GCC-USABDA dance, 2nd and 4th Saturday of the Month, 7:30-11:00, at The Barn, 680 Cherokee Lane, Columbia, SC. 

Admission is $7/non-member, $4/member, student discount. Refreshments. Appropriate attire required.

February 14th - Mardi Gras Dance, dance lesson 8:00-8:30 pm by Robert Seay teaching Waltz.

February 28th - dance lesson 8:00-8:30 pm by Robert Seay teaching Waltz.

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Capital Ballroom, 2732 Devine St., Columbia, SC, 799-2080, 8-10 pm, Thursday, February 19th.
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Columbia Ballroom, 35 Diamond Lane, Columbia, SC, 750-0181. Open group lesson Mondays, 7-8:00 pm. Theory lesson Thursdays, 7:30-8:30 pm. Monthly dance Thursday, 7:30 pm, February 12.

The next Board meeting is scheduled for February 8, 2004, at 3:00 pm, in the Baker and Baker meeting room at the Richland County Library, 1431 Assembly Street, Columbia, SC. Please contact Doris Wood with agenda items.

As president, my goals will be (1) to facilitate membership participation, (2) to meet the dancing needs of both singles and couples and the diverse age groups of the club, (3) if desired by membership, to find a way to provide weekly group dance lessons for beginners and advanced level dancers, (4) to advocate for the creation of a Big Apple Dance Group to perform at the USABDA regionals in October of next year, (5) to develop a program of free and very low-cost ballroom dance lessons for school students age six to sixteen as recommended by National USABDA, (6) to advocate for a yearly black tie charity ball with a dance band, and (8) to be open at all times to ideas and suggestions from the board members, the membership and the local ballroom dance professionals.

Tom Savage

GCC-USABDA is currently teaching at Tri-City Leisure Center, 700 Dreher Road, W. Columbia, SC, on Thursday evenings, 7:15-8:15 pm. The classes run six weeks and are $30/singles or $50/couples. Office phone 939-9309.

Session III, January 5 - February 14, beginner Salsa and Rumba, three weeks each.

Session IV, February 23 - April 3, beginner Swing and Foxtrot, three weeks each.

Thanks to our January dance instructor Bob Wall for teaching 4-count hustle.

Thanks to our DJ, Stephanie Muga

Thanks to Barbara Kubodera for the food items at the Christmas dance.

And a huge thanks to all who helped set up tables and chairs before the dance and who stayed to help clean and put tables and chairs away after the dance.

Our new president and long-time member, Tom Savage, was admitted to Providence Hospital on Monday, January 12, suffering from chest pains. Tom underwent double by-pass heart surgery on Friday, January 16, and went home Thursday, January 22, to recuperate.

Our prayers and wishes for a speedy recovery are with you, Tom.

Uriah Heben

DECEMBER: Nancy Bailey, Bernice McDaniel, Joshua Olson, Michael Sherlock, Torrance & Beverly Singleton, Debbie Small, Allan & Jeanne Smith, Rick Smoak, Betsy Suddeth, Mark & Linda Swan, Phyllis Turner, Jack Vroomen

JANUARY: Bill & Ellen Bailey, Charles & Isabelle Bonecutter, Norma Davis, Tom & Charlese Fischer, Diane Gaffigan, Tim & Linda Jowers, Sherri Lambert, Armando Leduc, Michael Sherlock, Phyllis Turner, Evelyn J. Way

...USABDA has voted to allow Mixed Proficiency Amateur and Pro/Am competitive events.

Mixed proficiency amateur events can now be offered at all syllabus levels at the discretion of the event's organizer. Both partners of this team must be current members of USABDA. A mixed proficiency couple is defined as a couple whereby the partners are either (1) different age level and/or (2) different proficiency levels. For example, a 20-year-old novice level male partner could enter with a 10-year-old bronze female partner. ...This program should help when there are more ladies than men -- as men will be able to dance with a partner that is a different age or level without jeopardizing his own proficiency level. Only the designated partner is judged in mixed proficiency partnerships.

Pro/Am events can now be offered at all syllabus, novice and championship levels at the discretion of the event's organizer.... In a Pro/Am competition, only the amateur partner is judged.

