December 2003 Newsletter

December 2003 Newsletter

Annual

Christmas Ball

and Show

December 13th 7:30 pm

The Barn 680
Cherokee Lane
Columbia, SC

(803) 794-7714

(Black Tie Optional)

Heavy Hors d'oeuvres

Assorted Beverages

Show presented by
Columbia's Ballroom

starring students of Sheila Brown, Paul Lagatore, and Tracy Steele

Lesson: Foxtrot

Instructor: Paul Lagatore

Each year, we ask our members and guests

to bring a wrapped gift for a child to the

Christmas Ball.

These gifts will then be taken to the

Toys for Tots program for distribution.

The gift should cost no more than $10.00

Be sure to wrap the gift

Designate whether it is for a boy or a girl

Designate the approximate age range

Let's all help to make this a

Merry Christmas

for the children in our Community

We, the members of your Board, wish you and yours the

Happiest of Holidays

---------------------------------------------

After Christmas Dance

December 27th 7:30 pm

Lesson: Foxtrot

Dances start: 7:30
Lessons start: 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, December 6th at 9:30 a.m. at the Lexington Branch Library on St. Andrews Rd. The meetings are open to all members in good standing. Feedback and input is welcome.


	From Your Editor: I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. The craziest season of the year is now officially underway, and whether you are celebrating Hanukkah, the birth of Christ, Kwanzaa, or just the Winter solstice, the USABDA Christmas Dance is the perfect place to chill out with good friends, good music, good food, and lots of dancing. Forget the mess in every room in the house, the cookies still waiting to be baked, the presents still to be wrapped, the presents still to be bought, and the fudge that Christmas "just wouldn't be the same without". Put on your dancing shoes and dance the evening away. And, after the big days are over, as you sit in the midst of wrapping paper, toys, leftovers, and tree needles, perk yourself up by coming to the After Christmas Dance on the 27th. What better way to revitalize your energies and to work off a few of those "cookies and fudge" calories? I wish you all a very happy and merry Holiday season.
	Hot Off the Press: Paul Lagatore and Sheila Brown, both of Columbia's Ballroom, will be dancing with the South Carolina Philharmonic Orchestra in Viennese New Year on Saturday, January 3, 2004 at the Koger Center for the Arts in Columbia, SC. Nicholas Smith will be conducting. Tickets are available by calling the Koger Center.
	November Lessons: Our hats are off to Pam Melton who taught the Quickstep at the first dance in November. As you know, this is probably the most difficult dance for a dancer to learn, and the first couple of lessons almost always leave one a little dazed. Pam had a formidable task, but arose to the occasion and did a great job teaching the basics, including the lock step. At the second dance, Ron Morton reviewed the basics and built on Pam's foundation. By lesson's end, he had his students moving around the floor in time with the music and without tripping over each other. Afterwards, he said that it was the first time he had taught and had been nervous about it. Ron, one would never have guessed that, because you were as cool as a cucumber out there teaching. Congratulations to both instructors and students!!!
	New Members: Give a big smile and handshake to Fred Rehm, next time you see him. He is our newest member, joining in November. Welcome aboard, Fred.
	Guests: Our guest list keeps growing and we are delighted with that. First time guests in November were Harvey Evans, Bruce Hoverman, Ursala Lowrey, Dan Lowrey, Sarah Medzel, and Ken Rose. Thank you for coming. Hope you had fun and that you come back soon and often.
	Angels of the Month: Again, our Angels continue to fly to our aid, just as we start feeling overwhelmed. A special thanks to those members of the Board who are consistently there and pitching in at the dances, specifically Tom Savage, Janet Girard, Jo Morton, and Ron Morton. This, in spite of the many hours they spend on their Board duties outside the dances. Sometimes we take their presence and their hard work for granted. Among our many Angels last month were Al Jayne, Stephanie Muga, Mike Verdone for music and Edna Free, Joyce Lagatore, Jeane Mader, Naomi Mart, Emma Sharpe, David Tammen, and the many others for helping set-up and/or clean-up. We cannot do it without you. If I have left your name off, let me know; we appreciate your help and want everyone to know the names of those who do help.
	News from National: 1. 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, 2003. 2. The 2004 USABDA National Dance Sport Championships will be held August 13-15, 2004. To learn more about this, log onto www.dancenationals.com after January 1, 2004. 3. Congratulations!!!! Our delinquency rate for paying National dues for the past 3 months was 9.8 %, compared to almost 12 % in August. Eighty-three clubs in the USA were rated as Best in the Nation with a delinquency rate of 12 percent or less. We placed 58 out of that 83. Do you have any idea how many local USABDA chapters there are in the USA? I don't, but they number in the thousands. Give yourselves a pat on the back. Let's keep shooting for that 0%.
	Etiquette Tip of the Month: The operative word this month is "*FUN".....that is why you learned to dance, isn't it? Guys, if you goof up a lead, or, ladies, if you miss a lead, it is not the end of the world. Chances are that no one, except your partner, even noticed. Laugh about it and move on. Enjoy the music and* your partner. Smiling and chit chatting are *not* forbidden on the dance floor, just as long as you keep moving in the line of dance and, preferably, in time to the music. Not many of us have bowled a perfect game or aced a tennis match, so why do we expect to dance perfectly? Lighten up a little and you might be surprised at how much more" fun" it is.
	Did You Know? : Advertising space is available in your monthly newsletter. A quarter page ad is $10.00 per issue, a half page ad is $18.00 per issue and a full page ad is $30.00 per issue. The newsletter reaches approximately 200 people plus each month, so if you have a business and are interested in taking out an ad, call me or any member of the Board for further information. Any advertiser signing a yearly contract for a minimum of ten issues, receives a 10% discount. Also, you do not have to be a member of USABDA to advertise.
	Stepping Lightly into Old Age: In a quick follow-up to this article from the Vancouver Sun, here are some excerpts from another article that Debbie Thomas received from the ColaDance group e-mail and sent me: *SALSA DANCING* Salsa is a fun way to lose weight without trying very hard. It will definitely give you a great workout.....relieve stress.....meet new people.....add a little spice to your life.....gain muscle control.....get a great cardiovascular workout.....burn calories......! For the full article, go to the ColaDance discussion pages at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Coladance/message/829.
	Reaching out to the Community : On Friday, Dec. 5th, at 7:00 pm, Tracy Steele and Doris Wood will present a short dance show for the residents of the Presbyterian home on Davega Dr in West Columbia. On Saturday, Dec. 6th at 6:30 pm, the Fancy Feet Dancers will be dancing at Kathwood Place, an Assisted Living Home in Forest Acres. The FFDs are Emma Sharpe, Jeane Mader, Bob Sitco, Pam Marshall, Wolfgang Elfe, Tom Savage, Edna Free, and Uriah Heben. They have been asked to do this on a quarterly basis.
	What are You Doing New Years Eve?: The Sumter Dance Club has announced a New Years Eve Dance at Shaw Air Force Base on New Years Eve. Black tie optional. For further information and to make reservations, contact Bob Wall at 803-469-4014. Reservations are a must in order for you to be on the "admit list" at the gate.

