---

We are excited to receive the news that Anna Kaczmarski and Patryk Ploszaj have made the finals of America’s Got Talent. Anna and Patryk dance and train at Joseph’s Dance Studio in New York, and they are also USA Dance National Junior 1 Standard and Latin National Champions and MAC Junior 2 10-dance champions.

On last week’s August 24 show, Anna and Patryk showed their 10-dance talent by starting with a Viennese Waltz that blended into a paso doble to the tune of Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi.” Anna and Patryk danced with precision and fire, and each of the judges commented on the strength and perfection of their performance. To see the footage from YouTube, click here (or if you’re viewing this on the website, the clip is embedded.)

At the end of Anna and Patryk’s performance, the screen behind them flashed a headline that read “Can They Go All the Way?” That’s where you come in, New York: Be sure to tune in on Tuesday, Sept. 7, at 9 pm for the finals to cheer on Anna and Patryk as they take their shot at going all the way. After you’ve seen the show, use all your ten votes for Anna and Patryk and let’s make them this season’s winner on America’s Got Talent. Let’s show everyone out there that America’s most talented dancers are Anna and Patryk from New York!

---

---

What are your plans for the Labor Day Weekend? I don’t know about you but this summer seems to have just flown right by, and here we are, looking at Labor Day Weekend, the traditional marker for the end of summer.

If you are going to be in town, you may want to check out the NY Hustle Congress, now in its sixth year. The event starts on Thursday night, Sept. 2, with a welcome party, followed by three days of competition, workshops, and dancing at the New Yorker Hotel. On Saturday night, former United States Professional Smooth Champion, Ed Simon, will be giving a workshop on the foxtrot, followed by dancing in the Crystal Ballroom to DJ Louis Del Prete’s ballroom mix. The organizers of the NY Hustle Congress are making a special offer to USA Dance members and readers of this newsletter. For just $40 you can enjoy both the workshop and the dance that follows, or if you want to just go to the dance, you can get in for $30. If you’re interested in signing up for any of the weekend packages to attend the Hustle Congress, you can get 20% off. To find out how, click here for more information.

---

DWTS Fans: Tonight, during the Bachelor Pad, ABC will hold a live press conference to announce the season 11 cast, revealing the twelve “stars” who will be appearing on the show, premiering on Monday, September 20. No word as to at what point during the two-hour show the press conference will take place (I would suspect towards the end), so if you don’t relish sitting through the show just for the announcement, you can always check the ABC website to see a re-broadcast of the press conference the next day. If you don’t mind sitting through Bachelor Pad, that shows starts at 8 pm. Let’s hope we get some good cast members this time!

---

Reminders:

• NY USA Dance will be honoring John and Cathi Nyemchek at our Second Annual National Ballroom Dance Week Gala, taking place on September 12 at SPQR, with general dancing and performances from National 10-dance champions Pasha Pashkov and Daniella Karagach. Proceeds to benefit the work of NY USA Dance, including the MAC. Save the date and make plans to join us. For more details, click here.
• For the first time in New York, on November 13, 2010: the IDSF World DanceSport Championship Latin, at the Brooklyn Marriott. Tickets are now available for purchase from the IDSF World DanceSport Championship Latin website on a first-come first-paid basis. Tickets will be numbered and reserved and may be picked up at “will call” on the day of the event; no tickets will be mailed out. For more details and to make your purchase on-line click here. Tickets are expected to sell-out for this event so to avoid disappointment, buy your tickets NOW.
• USA Dance is hosting its first cruise taking place aboard the luxurious Italian Cruise Line Costa's "Atlantica" from November 28 through December 5, departing from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and hitting the following ports-of-call: Key West, Florida; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; and Cozumel, Mexico. For more details, click here: www.dancecruiseusadance.org. The instructors will be Dan and Silke Calloway and Wayne and Marie Crowder. Sounds like a great cruise, tailored for ballroom dancers of all levels, so sign up TODAY!
• Registration for MAC 2010 is now open. MAC 2010 takes place from January 14-16, 2011 at the Manhattan Center. It is once again a National Qualifying Event. Click here to register.

---

Looking to improve your dancing? Here are some ideas for classes and practice spaces:

• Become the best ballroom dancer you can be for your partner by working on yourself first. ISTD Fellow Michael Choi shows you how with his Ballroom Barre, at Chelsea Studios, every Wednesday, starting at 8:30 pm. Just $25 per person for USA Dance members. For the latin dancers, Michael offers the Latin Barre, at Basic Ballroom, every Thursday, starting at 9:30 pm. Also just $25 per person for USA Dance members. The classes are non-sequential so drop in any time; no partner required, all levels welcome. For more information, contact Michael at michael@dancemchoi.com.

