December 2004 Newsletter

a monthly publication

in this issue...

	Holiday Ball		Members of the Board
	Officers and Committees		Next Board Meeting
	Apology		November Dances
	November Guests		Angels of the Month
	Decorating		December HiLites
	January HiLite		Toys for Tots
	News from National		Comings and Goings
	Etiquette Tip of the Month		Change in Local Chapter Dues
	Dance Tapes		Shall We Dance?
	News from NDCA

Holiday Ball

Members of the Board

Other Officers and Committees

Board Meeting

Board Meeting: The next Board meeting is Sunday, December 12th at 3:00 p.m. at the Richland County Library on the corner of Main and Assembly Streets. It meets on the Sunday following the first dance of the month starting at 3:00 p.m. The meetings are open to any and all members in good standing. Feedback and input is important and welcome. At the November Board meeting, the Board voted to change the time that the Chapter's yearly dues will be payable. Tom has sent out a written notification to each member, via e-mail or the U.S. postal service. Also see the Local Chapter Dues section below.

Apology

My deepest apologies to Jeane Mader. I stated in the November newsletter that Jo Morton danced the exhibition routine of foxtrot, when in fact, it was Jeane. I am very sorry about that, Jeane.

November Dances

On the 13th, Wolfgang Elfe did a great job teaching The Blues and he and Pamela Marshall danced a beautiful waltz. Several people have expressed a desire to have another lesson in it. Thanks to both of you for sharing your talents with us. Mike Verdone was back as DJ for the evening and was great as always. Thirty-two members and nine guests attended and door prizes were won by Cassie Jackson (a box of chocolate covered pretzels), Wolfgang Elfe (a 3 pound bag of mixed nuts in the shell), and Pam Marshall (a set of four stone coasters with a scene of an outdoor cafe). 

November Guests

November Guests: The following were first time guests at our Nov. 13th dance: George Booth, Lin and Shun Ko, Hubert Chandler and Betty Langston. If I have omitted your name, or misspelled it, please call me at 796-8091, so I can correct it. Names on the guest list are usually written in a hurry by the guest and not always easy to read. 

Angels of the Month

Angels of the Month: Kudos to all the people who helped with the last October dance and the November dances, which included Jane Fisk, Uriah Heben, Al Jayne, Paul Lagatore, Jeane Mader, Naomi Mart, Tom Savage, Emma Sharpe, Tracy Steele, David Tammen, and Doris Wood, plus some names I failed to get. From now on, I will have a sheet on the sign-in table and I ask that if you helped us set up or clean up, in any way, please write your name down. We want to to be able to acknowledge and thank all of those who help. As I have said before, it takes a village to put on these dances and you are a part of that village. 

Decorating

We are looking for a few members to help with decorating for the Holiday Ball. If you would like to help, meet the decorating committee at 1:00 pm on Dec. 11th at The Barn. And, if you have any decorations you would like to loan for the evening, bring them with you at that time. Also, anyone interested in learning how to work the sound system and being the DJ for an occasional dance? If so, contact Tom Savage or Stephanie Muga. 

December Hi-Lites

1. USABDA's annual semi-formal Holiday Ball at The Barn on Saturday, December 11th 
2. Christmas Dance (semi-formal) at Columbia's Ballroom on Saturday, December 18th, at 7:30 
3. Christmas Dance at Capital Ballroom on Thursday, December 16th, at 8:00 
4. Fancy Feet Dancers dancing at Edengardens on Saturday, December 4th at 2:00 P.M. Call Barbara Kubodera if you need more information, or call Edengardens at 781-2243 for directions.
5. This is a no-brainer....There will be NO USABDA dance at the Barn on the 4th Saturday of December as it is Christmas.

January Hi-Lite

Since I will be out of town for the holidays, the January 2005 Newsletter will be a little late; therefore, I am including the following January Hi-lite:

1. On January 4th, Paul Lagatore and Sheila Brown of Columbia's Ballroom will be dancing Viennese waltzes on-stage with the SC Philharmonic Orchestra at The Koger Center. It was a huge success last year, so don't miss it this year. 

TOYS for TOTS Christmas Gift Drive

This is the season of giving both thanks and of yourself. Make a child happy; bring a wrapped gift to the Holiday Ball for a child, ages 1 thru 16, to put under the Christmas tree at The Barn. Remember, put the sex and age range of the gift on the outside of the package. If so inclined, bring more than one; we won't make you take it back home. These presents will then be delivered to the Toys for Tots annual drive. 

News From National

With 66% approval of the national membership, the name of our national organization of USABDA is going to change to USAdance. The changeover will probably not be completed until the end of 2005. National has requested that we continue to use the name USABDA when referring to National events and information about USABDA on our local website, until we receive further instructions. Our "Johnny-on-the-spot" web master, Bob Sitko, was able to get the domain name of USAdance.us for our local website. As of now, you can access our local site by using the old one, usabda.net, or going to USAdance.us. Both names can be used for the time being. The above information is courtesy of Bob Sitko, our webmaster. Bob, what a great job you have done finding us a web name so close to our new National name. Wow!!! 

