July 2002 Newsletter

From the Desk of the President:

Now that we are into the summer and all the excitement and holidays that come with it, I just wanted to thank all of our dancers who have helped and supported our dancing throughout the year.  A special thanks to our Board of Directors who have dedicated themselves to our hobby by volunteering their expertise and their time to make our dancing the enjoyable experience it is.  We also want to acknowledge the tremendous contributions of our local professionals who devote their time, effort, and energy in support of amateur dancing in Columbia and surrounding areas. Finally, we especially want to thank those extraordinary dancers who help us set up and clean up after our dances. Without your able and unselfish assistance we could not continue with our dances! 

Our June dances were well attended with over sixty people coming to our Big Band event!  We hope that you enjoyed the music and had an enjoyable evening. This was the first of several of our theme dances that we hope to bring to you in the future.  lf you are looking for the creative spirit who developed the theme night concept for GCC Columbia, look no further than Gerry Camillo -- the brains behind the ideas. Thanks Gerry!

We also had a special treat in June with Sheila Brown of Columbia’s Ballroom teaching swing lessons at both dances. She also did a great job teaching at our well-attended swing workshop held on June 29. All who attended the workshop had a great time, learned a lot of useful swing steps and, without exception, asked when we were going to have another workshop!  (We will have more on this later after we discuss it with the Board).  In addition, Sheila and Gerry Camillo danced an exciting and energetic swing exhibition. Bob and Sheila Brown, Jenny Emmel, Tony Rodriguez, and Zee and Ken Broom also danced a unique and skillful salsa rueda for our enjoyment.

Here are some upcoming events for those with an amateur competitive spirit. The USABDA Nationals will be held in Minneapolis on August 2-4.  As always, this promises to be a great event and we wish all our competitors the best of luck. Next will be the ever popular Southeastern Regional Amateur Dance competition in Atlanta, October 25-27.  For those who have not seen an amateur competition, this is your chance to see some really great dancing and to also have a wonderful time cheering on your hometown favorites. We hope to see you there.

The USABDA chapters in Florida are once again hosting the Eighth Annual Dance festival, August 30 through September 1, 2002, at Kissimmee, located one mile from Walt Disney World.  Cost including the hotel is only $170 per person.  We went last year and had a great time — with or without the electricity!  There is going to be good food, great dancing and workshops and lots of low-threat competitions for all to enjoy.  lf you can fit it into your busy schedules, it is worth the effort.

That’s all for now. Keep Dancing!

Mike Verdone

 

A Divorce in the Making

The National Dance Council of America (NDCA) and USABDA appear to be involved in a divorce whose outcome is yet to be determined, but which likely will cause amateur couples to pay more to compete in NDCA events. The USABDA Governing Body has requested that we inform our members of the following actions.

The NDCA is the national governing body for professional Dancesport. For the past twenty years USABDA, the governing body for amateur Dancesport, and the NDCA have worked together to coordinate the competition rules and standards for Amateur Dancesport athletes. For amateur competitors, this has meant that in order to dance as an amateur couple at an NDCA event, the couple must be a member of USABDA. The NDCA recently passed rules that will negatively affect amateur Dancesport in the US. The NDCA will ask that you register with them as an amateur competitor if you participate in an NDCA event and will charge an annual registration fee of $30 for each partner of an amateur couple. Competitive USABDA dancers will have to pay $60 annual dues beginning July 1 — that is, if you compete as an amateur couple, your national dues are now $60. The NDCA does not at present require annual dues from Pro-Am amateur competitors, only amateur couples.

Our National USABDA Governing Body has requested that all USABDA competitors who choose to compete at NDCA competitions and are required to register with the NDCA prior to being allowed to compete to write “Under Protest” on the top line of the form. They also ask you to notify your elected Dancesport delegate in writing that you were required to register with the NDCA.

Please note that if the NDCA declares you a professional (this would only be for certain categories of USABDA competitive dancers and should not affect anyone in our chapter) do not dance in any professional events at any NDCA competition. If you do, you will lose your amateur status and will be unable to compete in USABDA competitions.

Nominating Committee Notes

It is that time of year again for GCC-USABDA. . .Yes, nomination and election time. This year we need to elect the Vice-President, Secretary, and the Member-at-Large for two-year terms.  Because Grace Keller, our current Vice-President, Pamela Melton, our current Secretary, and Emma Sharpe, our current Member-at-Large have served two consecutive two-year terms, they are not eligible to run again until the 2004 term of office.

Our job is to nominate qualified and willing candidates to serve on the board for the entire term of their respective office. Candidates should also be able to work with other directors, with both local ballroom dance schools, and should be willing to welcome new membership. Due to conflict of interest, members on the nominating committee are ineligible for elected office.

All GCC USABDA members in good standing as of August 1, 2002, are eligible to vote. Ballots will be mailed to each voter along with a resume of the candidates in accordance with the schedule listed below.

Timetable for the Election Process:

 
There are no nominees as yet. Should you want to be nominated or know of someone who is willing to serve in these very important board positions, please contact Grace Keller.  If you are nominating someone, please make sure this person is willing to serve on the board and is willing to do all that must be done in the capacity of Vice-President, Secretary, or Member-at-Large.

Job Descriptions:

CHAPTER VICE PRESIDENT:

The Vice President acts in the place and stead of the President in his or her absence or incapacity. In the event of a vacancy in the office of President, the Vice President succeeds to the Presidency. Other duties of the Vice President should be designated by the President or the Board or governing committee.

SECRETARY:

The Secretary records the minutes of all meetings of the Board of Directors and the General Membership Meeting, to include recording all motions and the resulting votes at meetings, and recording the actions taken by committees and investigative reports conducted without a meeting. He/she also distributes the minutes of each meeting to all proper persons within two weeks after the meeting, or a reasonable period of time. Also, the Secretary signs, with the President, all contracts and other instruments on behalf of the Chapter when so authorized by the Board of Directors. The Secretary publishes Board Meeting agenda within one (1) week prior to a scheduled or non-scheduled Board Meeting, so that all Board Members are aware of the agenda and any reports, etc., which may be required. In the past, the Secretary also compiles and distributes the monthly newsletter, or selects a committee to assist in this very important task.

MEMBER-AT-LARGE:

The Member-at-Large shall serve as the Chairperson of the Membership Committee.  This committee shall keep current the GCC USABDA membership list, shall contact National USABDA Membership Chairman when members leave the Chapter. Also, she/he shall send monthly reminders to members who have allowed their yearly membership to lapse.

Annual Picnic This Month!

Don't forget that the first dance this month will start with our annual picnic, which as usual has a patriotic/country-western theme. The chapter will provide hotdogs, burgers, buns, ketchup & mustard and sodas. Members are requested to bring their favorite side dishes and desserts to share. We'll gratefully accept sodas as well.

Admission to this dance is free to all local USABDA members, as a thank you for making our chapter so successful. If you'd like to help set-up, please plan to arrive before 6:30 p.m.  If you'd rather help clean up, just stay after the final waltz.  We'll put you to work.

See y'all there!

The Board

2002 Dance Dates:

July 13 & 27
August 10 & 24
September 14 & 28
October 12 & 26
November 9 & 23
December 14 & 28