• UPDATE: Manhattan Ballroom Dance studio now runs its Standard rounds on Mondays, from 9:30 to 10:30 pm. The floor is huge, with plenty of space to swing out, so if you're looking for a good place to run your standard routines, visit Manhattan Ballroom Dance studio on Monday nights.
• Basic Ballroom holds a Competition Run-through Class supervised by former World Professional Latin finalists Paul Richardson and Olga Rodianova on Friday nights from 8 pm to 9:30 pm. Just $20 for USA Dance members.
• Dance Chelsea is offering a special promotion of an $85 unlimited practice card. For more details about this great deal, contact the studio or log on to their Facebook page.
• Check out the special rates for USA Dance members at Basic Ballroom: just $79 for a 10 session card and $90 for their unlimited monthly card.
• At DanceSport, present your USA Dance card at the door and get free admission to their supervised ballroom practice on Thursdays from 9:30 pm to 10:30 pm. This session is supervised by either Snejana Petrova, Luana Conte, or Tobi Kretschmer. Plus, practice at the studio on Sundays for just $10 per hour per couple.
• Dance with Me Soho will be hosting Practice Sessions, and they are offering both an unlimited option and a 10 practice session card. For the unlimited option, the cost is $100 per person, with a 15% discount to USA Dance members, so our members can get unlimited practice time at Dance with Me Soho for just $85 per person per month. If you would prefer to go for the 10 practice session card, the cost for that will be $100 per couple, with a 25% discount for USA Dance members, or $75 per couple. Questions? Please call the studio at (212) 840-Dance (3262).
• USA Dance National Latin Champion Val Chmerkovskiy teaches a Latin technique class on Thursdays at 7:10 pm at Dance with Me Soho. If you'd like to learn how to make your own Latin dancing sharper, better and hotter, you may want to check out these Thursday evening classes. No partner is necessary, and the price is just $35 per class (or $250 if you take ten classes). For more information, click here.

---

Looking to social dance? Here are some suggestions:

• Tonight, August 30, Salsa at Taj, with live band and special performances. Arrive before 7 pm and get in for $6 (admission price doubles after 7 pm).
• Tuesday, August 31, Hot Salsa, West Coast Swing and Hustle Tuesdays at Club 56 in Farmingdale. Hot buffet, cash bar, friendly people, great dancers, and salsa lesson. Doors open at 7 pm.
• Tuesday, August 31, Tesoro Tuesdays at Manhattan Ballroom Dance. Free salsa lesson at 8:30 pm. Dancing starts at 9 pm.
• Wednesday, Sept. 1, free admission to the swing/lindy party at DanceSport on Wednesday night from 9:30-10:30 pm.
• Thursday, Sept. 2, free admission to the weekly mixed ballroom social at DanceSport on Thursday nights from 9:30-10:30pm.
• Thursday, Sept. 2, Thursday Night Dance Club at Mirelle's, in Westbury, featuring Latin, Hustle and West Coast Swing. Lesson at 7:30 pm, dancing starts at 8:15 pm. Admission just $10 per person for USA Dance members (present your card at the entrance to get the discount).
• Friday, Sept. 3, Hot Salsa Friday at the VIP Lounge at the Iguana. Doors open at 6 pm.
• Saturday, Sept. 4, mixed ballroom dancing at Manhattan Ballroom Dance studio, starting at 7:30 pm with a free lesson, dancing from 8:00 pm to midnight.
• Sunday, Sept. 5, Sunday Tea Party at Manhattan Ballroom Dance, mixed ballroom dancing starting at 3 pm.

For more ideas, check Wayne's Dance Commentary or bailamosdance.com.

---

Partner seekers: Check out the Partner Search page to see listings of dancers looking for partners, or post your own ad to find a partner. It's free, easy and quick. Do it today!

---

That does it for this week. Enjoy the rest of the summer and Happy Labor Day Weekend!

---

Yang Chen
President
Greater NY
USA Dance
(NY USA Dance)

---

General disclaimer: Please note that, other than events organized by NY USA Dance, the listing of events in this newsletter is purely for informational purposes and does not carry with it any endorsement, sanction or seal of approval, express or implied. If you have any questions about an event other than one organized by NY USA Dance, you should direct them to the organizer of that event. NY USA Dance has no control over any of the events listed herein, other than those events which NY USA Dance itself organizes. NY USA Dance bears no responsibility for the content, conduct, quality, management or operation of any of the events listed in this newsletter, other than those events organized directly by NY USA Dance.