Shall We Dance?

	December 6	Starlight Ballroom, 108 Trade St., Greer. All dances, $10 per person.
	December 12	Palmetto Ballroom Dance Club, 252 S. Dargan St., Florence. Members $7; Guests $12; 7:30 - 11:00
	December 13	The Barn, 680 Cherokee Lane, Columbia. USABDA Members $4; Guests $7; Students $3. 7:30 pm. Lesson: Foxtrot; Instructor: Paul Lagatore; Christmas Ball and Show.
	December 13	Starlight Ballroom, 108 Trade St., Greer. All dances, $10 per person.
	December 13	Ballroom Dance Club, 1632 Ashley Hall Rd, Chas. 7:30 -11:00 Members $8, Students $5. Christmas Ball.
	December 18	Capital Ballroom Dance Studio, 2732 Devine St. Columbia, 8:00 pm, No charge.
	December 19	Columbia's Ballroom, 35 Diamond Lane. 7:30 - 9:30. Students: No charge, Guests: $5. Christmas Show.
	December 27	The Barn 680 Cherokee Lane, Columbia. USABDA Members: $4, Guests: $7, Students: $3. 7:30 pm Lesson: Foxtrot.
	December 31	Ballroom Dance Club, 1632 Ashley Hall Rd, Chas. 7:30 -11:00 Members $8, Students $5. New Years Eve Party.
	December 31	Sumter Dance Club is sponsoring a New Years Eve dance at Shaw Air Force base. Call Bob Wall at 803-469-4014.
	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

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