November 2003 Newsletter

November 2003 Newsletter

Happy

Thanksgiving

TWO BIG DANCES

NOVEMBER 8th

&

NOVEMBER 22nd

Snacks + Soft Drinks + Mixers + Door Prizes

The Barn

680 Cherokee Lane Columbia, SC 29169

(803) 794-7714

Lesson: Quickstep

Instructor: Pamela Melton

Dance: 7:30 Lesson: 7:45

Members: $4; Guests: $7; Students: $3

Members of the Board

President: Michael Verdone
Vice-President: Janet Girard
Secretary: Doris Wood
Treasurer: Jerry Camillo
Member-at-Large: Tom Savage
Program Committee: Jo and Ron Morton
Publicity: Deborah Thomas
Outreach and Youth: Pamela Melton

Meeting Change: The next Board meeting will meet on Saturday, November 15th at 9:30 a.m. at the Lexington Branch Library on St. Andrews Rd. The meetings are open to any and all members in good standing. Feedback and input is welcome.


	Elections: The election of new officers has been completed and the votes have been tallied. Your newly-elected officers, as of January 2004, will be: President - Tom Savage Treasurer - Edna Free Member-at-large - Naomi Mart
	Returning Board Members: Vice President - Janet Girard Secretary - Doris Wood
	October Lesson and Exhibition: Cha Cha was the lesson in October and Robert Seay of Capital City Ballroom did a wonderful job of teaching it, as usual. He filled in for the Chesters of Augusta who were unable to be here. Thanks for doing that and a big thanks for the exhibition you, Jo Morton, and Patti Hill presented. I have heard many nice things about it from several people. You were all great!!!
	New Members: Welcome to our one new member for October.....Mignon Simpson. We are happy that you came as a guest, liked what you saw, and decided to join us.
	October Guests: Our guest list keeps growing and we are delighted with that. Brand new guests for the first time at the last dance in September and both dances in October, were John Atlee, Matthew Behum, Maria Denton, Von Goff, Rachel Hatton, Bill Hogan, Ann McNeff, Gloria Minnick, Sofia Monge, Lynn Mueller, Larry Mueller, Ruth Smoak, and Kim Strange. If I left your name off the list, or misspelled it, call me at 796-8091, so I can correct it. Thank you for joining us and hope to see you again soon. Let us know how we can make our dances more fun for you.
	Angels of the Month: 1. Janet Girard, Kay Roberson, and Doris Wood for all the great decorations at both dances. 2. Glynda Carroll, Richard Durlock, Edna Free, Nisha Kubodera, Naomi Mart, Stephanie Muga, Dieane Roverstine, Jay Roverstine, Emma Sharpe, Michael Sherlack, David Tammen, and many others for helping with set-up and/or clean-up. 3. Al Jayne and Mike Verdone for the great music each played at the dances. 4. Janet Girard and Jo Morton for judging the desserts and the costumes at the Halloween dance. 5. Tom Savage and Janet Girard for giving up the 30-minute lesson each dance to sit at the front desk to greet people and handle admissions. 6. David Tammen for volunteering to start calling five "missing" members and to Jean Mader and Emma Sharpe who have been doing this for several months, now. 7. And last, but not least, all of you who come to the dances, both members and guests, who help make them fun for everyone.
	Winners: Halloween Costumes: Best all around - Xin Wu Scariest - Mercedes Hull Most original - Emma Sharpe Best Snack Award: First Place - Tres Bartels for her pumpkin squares Second Place - Madame Butterfly for her Chocolate Eclair Snack Third Place - Cassie Jackson for her pumpkin brownies Thanks to all of you who took the time and energy to make something special for us to eat and savor and to all of you who came in costume and helped make the dance a true Halloween dance and more fun for everyone.
	News from National: Dance Camp, Virginia Beach. 60 classes, nightly social dancing, showcases and a New Year's Eve gala. Check it out on the National USABDA web site. Dec. 27-31,
	Etiquette Tip of the Month: If you are the more advanced dancer of the couple, be especially sensitive to your partner's level of ability. No one should ever come off the floor feeling inept or embarrassed. Make it fun for both of you and just enjoy what he or she is able to do.
	Delinquent Dues: Check with Tom Savage to see if your local chapter dues ($5.00 a year) are delinquent. Remember, if you are a member, admission to the dances is only $4.00; if you are a guest, it is $7.00. By being a member, if you attend one dance a month for 12 months, you save $36.00 in the price of admission. Since we have two dances a month (except for February), that makes 23 dances a year and gives you a savings of $69.00 over the price of being a guest. This is more than twice the cost of joining the national organization ($25.00 for social dancer) and joining the local USABDA ($5.00). Where else can you get dancing, entertainment, food, lessons, and great people to socialize with for that price? Remember, that to get this break, you have to be a member of National USABDA ($25) and a member of our local club ($5). Even after spending that $30 to join both organizations, you still come out ahead $39 over a year's time.
	Stepping Lightly into Old Age: According to an article in The Vancouver Sun on August 18, 2003, ballroom dancing seems to help ward off Alzheimer's disease. A study published in the July issue of the New England Journal of Medicine found that certain leisure activities seem to ward off Alzheimer's. A study of 469 New York residents, all over 75, identified four pursuits that seemed the most successful: reading; playing a musical instrument; games such as chess, checkers, or bridge; and ballroom dancing. Each reduced the risk by a whopping 63%. Dancing offered the most benefit, according to Dr. Joe Berghese, one of the study's co-authors, "There is a lot of mental effort in ballroom dancing. It requires coordination with your partner, it requires remembering steps. You have to follow the music."
	Notice: The Sumter Dance Club has announced that they will have a New Year's Eve Dance at Shaw Air Force Base on New Year's Eve. Black tie optional. More details next month.

Shall We Dance?

	November 8	The Barn 680 Cherokee Lane, Columbia. USABDA Members: $4, Guests: $7, Students: $3. 7:30 pm Lesson: Quickstep, Instructor: Pamela Melton
	November 8	Starlight Ballroom 108 Trade St. Greer Members: $8, Students: $5, Non Members $10
	November 14	Palmetto Ballroom Dance Club. 252 S. Dargan St. Florence Members: $7 Guests: $12, 7:30 - 11:00
	November 15	Starlight Ballroom 108 Trade St. Greer Members: $8, Students: $5, Non Members $10
	November 15	Ballroom Dance Club, 1632 Ashley Hall Rd, Chas. 7:30 -11:00 Members $8, Students $5. Thanksgiving Celebration
	November 20	Columbia's Ballroom, 35 Diamond Lane. 7:30 - 9:30. Students: No charge, Guests: $5.
	November 20	Capital Ballroom Dance Studio, 2732 Devine St. Columbia, 8:00 pm, No charge.
	November 22	The Barn 680 Cherokee Lane, Columbia. USABDA Members: $4, Guests: $7, Students: $3. 7:30 pm Lesson: Quickstep, Instructor: Pamela Melton
	November 22	Starlight Ballroom 108 Trade St. Greer Members: $8, Students: $5, Non Members $10
	Thursdays	Adam's Mark Hotel, Main and Hampton Sts., Columbia. Boyd-Helms Band from 6:00-9:00.
	Fridays	Capital Senior Center Maxcey Gregg Park, Columbia Live music Members: no charge, Non members: $5.00
	Fridays and Saturdays	Ballroom Dance Club 1632 Ashley Hall Rd., Charleston. 7:30 -11:00. Members $8, Students $5. Lesson 7:30

GCC USABDA
Doris Wood, Sec.