Both of these programs were precipitated by a growing recognition of the need for USABDA to provide competitive dance opportunities for amateur dancers that do not have a partner and thus desire to dance with either a professional partner or an amateur partner or a different age or proficiency level....

Press Release, USABDA.org

January 31, 2004, Royal Palm USABDA DanceSport Championship, The Palm Beach Ballroom, Lake Worth, FL. For more information, contact Bernard Matos, b@bryny.net or call 561-622-8560.

March 2-6, 2004, Heritage Classic DanceSport Championships, Grove Park Inn, Asheville, NC, 954-757-5101, www.theheritageclassic.com.

March 21, 2004, [R] NJ DanceSport Classic Spring Fling, Battista Dance Studio, Hackensack, NJ. organized by Mario Battista and Wendi Davies. for more information, 973-449-7654

April 24-25, 2004, North Central Regional Championship Indianapolis, IN. Convention Center. Hosted by Heartland Chapter. Qualifying event for USABDA National Championships. for more info contact Ron Wright at rt2dance@comcast.net.

January 23-25, 2004, Big Band/Swing Dance Weekend at The Grove Park Inn, Asheville, NC. The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra and the Bo Thorpe Orchestra. groveparkinn.com.

January 31, 2004, Charlotte Swing Workshop, Charlotte, NC. Int/adv. Jitterbug/East Coast Swing. Contact Paul Hoke, 864-292-5221 or paul@swingreview.com.

February 6-8, 2004, Foothills Winter Boogie in Hickory, NC, Ann Sigmon 828-324-6122, shagger@lakehickoryshagclub.com.

Shag National Prelims, Myrtle Beach, SC, 843-497-7369, shagnationals.com.

March 11-13, 2004, National Shag Dance Finals, Myrtle Beach, SC

March 12-14, 2004, A three-day dance festival right here in River City, Columbia. Master classes and performances. Professional guest dancers in ballet, modern, and jazz. Other areas interest including ballroom dance. For more information contact Gayle Etheredge at 803-318-5548 or GWEtheredge@aol.com or http://scahperd.org/SCDAbrochure.pdf[1].pdf on the web. Sponsored by the SC Dance Association the SC Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance.

How can the SC Dance Association event March 12-14, relate to USABDA?

Perhaps this can be a venue for a ballroom, swing or even C/W dance event in Columbia. More dancing for us. More interest in the community. Anyone interested in participating in this event or helping to establish more opportunities like this one, please contact timjowers@sc.rr.com. Or call 803-238-9125. Let me know what dances and what age groups. As well, there may be a need for some dance instructors.

Ideally this can create a venue for other dance groups and studios in SC and surrounding areas to participate so please pass this information along. Let's join the celebration of dance in SC and bring ballroom to the SCDAncing Festival. Visit the GCC-USABDA website bulletin board.

Tim Jowers

Grace and I attended the 2004 version of the bi-annual USABDA dance camp held at the Ocean Center, Daytona Beach, Florida, January 4-10, 2004. This was the third time we have been at the event, and, although, each is slightly different, we are continuously amazed at what a great event it always is - the best thing that USABDA does by far!

There will be changes in the future - for the better I think. The event will lose its intercontinental flavor and will no longer be aligned with a corresponding dance festival in England. You may recall that last year the dance festival was canceled due to low applications. The plan for the future is to hold a dance camp on the East Coast and on the West Coast in alternating years.

The attendance at this year's festival was also lower than previous festivals but even this was not all bad since there were fewer dancers at the individual group classes. Most of the professional teachers had been there before and all are top notch champions and former champions such as Dan Calloway, Ron Bennett, Ron Bennett and many others. 

Since one of the co-sponsors of the festival is the College and Youth Network, there were at least fourteen different university ballroom teams including Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Georgetown, NYU, Purdue, University of Massachusetts and Oxford University, Englan

So what goes on at the Intercontinental DanceSport Festival? Each day consists of five or six hours worth of group dance classes of your own choice, smooth, Latin, standard, and rhythm competitions in the afternoon, nightly social dances from seven until eleven, evening competitions, and usually a professional show. 

