremely challenging to communicate with,” Bob admitted. “You just can’t say, ‘look in the mirror, do this,’ someone who’s never seen, has no concept of what a hand looks like. And so very quickly on we realized the best way to teach her was my wife would make the shape that we need her to make and she’d feel my wife all over and immediately understand and make the shape.” He said it didn’t take long after starting lessons to realize Annie’s potential….and said Annie completely and fearlessly trusts whoever is leading her on the dance floor. In just one month, Annie learned basic social waltz, tango, foxtrot, swing, rumba and even simple quickstep. Annie, blind since birth, was adopted out of a Russian orphanage in 1999 at the age of four by Terry and Syble Park of Huntsville, who were working in Russia as Christian missionaries.
“Annie has gorgeous posture, unusual for a blind person, the result of her mother making her practice walking with a book on her head for several years as a child.”
A
In the fall of 2014, Annie performed a Showcase waltz in her first public exhibition after only three months of instruction, astounding everyone in the audience. One month later she performed in a second Showcase exhibition with dozens of other couples (all far more experienced); her performance received a standing ovation. Two months later, she danced yet a third Showcase exhibition. What’s ahead for Annie in 2015? Annie, now a senior (and valedictorian of her class) at the Alabama School for the Blind in Talladega, AL, makes hometown pilgrimages to Huntsville each weekend to continue instruction. She will be attending the University of North Alabama in the Fall and plans to continue her dancing from there. In January, she competed in Nashville in the ProAm division with Jari Muller in Bronze Standard, again amazing both judges and audience.…and she will be competing with Bob in the new Teacher/Student division at the USA Dance Gumbo DanceSport Championships in June in Bronze/Silver Standard and Smooth and perhaps the Carolina Fall Classic in October. May - June 2015
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DANCESPORT CALENDAR 2015-2016 May 2015
October 2015
Rocky Mountain Spring Competition May 30, 2015 Hosted by USA Dance Denver Chapter #5006 Denver Turnverein - Denver, CO
Carolina Fall Classic – 2016 NQE October 2 - 4, 2015 Organized by Wayne & Marie Crowder University Hilton - Charlotte NC
River City Ball May 30, 2015 Hosted by Portland Chapter #1006 Ballroom Dance Company – Portland, OR
WDSF Open Senior I & II Standard & Latin October 2 - 4, 2015 Events held at Carolina Fall Classic University Hilton – Charlotte, NC
June 2015 NJ DanceSport Classic - Summer Sizzler – 2016 NQE June 6-7, 2015 Organized by Mario Battista & Wendi Davies Rogers DanceSport Center - Hackensack NJ Gumbo DanceSport Championships – 2016 NQE June 26-28, 2015 Hosted by Louisiana Gumbo Chapter #5031 Crowne Plaza - Baton Rouge LA WDSF Open Senior III & IV Standard June 26 - 28, 2015 Events held at the Gumbo DanceSport Championships Crowne Plaza - Baton Rouge, LA
July 2015 Mid-Summer Classic July 25, 2015 Hosted by Southern Star Chapter #6038 Rhapsody Ballroom – Tampa, FL
September 2015 Kansas City Dance Classic September 12, 2015 Organized by Matt & Ellen Pansing Camelot Ballroom - Overland Park, KS (Kansas City) Rocky Mountain Fall Competition September 19, 2015 Hosted by USA Dance Denver Chapter #5006 Denver Turnverein - Denver, CO Quest For The Best September 26, 2015 Hosted by Seattle Chapter #1004 The Verve Ballroom – Lynnwood, WA New England DanceSport Championships – 2016 NQE September 25-27, 2015 Hosted by MASSabda Chapter #3002 Westin Hotel - Waltham, MA WDSF Open Under-21 Standard, 10-Dance & Latin September 25-27, 2015 Events held at New England DanceSport Championships Westin Hotel - Waltham, MA CODING: All National Qualifying Events for the 2015 and 2016 USA Dance National DanceSport Championships are identified by (Year) NQE. COMPETITOR ELIGIBILITY: Please refer to USA Dance Rulebook (Eligibility Criteria 4.2 and 4.3) for complete qualification details to participate in the USA Dance National DanceSport Championships. All USA Dance active members are permitted to dance in any and all events listed above. Please note that events above designated ** do not
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Liberty Ball **(see note) October 10, 2015 Organized by Renata Shvarts & Steve Mesh Klein JCC - Philadelphia, PA NJ DanceSport Classic – Fall Frolic ** (see note) October 2015 Organized by Wendi Davies Rogers Dance Center - Hackensack, NJ (Note: Date to be announced) Chicago DanceSport Challenge – 2016 NQE October 30 - November 1, 2015 Hosted by Chicagoland Chapter #2001 Hyatt O’Hare Hotel - Chicago, IL WDSF Open Adult Standard, 10-Dance & Latin October 30 - November 1, 2015 Events held at the Chicago DanceSport Challenge Hyatt O'Hare Hotel - Chicago, IL
