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We are pleased to announce that reigning United States and World Professional Standard Champions Arunas Bizoukas and Katusha Demidova will be presenting workshops on Sunday, May 2, at Manhattan Ballroom Dance studio. Arunas and Katusha will each present one workshop, focusing on Standard dancing principles and technique, designed for all levels of dancers. Arunas will present his workshop from 3 pm to 4 pm and Katusha will present hers from 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm. The cost per workshop is $40 for USA Dance members ($45 per person for all others), paid in advance via our website. You can also take both for $75. The price at the door is $10 more, so pre-pay on-line and save $10! Part of the proceeds from your on-line registration goes to support the work of NY USA Dance, so if you plan on going to the workshops, please sign up via our website. Thank you!

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We need your input! The NY USA Dance Board has been discussing a revamp of the website, and before moving forward further with it, we'd like to hear from you. We put together a survey to ask you a few questions about your experience with websites in general and with our website in particular. It's only 10 questions and you should be able to complete it in less than 10 minutes, so please take a moment and let us know what you think. We appreciate your help.

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DWTS this week: We were treated to "Movie Night," in which the contestants were asked to dance to a movie theme. Bachelor Jake Pavelka took to the ballroom in his tighty-whities, in homage to the famous Tom Cruise solo dance scene from "Risky Business." In Jake's performance, he was joined by partner Chelsie Hightower, who brought out a pair of latin pants for Jake to wear. They danced a cha cha to "Old Time Rock 'n Roll." Although the judges gave Jake high marks for the routine, probably what will stick in the minds of most viewers is Jake dancing in his underwear before a national audience of more than 20 million. My hats off to Jake for his daring spirit.

Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls danced a sharp and scintillating tango to "Pretty Woman" from the film of the same name. She earned two 10s from Carrie Ann and Bruno, sending her back up to the top of the leaderboard, over Evan Lysacek who had been in the lead for the last couple of weeks.

Before making any predictions that Nicole and Evan will definitely be in the final, let's keep in mind that ultimately DWTS boils down to a popularity contest so the best dancers do not necessarily make it to the final three at the end of the season. Remember Cheetah Girl Sabrina Bryan, who was a strong dancer partnered by Mark Ballas. She got knocked out midway through season 5, to the shock of many who thought she was a shoo-in for the final. And Olympic athletes don't get a free pass to the final either. Remember Natalie Coughlin from last season.

To underscore the importance of the voting, notice that Kate Gosselin, who got eliminated this week, had enough votes to get her to week 5. And she did not land in the bottom two until week 5, even though she had consistently placed at the bottom of the pack, based on the judges' scores, since the start of the season. For the many Kate Gosselin fans out there, I am sure they are sad to see her go. For everyone else, I suspect a huge collective sigh of relief has been released.

We go into week 6 on Monday. Join us at ACME, at the bar in the back, to continue watching the season unfold. Hope to see you there!

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Louis del Prete is presenting a Special Event on Saturday, May 29, at the Suburban Temple in Wantagh, out on Long Island. There will be a dance with a special performance by Karina Smirnoff and Dmitry Chaplin from Dancing with the Stars. The cost is just $40 per person and reservations will be taken until May 15. In addition to the show, you get a dance lesson at 8:30 pm and open dancing from 9 pm to 12:30 am. For more details, click here. This event is popular and has sold out in the past so if you are interested in seeing Karina and Dmitry performing live, make your reservations today.

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Last week I was privileged to be the MC at the 11th Annual Rutgers DanceSport Competition. More than 200 dancers representing more than 20 schools from the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic competed from 8 am until past 7 pm. In the middle, there was a generous lunch break, and it was good to be able to eat lunch sitting down at a leisurely pace rather than at the podium on my feet, chewing and swallowing between announcements. In addition to the regular competitive events, fun dances were interspersed between each division (smooth, standard, rhythm, latin), including a Viennese Waltz race and a No-Hips Samba. If you weren't there, you missed out on some creative and hilarious fun dance moments. Congrats to the Rutgers Ballroom Dance Team on a successful event. For some of my photos from the competition, click here.

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Basic Ballroom informs us that Colin James, former United Kingdom Open Champion and World European Open Champion, will be available for coachings on the following days: April 23, 28, 29 and 30 and May 1 and 2. He has some slots open at this writing but his schedule fills up quickly so if you want to book a lesson, do it soon. Also, Colin will be presenting a latin workshop on May 1st starting at 6:30 pm, and he will supervise a run-through starting at 8:15 pm. Please contact the studio for further details.

