April 2005 Newsletter

a monthly publication

in this issue...

	April Dances		Members of the Board
	Committee Members		Next Board Meeting
	OOOPS!		All Around the Town
	March Dances		Etiquette Tip of the Month
	For Your Information		Shall We Dance?

April Dances

Spring is in the air! Dance it in at the Annual  AZALEA BALL April 9th, 2005 7:30 pm  Semi formal dress Lesson: Cha Cha  Instructor: Shantelle Smalls  Music: Al Jayne  Doors open: 7:15  Dance starts: 7:30  Lesson: 7:40  Directions to the dance   Saturday, April 23rd Regular Dance Same Time Same Place The Barn 680 Cherokee Lane, Columbia Members: $5; Guests: $8;  Students 21 and under: FREE during April and May; Students 22 and above: $3 members, $4 non-members Snacks, Soft Drinks, Mixers

Members of the Board

Committee Members

The following committee people, plus the Board, contribute their talents and help, month in and month out, to see that we in the Columbia area have two great dances every month for our members. Let's hear three big cheers for them.

Board Meeting

The next Board meeting is Sunday, April 10th at 3:00 P.M. at Richland County Library in downtown Columbia. Meetings are open to all members in good standing. Come to one or to several and let us know your opinion on things and what you would like to see happen. Feedback is important and welcome. 

O-O-O-P-S !!!

This may become the most-used section of the Newsletter. Starting with this issue, I will put in corrections of the goofs I have made, things that were accidentally omitted from the last one, and things that arrived too late to make the deadline.

1. In the last two newsletters, I erroneously stated that Mike Verdone was one of the students from Columbia's Ballroom that danced the Tango in the lobby of the Koger Center on Valentine's Day evening. It should have read that Michael Sherlock was one of the dancers. Sorry, Michael.
   

2. In the "Shall We Dance?" section of the March Newsletter, I listed only one dance party at Columbia's Ballroom at 35 Diamond Lane. There will be, as usual, two parties during the month of March; the second one will be on Thursday evening, March 31st from 7:30 to 9:30. Admission is free to studio students and $5 for guests. 
   

3. Jeane Mader and M. Kay Roberson renewed their membership in both the national organization, now known as "USA DANCE, Inc and our local chapter, now known as "USA DANCE, Inc - GREATER COLUMBIA CHAPTER".

March Dances

At our St. Patrick's Day dance we had a total of 67 people attending: 24 members, 4 sponsors, 24 guests, 3 student guests, 12 complimentary guests and 1 professional.

Our first-time guests were: Joylee Cook, Elvira Walker, Emily Dobbins, Keith Bordreasx, Heather Myers, Tammy Campbell, Kathy Denny, Hannah Castille, Sean DiMaria, Lois McTeer, John Murphy, Jay Huyck, and a few others whose names I could not decipher. We are happy that you decided to spend some of your time with us and hope to see you again soon. Happy Dancing!

Since I was in Orlando, Florida watching my granddaughter from California swim in Division 2 of the NCAA National swimming championships, I cannot attest to this, but from what I have been told, the floor was so crowded during the lesson that our instructor, Sheila Brown, had the men form one large circle and the women form another one around them to give everyone a chance to practice the steps she was teaching. Every person I have talked to has sung nothing but the highest praise for the lesson you gave, Sheila. Thanks.

And, once again, THANK YOU to all who helped set up, who worked during the dance, and who stayed to help clean up. We cannot function without you. You may not think that you make a difference, but you are the reason we are able to continue having the dances. Thank you! Thank you!! Thank you!!!

All Around the Town

On Tuesday, March 8th , the Fancy Feet Dancers performed for the residents of The Shepherd's Center of St. Andrews at 2600 Ashland Rd. Those dancing were Edna Free, Jeane Mader, Tom Savage,and David Tammen. They danced tango, fox trot, waltz, rumba, cha cha, and East Coast swing. On Saturday, March 26th, they will be dancing at Agape on Kathwood. What a wonderful way to bring some joy into the lives of those less fortunate, healthwise, than we are. Thank you so much for representing our chapter in such a proud and positive manner. 