November 2015 California State DanceSport Championships – 2016 NQE November 7, 2015 Hosted by NorCal Chapter #4004 San Jose Civic — San Jose, CA National Collegiate DanceSport Championships November 21-22, 2015 Hosted by USA Dance National Columbus Convention Center – Columbus, OH
January 2016 Islanders DanceSport Challenge ** (see note) January 9, 2016 Organized by Renata Shvarts Olympia Recreational Center - Staten Island, NY Manhattan Amateur Classic (The MAC) - 2016 NQE January 15-17, 2016 Hosted by Greater New York Chapter #3004 (Note: Location to be announced) WDSF Open Junior II Standard & Latin January 15-16, 2016 Events held at Manhattan Amateur Classic. (Note: Location to be announced) Florida Fun Amateur Mini-Match ** (see note) January 2016 Organized by Mary K. Thomas Circle Square Cultural Center - Ocala, FL (Note: Date to be announced) accrue proficiency points and may not follow all rules in the Rulebook. http://usadance.org/dancesport/forms-andresources/rules-policies-and-bylaws/ SPECTATOR TICKETS: Please contact the individual competition websites/organizers listed on the USA Dance website visit www.usadance.org. For USA Dance Nationals tickets, please visit via www.usadancenationals.com. CALENDAR DISCLAIMER: All USA Dance sanctioned and listed competition events and activities within this
American Dancer | www.americandancer.org
PDX Classic - 2016 NQE January 20, 2016 Hosted by Portland Chapter #1006 The Ballroom Dance Company - Tigard, OR Winter Frolic ** (see note) January 30, 2016 Hosted by Royal Palm Chapter #6016 Gold Coast Ballroom - Coconut Creek, FL
February 2016 Quest For The Best ** (see note) February 2016 Hosted by Seattle Chapter #1004 The Verve Ballroom – Lynnwood, WA (Note: Date to be announced) Mid-Atlantic Championships – 2016 NQE February 20 - 21, 2016 Hosted by Mid-Eastern Chapter #6001 North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center - Bethesda, MD
March 2016 NJ DanceSport Classic – Spring Fling ** (see note) March 2016 Organized by Wendi Davies Rogers Dance Center – Hackensack, NJ (Note: Date to be announced) Phoenix USA DanceSport Challenge ** (see note) March 2016 Hosted by Phoenix Chapter #4033 El Zaribah Shrine Hall - Phoenix, AZ (Note: Date to be announced) WDSF Adjudicator’s Congress at Nationals March 31, 2016 Event held at USA Dance 2015 National DanceSport Championships Renaissance Harborplace Hotel – Baltimore, MD Registration form must be completed by March 15. Contact: ds-certification@usadance.org
April 2016 USA DANCE 2015 National DanceSport Championships April 1 - 3, 2016 Also Hosting WDSF World Ranking Tournaments: Open Under-21 Standard Open Under-21 10-Dance Open Under-21 Latin Renaissance Harborplace Hotel - Baltimore, MD Quest for the Best ** (see note) April 2016 Hosted by Seattle Chapter #1004 The Verve Ballroom - Lynnwood, WA (Note: Date to be announced) Event organizers may add events to the calendar by contacting Rog Greenawalt at ds-competition@usadance.org. calendar are subject to change of date, location and other details without prior notice. Please check with the actual event organizers via the event websites or by personal contact to confirm the accuracy of all event details before making plans as a competitor, spectator or sponsor. ERRORS/CORRECTIONS: For any changes/updates, please contact DanceSport Council Representative Rog Greenawalt directly at ds-competition@usadance.org.
NEW USA DANCE RULEBOOK GIVES DANCERS MORE FREEDOM
TO DEVELOP THROUGH NATURAL PROGRESSION By Wayne Crowder USA Dance/WDSF Licensed Adjudicator he new USA Dance DanceSport Rulebook, which goes into effect after Nationals 2015, features the most comprehensive changes to date for Invigilation at USA Dance-sanctioned competitions.
T
USA Dance Adjudicators at Manhattan Amateur Classic NQE 2015 Lisa Dubinsky
These important changes reflect the desire in our sport to allow competitive dancers to develop their skills based upon a dancer’s own natural progression, rather than by adhering to a prescribed teaching manual. The new Rulebook also includes more figure variations currently danced today in competition. Wayne Crowder
In the Smooth dances, one major change allows consistent picture lines throughout the dances. At the Silver level, the new rules allow Oversways, Contra Checks, Same Foot Lunges, Right & Left Lunges, Explosions, Hovers, Spanish Drags, Fencing Lines and Develope in the Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot and Viennese Waltz. These picture lines can now be held up to two measures of music. A second major change occurs in the description of Open Work, and states for all dances: “Partners may not completely separate for more than one measure. Open Work is limited to single or double hand holds, Shadow Positions and may not last for more than eight consecutive measures before regaining normal hold for a minimum of two consecutive bars. Additionally, Open Work may not comprise more than 50% of any routine.” These two changes should now give clarity for both athlete and invigilator, while providing the current figures danced by competitors.