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Latin Dancers: Kristina Staykova will be giving a Latin Master Class in Samba on Saturday, May 1 (next Saturday) at Stepping Out, starting at 11:30 am. Kristina, a US National Professional Rising Star Champion and Blackpool semi-finalist, will cover fundamentals that will help you to master the samba. The cost is just $30 per person. For more details, click here.

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Reminders:

• Sign up to dance with NY USA Dance at Dance Parade, an annual celebration of all forms of dance. Come out and represent ballroom dance with our chapter. The parade takes place on Saturday, May 22, and it's the fourth annual. For more information about the parade, click here. To sign up with our chapter, send your contact information to info@nyusadance.org.
• Become the best ballroom dancer you can be for your partner by working on yourself first. ISTD Fellow Michael Choi shows you how with his Ballroom Barre, at Chelsea Studios, every Wednesday, starting at 8:30 pm. Just $25 per person for USA Dance members. For the latin dancers, Michael offers the Latin Barre, at Basic Ballroom, every Thursday, starting at 9:30 pm. Also just $25 per person for USA Dance members. The classes are non-sequential so drop in any time; no partner required, all levels welcome. For more information, contact Michael at michael@dancemchoi.com.
• Manhattan Ballroom Dance studio has Standard rounds on Thursdays, from 9:30 to 10:30 pm. The floor is huge, with plenty of space to swing out, so if you're looking for a good place to run your standard routines, visit Manhattan Ballroom Dance studio on Thursday nights.
• Dance Chelsea is offering a special promotion of an $85 unlimited practice card. For more details about this great deal, contact the studio or log on to their Facebook page.
• Check out the special rates for USA Dance members at Basic Ballroom: just $79 for a 10 session card and $90 for their unlimited monthly card.
• Dance with Me Soho will be hosting Practice Sessions, and they are offering both an unlimited option and a 10 practice session card. For the unlimited option, the cost is $100 per person, with a 15% discount to USA Dance members, so our members can get unlimited practice time at Dance with Me Soho for just $85 per person per month. If you would prefer to go for the 10 practice session card, the cost for that will be $100 per couple, with a 25% discount for USA Dance members, or $75 per couple. Questions? Please call the studio at (212) 840-Dance (3262).

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Looking to social dance? Here are a couple of suggestions for FREE open houses around town tonight:

• Sundown Friday at Stepping Out, lessons at 8:30 pm, dancing starts at 9:30.
• Dance Manhattan, free class at 8 pm, dancing starts at 9:30 pm.

Other suggestions:

• Tonight, Hot Salsa Friday at the VIP Lounge at the Iguana. Doors open at 6 pm.
• Tonight, Millennium Hustle at Manhattan Ballroom Dance, lessons begin at 7:30 pm, dancing until 2 am.
• Tonight, Friday Night with Abakuá at YSBD/Club 412, hosted by Frankie Martinez and Manny Blackett, featuring salsa/mambo and cha cha, starting at 9:00 pm.
• Tomorrow, April 24, Swing 'n Salsa Saturday at YSBD/Club 412, with two live bands in separate rooms. Lessons at 7 pm, dancing starts at 8 pm.
• Tomorrow, April 24, DancXchange Lounge at Dancesport, two DJs, two rooms for dancing hustle and ballroom, starting at 9:30 pm.
• Tomorrow, April 24: mixed ballroom dancing at Manhattan Ballroom Dance studio, starting at 7:30 pm with a free lesson. NOTE: The $10 discount for USA Dance members is no longer in effect; admission for all is now $15 per person.
• Sunday, April 25, Sunday Tea Party at Manhattan Ballroom Dance, mixed ballroom dancing starting at 3 pm.
• Monday, April 26, Salsa at Taj, with live band and special performances. Arrive before 7 pm and get in for $6 (admission price doubles after 7 pm).
• Tuesday, April 27, Hot Salsa and Latin at Club 56 in Farmingdale, LI. Lesson in salsa. Doors open at 7 pm.
• Thursday, April 29, Thursday Night Dance Club at Mirelle's, in Westbury, featuring Latin, Hustle and West Coast Swing. Lesson at 7:30 pm, dancing starts at 8:15 pm. Admission just $10 per person for USA Dance members (present your card at the entrance to get the discount).

For more ideas, check Wayne's Dance Commentary, NJoyDancing News & Notes or bailamosdance.com.

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Partner seekers: We have a "Passionate Dancer" seeking a leader for competitions, socials and practice. Check out the Partner Search page to see the posting or post your own ad if the fancy strikes you. It's free, easy and quick. Do it now!

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That does it for this week. Enjoy the weekend, with its numerous and varied dance options.

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Yang Chen
President
Greater NY
USA Dance
(NY USA Dance)