An introductory course in ballroom dance will be starting on Thursday evening, April 7th, from 7:00 to 8:15, at the First Baptist Life Center. Again, a different dance will be taught each week with the dances being Fox Trot, Waltz, Rumba, ChaCha, Swing, and Tango. It will be taught by Bob Sitko, with Edna Free and Jeane Mader assisting him. At the conclusion of each course, participants will be given a complimentary ticket to a USA Dance, Inc. dance.

April and taxes are almost synonymous and tax time is just around the corner. We would like to remind you that both USA DANCE, INC. and our Greater Columbia Chapter have official 501 (c) 3 status. As such, any donation you might wish to make to the Chapter is tax-deductible after any gift or benefit you might receive as a result of the donation is deducted from the total amount. Think about it. 

The State newspaper published a nice full-page article with lots of photos about the dance class that our Chapter is conducting at Capital Senior Center. If you did not see the original, you can read the article about it by going to USADance.US which has a link on the first page. There just aren't all the pretty pictures that were in the newspaper.

Etiquette Tip of the Month

Dancing is about having fun, not expecting every partner you dance with to be your soul dancer. Correcting your partner on the dance floor is a big "no no." That is what instructors are paid to do. I remember one statement made to me at the end of a long, stumbling trek down the floor during a Fox Trot mixer. My gallant gentleman partner, a much more experienced dancer, said to me in a sarcastic tone of voice and with a sneer, "Well, you certainly led that well." My ego was devastated. Maybe I did lead; at the time, I did not have the experience to know what the problem was. But the result was that I did not dance another mixer for months for fear of "not dancing well enough." A "thank you" or an "I enjoyed that" is the appropriate response whether you did or not.

For Your Information

 Norma Davis, Emma Sharpe, and Edna Free renewed their memberships in March and Rakesh Godvari-Krishna joined for the first time as a Social Dancer. We had an old member reclaim membership........Sheila Brown joined as an associate/professional. Thanks to all of you for supporting ballroom dancing in Columbia. 

Don't forget that we have a wide variety of VHS dance tapes to assist you in learning to dance. 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 $5.00 deposit is required when you sign one out, but it is returned when you return the tape. You can keep them for one month and may sign out a maximum of two (2). They are available at any of the USA Dance, Inc. dances held at The Barn. Just ask a Board member for them. 

There have been several excellent articles in the last two issues of Amateur Dancers magazine which are well worth reading. The one which caught my attention most was A Management Consultant's Approach to Memorizing Dance Steps and Trade Partners to Learn Faster in the January/February issue and The Differences between Social and Stage Tangos in the March/April issue. 

We have several new national officers. Due to lack of space this month, I will give you the Who's Who's next time.

Shall We Dance?

	April 9	Annual "Azalea Ball" The Barn 680 Cherokee Lane 7:30 pm - 10:30 Lesson: Cha Cha; USA Dance, Inc. Members: $5.00; Guests: $8.00; Students ages 21 & under: free during April and May; Students 22 and over: member $3.00; non member $4.00.
	April 14	Columbia's Ballroom 35 Diamond Lane 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm Students of ballroom: no charge; Non students: $5.
	April 16	"April in Paris" Summer dress dance presented by Sumter Ballroom Dance Club 7:00 pm - 10:00 pm, 1100 South Guignard in Sumter, SC. Advance: $6.00; At the door: $7.00; Click here for more information.
	April 23	The Barn 680 Cherokee Lane 7:30 pm - 10:30 Lesson: Cha Cha; USA Dance, Inc. members: $5.00; Guests: $8.00; Students 21 & under: free during April and May; Students 22 and over: member...$3.00; non-member...$4.00
	April 28	Capital Ballroom 2732 Devine St., Columbia, SC 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm no charge
	April 28	Columbia's Ballroom 35 Diamond Lane 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm Students of ballroom: no charge Non students: $5
	Thursdays	Clarion Towne House Hotel, Gervais at Pickens Sts., Columbia, 7:00 - 10:00 pm.
	Fridays	Capital Senior Center, Maxcey Gregg Park, 1650 Park Circle, Columbia. Live Music. Members: n/c, Non member: $5
		Please check our web site, www.usadance.us, to find a comprehensive list of places to dance, both locally and around the State.

Doris Wood,
Editor