change in the new rulebook now states: “Any follow may be used provided the timing or dance positions of the preceding figure and following figure are not changed. Figures must be completed.” Another change in this section of the Rulebook affects “Composite Figures” -- more information about this will be subject sic as Cl r eu of a later article. at Manh attan Am NQE 2015 - Pa so
Doble
raphy Ryan Kenner Photog
In the Standard dances, athletes will have quite a bit of choreography freedom. In the past, invigilation infractions were given for not using the prescribed precedes and follows in the ISTD manual. This major
In the Latin dances, certain variations listed as Silver and Gold level in the ISTD Manuals are now allowed at the Bronze level. Examples include Slip Chasse, Hip Twist Chasse and Ronde Chasse, normally Silver level or above variation, now allowed in Bronze Cha Cha Cha, provided timing of the figure doesn’t change. In Rumba, the Fan Variation and the Advance Hip Twist, formerly Silver and Gold variations respectively, are now allowed in Bronze. Reference: New USA Dance Syllabus Guidebook, effective upon release, 2015. May - June 2015
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O
vations
The success of any charitable organization depends upon the contributions of its volunteers, those willing to give of their time and their hearts to make a difference. For that reason, one would assume that no task is ever too small not to be appreciated. Yet, at times in the fast-paced world in which we live and dance, a thank you can be forgotten and good deeds go unrecognized, especially when the volunteer work has become so routine and the volunteer’s presence so familiar. On behalf of USA Dance, American Dancer magazine has created “Ovations” so we can sing the praise of worthy volunteers whose work has made a true difference.
C
CARSON
ZULLINGER Professional Photographer USA Dance Volunteer (since 1999) Photos by Lisa Dubinsky at USA Dance 2015 Nationals
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American Dancer | www.americandancer.org
arson Zullinger is a familiar face at the USA Dance National DanceSport Championships, every year since 1999. With camera equipment in hand, he volunteers as a professional photographer to shoot behind the scenes, the action on the floor and the moments of elation and triumph of the athletes. If national media attend, he also documents those moments. Essentially, from the very first heat of the day until the final award is presented each night, normally 16 hours a day non-stop, Carson has been there working on behalf of the DanceSport Council, Public Relations and American Dancer Magazine to document the event’s entirety. Then, once Nationals is over, with little sleep in the schedule and a drive back to Delaware, Carson takes on the undaunting task of selecting and editing the best of 4,000 or so images, cataloging them by competitor name and event and uploading files on a quick turnaround so that USA Dance can meet its deadlines for the magazine and public relations. And, this proverbial volunteer for USA Dance does a lot more throughout the year. Carson is always on call to provide needed images for American Dancer, for national media stories and other promotions. At Nationals, he also helps with display transport, printing of displays and banners and various hospitality tasks. Ovations to Carson Zullinger! Truly an unsung hero among volunteers whose contributions have made USA Dance the organization it is today.
National Qualifying Events USA Dance 2016 National DanceSport Championships
FOR 2016 (first six): Jun 6-7 2015 NJ DANCESPORT CLASSIC SUMMER SIZZLER Hackensack, NJ Jun 26 – 28, 2015 GUMBO DANCESPORT CHAMPIONSHIPS Baton Rouge, LA Sep 25-27 NEW ENGLAND DANCESPORT CHAMPIONSHIPS Waltham, MA Oct 2-4, 2015 CAROLINA FALL CLASSIC Charlotte, NC Oct 30-Nov 1, 2015 CHICAGO DANCESPORT CHALLENGE Chicago, IL Nov 7, 2015 CALIFORNIA STATE DANCESPORT CHAMPIONSHIPS San Jose, CA For more information visit: www.USADANCE.org
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Yusif Amsatr & Naomi Spektor (PA) Junior I Standard Division, WDSF Open World Ranking Tournament 2015 Manhattan Amateur Classic
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NATIONAL DANCESPORT CHAMPIONSHIPS Showcasing America’s Top DanceSport Athletes International & American Styles Pre-Teen to Senior III Scholarships & Selection of USA World Teams to WDSF World Championships
Hosting the WDSF World Ranking Tournaments: UNDER-21 STANDARD, 10-DANCE & LATIN Renaissance Harborplace Hotel, Baltimore, MD, APRIL 1, 2, 3, 2016
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NATIONALS www.USADANCENATIONALS.org Florin Vlad & Natalia O’Connor (VT) Mid-Atlantic Championships National Qualifying Event for the Adult Championship Standard Division Eugene Brodach