As an example of the group classes, our Tuesday schedule consisted of intermediate Viennese waltz with Ed Simon, advanced foxtrot with Ed Simon, a private lesson with Michelle Officer, lunch, advanced Viennese waltz with Ed Simon, and advanced waltz with Michelle Officer. Each hour offered nine different group classes and we selected the ones we were most interested in - no sign-ups, simply show up on time. If we had found that the class was too crowded or wasn't what we wanted we were free to leave and join another class. Each day had different classes so we were always able to find a group class that we wanted whether smooth or standard, Latin or rhythm at whatever level we wanted. All the professionals allowed filming so if we had trouble with a class we were free to tape it for review.

Every day was different. Each class had something new. Each night provided opportunities for social dancing and watching competitions of various types, so we never got bored - we just got really tired! We bought an absolutely fabulous book on dance called "Dance to Your Maximum". If you find it, get a copy. It is Bible on preparing for competitions, dancing for a season and dancing for a lifetime - in workbook format! We also bought several great ballroom CDs to make playlists for our USABDA dances, and, of course, Grace bought several pairs of shoes. I also brought back a few ideas for line dances that we may want to try at a USABDA dance if your are interested.

The entire week of dancing cost $380 per person plus meals and off-season rates at nearby motels. Will we return to the next DanceSport Festival - or whatever they decide to call it? You bet! We wouldn't miss it for anything - the only regret we had is that more members from Columbia weren't there. Don't miss it next time!

Mike Verdone

Emma Sharpe put together a group of dancers who go out to the nursing homes and retirement communities in our area to entertain the elderly with dance. Barbara Kubodera is now head of that group. 

The group performed at the Wildewood Downs Assisted Living on Monday, January 12. They are presently scheduled to perform on Valentine's Day, February 14, at 2:00 pm at Waterford Senior Living Center on Windsor Lake.

If you are interested in joining the Fancy Feet group for future performances in nursing homes and retirement communities or if you know of any such facilities that would like to host such a performance, please contact Barbara, Chair of the Youth and Outreach Committee.

David Hamilton, 3-time American smooth national champion and world show dance finalist is coming, again, to the BDC, Evans, GA, for private lessons and coaching February 16-18. 

Emilie Tobias of the BDC in Evans and Valeri Ganiev of the BDC in Columbia are competing in the Rising Star and the open professional divisions at the Heritage Classic Dancesport Championship in Asheville, NC on March 2-7. They are sponsored by Deirder of London. You can see them modeling some of their dance outfits on the web at www.deirdreoflondon.com.

Mike Verdone

Our USABDA chapter provides snacks and refreshments at each of our dances. Your contributions of soft drinks and snacks are always welcomed. Please remember snack foods must fit into the category of finger foods. 

Volunteers to help set up the refreshments are also welcomed. Contact Janet if you have any questions or would like to volunteer for a specific evening.

If you presently receive this newsletter via e-mail, we thank you for helping us to conserve time and money. The unavoidable expense of producing a newsletter is the time and effort put into its content. The avoidable expense of producing a newsletter is the money spent on stamps, seals, paper, copying and the time spent stapling, folding, and mailing.

If you aren't currently receiving your newsletter via e-mail and you have Internet access, we would like to suggest that you consider allowing us to e-mail your newsletter to you each month. You may call or e-mail your request to Deborah Thomas, 939-0299 or debnjeff@bellsouth.net.

Looking for someplace to dance those times when we don't have a GCC-USABDA dance? Visit the "Places To Dance" listing on our website or pick up a copy of the handout at the GCC-USABDA dances.

Big Band dancing Thursdays, 6:00-9:00, Adam's Mark, 1200 Hampton Street, Columbia, SC 29201, 803-771-7000.

Fridays, Capital Senior Center, Maxcy Gregg Park, 1650 Park Circle, Columbia, SC, 803-779-1971.

Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday, USC - Blatt PE Center, Columbia, SC 29170, 803-777-7000, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/uscballroom/.

Wednesdays, 7:00-9:00 pm, Sumter Ballroom Dance Club, Sumter County Recreational Department, 155 Haynesworth Street, Sumter, SC, Bob Wall 803-469-4014

Friday, February 13, 7:30-11:00, Palmetto Ballroom Dance Club, Sweetheart Ball, Florence, SC, 803-393-6206, palmettodanceclub.org.

First Saturday of each month, 7:00-11:00 pm, USABDA Greenville, Starlight Ballroom, 108 Trade Street, Greer, SC, Ginger 864-292-6750, odellgirl@aol.com.