Comings and Goings

1. On Nov. 13th, amateur dancers Doug Copeland, Carolyn James, Barbara Kubodera, Nisha Kubodera, Joyce Lagatore, Naomi Mart, Lee Minghi, Stephanie Muga, Sharon Royall, Dee White, and Doris Wood, of Columbia's Ballroom, attended the "Passport to Dance" Showcase at the Ritz Ballroom's Fall Showcase in Augusta, GA with their instructors: Sheila Brown, Paul Lagatore, and Tracy Steele. 
2. The Tidewater VA USABDA chapter in Virginia Beach is having its 14th Annual Ballroom Dance and Social Dance Workshop starting on Wednesday, Dec. 29th through the New Year's Eve weekend. It sounds like fun. See details at www.twcusabda.org/events_link_page04.html.
Send me info about where and what your Chapter/Studio is doing. I can't put it in the Newsletter, if I don't know about it. 

Etiquette Tip of the Month

Be nice to be close to. Ballroom dancing is a contact sport and we all need to be especially aware of our grooming prior to heading out to dance. The opposite side of that coin is, while we all like to smell good, remember to be judicious when putting on the perfume, aftershave, etc. A little bit goes a long way. 

News Update from National Dance Council of America

North American Dance Sport Alliance
PRESS RELEASE

November 24, 2004

NORTH AMERICAN DANCE SPORT ALLIANCE

The long standing cooperation engendered by the 1981 North American agreement between the professional dance associations in Canada and the United States of America was further strengthened by the signing of an updated agreement in Columbus, Ohio on November 19, 2004.

The charter document, known as the NORTH AMERICAN DANCE SPORT ALLIANCE (NADSA), forms an Alliance between the World Dance and Dance Sport Council (WDDSC) member countries in North America. Specifically the United States of America represented by the National Dance Council of America (NDCA) and Canada represented by the Canadian Dance and Dance Sport Council (CDDSC).

Under the Alliance a Joint Committee, headed by Brian McDonald, Judi Hatton (NDCA and Alain Millette, Ann Harding (CDDSC) has been formed to provide a forum for bilateral discussion on issues of mutual concern and to facilitate a unified approach by both nations in all matters pertaining to ballroom dance competitions.

In this renewed spirit of cooperation between our two nations, we encourage all professional and amateur competitors to support and participate in competitions sanctioned by NDCA or CDDSC. Registration in either association is recognized in both countries.

Change in Local Chapter Dues

A change in due date of chapter membership dues has been announced by your local Board, following the last Board meeting. Starting in January 2005, your Chapter dues of $5.00 will be payable in the same month as your National dues. Prior to this, all members' dues have been payable on January first. This will make it a lot easier for everyone to remember when they need to be paid. It also allows the Chapter to track local dues better. If your dues become three months or more in arrears, you will be charged the guest rate to attend the dances. The advantage of being a member is that the admission price to the USABDA dances is $5.00, instead of the $8.00 that guests pay. The local chapter dues are primarily used to fund the dances. Where else can you get dancing, entertainment, snacks, lessons, and fun people to be around for that price? 

Dance Tapes

Our local chapter has a wide variety and number of VHS dance tapes, to help you in your goal of learning to dance. And while they do not take the place of individual instruction, they do help to get some of the basics down. The majority of them are oriented to the beginning dancer. A small deposit is required when you sign one out, but this deposit is returned to you when you return the tape. You can keep them for up to one month and you may sign out a maximum of two (2). They are available at any of the USABDA dances held at The Barn.

Shall We Dance?

	Dec. 11	The Barn 680 Cherokee Lane, Columbia USABDA Semi-formal Holiday Ball Members: $5,  Guests: $8, Students: Free.  Doors open: 7:15 Lesson: 7:40 - 8:30 Social Dancing: 8:30 - 10:30
	Dec. 16	Capital Ballroom - 2732 D Devine St. Columbia, SC Christmas dance 8:00 - 10:00 pm
	Dec. 18	Columbia's Ballroom - 35 Diamond Lane, Semi-formal Christmas Dance and show - Admission is a wrapped gift for a child or $10.00. 7:30 pm
	Dec. 25	The Barn 680 Cherokee Lane, Columbia USABDA NO DANCE
	Nov. 18	Capital Ballroom - 2732 D Devine St. Columbia, SC. Monthly dance, 8:00 - 10:00 pm
	Wednesdays	Sumter Dance Club, Sumter Cty Rec. Dept., 155 Haynesworth St., Sumter, SC 7:00 - 9:00 pm
	Thursdays	Adam's Mark, 6:00 - 9:00 pm, 1200 Hampton St., Columbia, SC
	Fri & Sat	Ballroom Dance Club, 1632 Ashley Hall Rd, Charleston, SC. 7:30 -11:00 Members: $8, Students: $5, Lesson: 7:30
	Fri. nights	Capital Senior Center, Maxcey Gregg Park, 1650 Park Circle, Columbia. Live Music. Members: n/c, Non member: $5
		More listings next month! Doris Wood Newsletter Editor