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In this edition:

1. So You Think You Wanna Be on DWTS?
2. Midsummer Night Swing Ends for the Season
3. NDCA Suspends USA Dance
4. DVIDA Certification Class for Hustle Starts July 20
5. Millennium Dance Parties Celebrate a Decade
6. Evening for Julia at Rogers DanceSport on July 30
7. Dance Legends Coming to New York in April 2012
8. Reminders of Upcoming Events
9. Looking to Improve Your Dancing?
10. Looking to Social Dance?
11. Looking for a Partner?

So You Think You Wanna Be on DWTS?

Any latin dancers out there between the ages of 15 and 22 want a shot to appear on national tv on Dancing with the Stars? If so, Alex Samusevich, General Manager at Dance with Me Soho, sends us this message:

This Saturday Tony Dovolani and I will be hosting auditions for amateur dancers to be featured on Dancing With the Stars. Everyone who attends the audition will be featured at least on the audition segment of the show. The top couples will be selected to perform on the show. We're looking for youth latin dancers between the ages of 15 and 22. If one of the partners falls into that age range but the other doesn't, it’s ok for them to come anyway. The auditions will start at 9:00 AM at Dance With Me Soho, located at 466 Broome Street (corner of Greene St).

How do you sign up? Call Alex at 212-840-3262. It’s that easy. What are you waiting for?

Midsummer Night Swing Ends for the Season

It seemed like only yesterday that Midsummer Night Swing began its 2011 season at Lincoln Center, but three weeks have elapsed in the blink of an eye, and the twenty-third season of this perennial favorite drew to a close on Saturday, July 16. I thought I’d get to attend at least one of the nights of dancing, but it was not to be this year. I had to content myself with coverage on NY1 of the closing night which, in keeping with tradition, is a night of swing, with a live band, the Harlem Renaissance Orchestra, paying tribute to Illinois Jacquet.

Watching the NY1 report on Midsummer Night Swing, I caught a glimpse of Laurie Scherer and Brian Lawton, both of whom have danced with the NYU Ballroom Dance Club and Team. Those of you who remembered the NY USA Dance New Year’s Eve Party may recall their wonderful lindy performance. Brian and Laurie danced in the swing contest held in memory of the legendary Frankie Manning, and they placed third. “It was a great night,” said Laurie. “Great music and dancing -- always a perfect way to spend a summer night.”

To watch the NY1 report, click here. Congrats to Brian and Laurie!

NDCA Suspends USA Dance

USA Dance members received in their e-mail inboxes last week on July 13 a message from USA Dance President Lydia Scardina about the recent actions taken by NDCA (National Dance Council of America) suspending USA Dance because it planned to hold a World DanceSport Federation (WDSF, formerly IDSF) Adjudicators’ Congress in November 2011, after the Ohio Star Ball. In that detailed message, President Scardina announced that, in light of the NDCA’s actions, USA Dance has decided not to hold the WDSF Adjudicators’ Congress in November 2011 as initially planned. The annoucement also pointed out that the suspension was in derogation of the NDCA’s own rules and did not provide USA Dance with due process or an opportunity to be heard.

Now that the reason for USA Dance’s suspension has been removed, we sincerely hope that NDCA will rescind its suspension as called for in President Scardina’s e-mail.

DVIDA Certification Class for Hustle Starts July 20

Jami Josephson sends us the news that she will be teaching a DVIDA professional dance instructor certification course at Basic Ballroom starting on Wednesday, July 20. The dance is hustle and the course will run for six weeks. For more details about the program, click here.

Millennium Dance Parties Celebrate a Decade

A regular fixture in the Looking to Social Dance? section of this e-news is the listing for the Saturday night dance parties, also know as the Millennium Dance Parties, typically held at You Should Be Dancing/Club 412 and organized by Lori Brizzi. Lori has shared with us the news that her Millennium Dance Parties are celebrating their 10-year anniversary this Saturday, July 23, at the 92nd Street Y. She will have two DJs, and the first one, DJ Johnny O, will be playing ballroom from 8 to 10 pm, and after that, he will be joined by DJ Nelson Roman, playing a club mix of hustle (classic and new), salsa and West Coast swing, until 2 am. The cost is $20 at the door, $15 in advance. For more info, check this page.

Evening for Julia at Rogers DanceSport on July 30

Rogers DanceSport Center in Fairfield, NJ, announces that on Saturday night, July 30, it will hold a special evening of dancing, shows, wine and cheese to raise money to help Julia Ivleva in her fight against lung cancer. A stellar cast of world-class dancers, including Maxim Kozhevnikov and Anastasia Grigoreva, Mayo Alanen and Michelle Officer, Gherman Mustuc and Iveta Lukosiute, Emmanuel Pierre-Antoine and Liana Churilova and many others, will be performing. Tickets are available for a minimum donation of $50 per person. Click here for more information.

Dance Legends Coming to New York in April 2012

Speaking of an all-star cast of world-class dancers, you may want to include on your calendar an event called “Dance Legends” coming to the Hammerstein Ballroom at the Manhattan Center next April. It will be a two-day event set to take place on April 13 and 14, 2012, and it will feature past and present champions in ballroom and latin, performing in multiple showcases. Currently expected to perform are the following dance superstars:

• Arunas Bizokas & Katusha Demidova
• Mirko Gozzoli & Edita Daniute
• Victor Fung & Anastasia Muravyeva
• Michael Malitowski & Joanna Leunis
• Riccardo Cocchi & Yulia Zagoruychenko
• Sergey Surkov & Melia

Tickets are due to go on sale in six weeks, on September 1. To learn more, visit the website or follow Dance Legends on Facebook or Twitter.

Reminders of Upcoming Events

• Karina Smirnoff and Jonathan Roberts of DWTS will be coming to Temple B’Nai Torah in Wantagh, Long Island on August 27. To reserve your spot, act now, before the August 20 deadline. This event has sold out in the past; don’t delay if you don’t want to miss out. More details here.
• If you missed the first USA Dance National Dance Cruise last year, now’s your chance to take part in the second annual USA Dance National Dance Cruise, taking place from December 4 through 11, 2011. Here’s more from the National Ballroom Dance Cruise website.

Looking to Improve Your Dancing?

Here are some ideas for classes and practice spaces:

• At Brooklyn DanceSport Club, Maria and Eugene will be teaching Open Junior/Youth Seminars on Mondays from 7:00 to 8:30 pm, and Open Adult Seminars on Tuesdays from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. They will also hold regular run-through Latin rounds on Tuesdays from 8:30 to 10:00 pm and Thursdays from 8:00 to 9:30 pm. Blackpool Professional Rising Star Ballroom Champions Marat Gimaev and Alina Basyuk have now joined the studio as Directors of the Ballroom Department and they will be teaching the Open Standard Seminar on Wednesdays at 7 PM, starting July 6th. They will also run regular Standard Run-through Practices on Wednesdays at 8:30 PM and on Fridays at 7 PM. The studio is easily accessible by subway, via the N train, 18 Avenue stop. From there, it’s a short walk to the studio.
• Stepping Out holds an International Standard and American Smooth Practice session on Tuesdays from 9:30 to 10:30 pm, and the cost is just $3 per person or $5 per couple. On Saturdays, they hold a Standard pratice session from 5 pm to 6 pm, at the same cost. Just show the front desk your USA Dance membership card to take advantage of these great rates, and ask them what other USA Dance discounts are available for their other programs and events.
• 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. 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.
• Manhattan Ballroom Dance studio runs Standard rounds on Thursday , from 9:30 to 10:30 pm and Latin Rounds on Friday nights from 8:30 to 9:30 pm.
• Basic Ballroom holds a Competition Run-through Class supervised by former World Professional Latin finalists Paul and Olga Richardson on Friday nights from 8 pm to 9:30 pm. Just $20 for USA Dance members.
• 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.
• DanceSport offers a $100 monthly floor fee card for amateur dancers: Unlimited practice space Monday to Friday 10 am to 5 pm, Saturdays 10 am to 2 pm, and Sundays 11 am to 7 pm for 30 days.
• Dance with Me Soho can no longer host practice sessions on weekdays due to space constraints. Dancers are welcome to practice on weekends for $15 per hour per couple. Also, you may want to try their practice parties on Wednesdays at 9:20 to 10:10 pm (salsa theme) and Thursdays same time that covers all styles.
• Blackpool Bronze Finalists and USA National DanceSport Latin Champions Val Chmerkovskiy and Dasha Chesnokova are teaching group classes at Dance with Me studios in New Jersey, Soho and Long Island in July and August. For schedule and rate, click here.

Looking to Social Dance?

Besides the Millennium Dance 10-year anniversary at the 92nd Street Y, here are some other suggestions:

• NOTE: Hot Salsa, West Coast Swing and Hustle Tuesdays at Club 56, in Farmingdale, LI, is off for the summer. See you back at Club 56 on September 20.
• Tuesday, July 19, mixed ballroom dancing at the Saloon, on York Ave., between 83rd and 84th street, from 8 pm (free lesson at 7:30 pm).
• Thursday, July 21, Sunset Salsa at the Chelsea Triangle, 14th Street and 9th Avenue. Lessons at 6:30 pm, dancing from 7:30 pm. FREE!
• Thursday, July 21, 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, July 22, Hot Salsa Friday at the VIP Lounge at the Iguana. Doors open at 6 pm.
• Friday, July 22, Friday Night with Abakuá at YSBD/Club 412, hosted by Frankie Martinez and Manny Blackett, featuring salsa/mambo and cha cha, starting at 9:00 pm.
• Saturday, July 23, 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, July 24, Sunday Tea Party at Manhattan Ballroom Dance, mixed ballroom dancing starting at 3 pm.
• Sunday, July 24, MoonDance at Pier 84 on West 44th Street, Argentine Tango with Octavio Brunetti's Apeadero sur Tango Orchestra, with lesson at 6:30 pm, music starting at 7 pm. FREE!
• Monday, July 25, Salsa at Taj, with live band and special performances. Arrive before 7 pm and get in for $6 (admission price doubles after 7 pm).

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

Looking for a Partner?

We have a follower looking for a Gold level or higher leader to practice and compete in standard and latin. To see this post or to post your own, take a look here. If your post has expired and you're still looking for a partner, feel free to re-post. It’s free, it’s easy. Do it today!

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That does it for this week. For those trying out for DWTS at DWMSoho on Saturday, break a leg!

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

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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.