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What are you doing tomorrow night? I hope your answer is: "Going to the Pre-Dance Parade Social at Basic Ballroom, of course!" Proceeds from the social will go towards funding our chapter's participation in the fourth annual Dance Parade. If you've already signed up or are planning to sign up at the social, you get $3 off admission to the party. Or, if you would prefer to take the discounted admission by filling out a survey to help us improve our website, that option is available. Either way, we hope you will come out and join us for a night of dancing and socializing. We will also have a raffle drawing where you can win tickets to the 21st Annual MAC, coming up in January. So put on your dancing shoes and join us tomorrow night at Basic Ballroom. The fun starts at 8 pm.

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Some exciting news from our local dance studios:

• Paul Richardson and Olga Rodionova have become partners in Basic Ballroom. Paul and Olga are former World, United Kingdom and International Professional Latin Finalists, and they were British National, US Open and World Cup Professional Latin Champions. Paul and Olga will be presenting a Competition Run-through Class on Friday nights from 8 pm to 9:30 pm. It will 90 fully-packed minutes of drills and run-throughs supervised by Paul and Olga. The cost is $25 per person, but if you present your USA Dance card at the door, your cost is just $20. Put your USA Dance membership to work and take advantage of the discount!
• Basic Ballroom is also expanding! They are adding extra space on the sixth floor. More details to follow; stay tuned.

Have you visited DanceSport lately? DanceSport, one of New York's leading dance studios, is extending the following special offers to USA Dance members, starting this month:

• free admission to their weekly mixed ballroom social on Thursday nights from 9:30-10:30pm.
• free admission to their supervised ballroom practice Thursday at 9:30-10:30. This session occurs in a separate room from the social and is supervised by either Snejana Petrova, Luana Conte, or Tobi Kretschmer.
• free admission to their swing/lindy party on Wednesday nights from 9:30-10:30 pm.
• practice at the studio on Sundays for just $10 per hour per couple.

To get these great deals at DanceSport, present your USA Dance card at the front desk. DanceSport is located at 22 W. 34th Street East Entrance, 4th Floor. If you haven't been to DanceSport lately, now you have five good reasons to go . . . so get going! Call to schedule (212-307-1111) and don’t forget to bring your USA Dance card with you!

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Fans of Swing and George Gee's 17-piece Big Band might be interested to know that starting on May 24 and every Monday thereafter, there will be live music and dancing to the sounds of George Gee's Big Band at Gospel Uptown, at 125th Street and 7th Avenue (Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd) in Harlem. The fun begins at 8 pm and goes on until 11 pm. The music charge is $15 with a $20 minimum at the tables and $10 minimum at the bar. If you'd like to kick off your week with some swing music and dancing to the big band sounds of George Gee, Gospel Uptown is the place to be starting on May 24. More details here.

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This week on DWTS: Last week, Evan Lysacek took the first set of 10s, and this week was Nicole Scherzinger's turn. With only five contestants left, each "star" had to do two dances, and during the latin portion in the latter half of the show, each contestant randomly picked a time period out of a bowl and had to choreograph their routine to fit that era. Derek and Nicole drew the '50s and had to create a paso doble routine reflecting that decade. From their first confident steps in the paso doble, Derek and Nicole showed that they were up to the challenge. The audience and the judges were blown away and when they flipped their paddles to reveal a perfect set of 10s, no one was surprised. The following night, on the results show, Niecy Nash was eliminated, which also was not surprising (but it was great to see her progress this far into the competition). Chad Ochocinco survives into the semi-finals, but if he makes it past that, well, that would be a surprise. Will he or won't he? I say won't.

Join us on Monday, May 17, at ACME Bar & Grill, at the bar in the back, and let's watch the penultimate competition show for season 10 together.

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Reminders:

• Thanks to everyone who filled out our on-line survey to help us re-design our website. If you have not yet done so, the deadline is tomorrow, May 15. You can find it at http://bit.ly/websitesurvey. Or fill it out in hard copy at the pre-Dance Parade social for a $3 discount tomorrow night. That will be your last chance to be heard on this matter, so go on-line if you can't make the party or we'll have one for you to fill out at the social.
• Catch the Rutgers Ballroom Team on the May 18 DWTS results show in which Rutgers will be pitted against Utah Valley University in a formation team match. For more details, visit the Rutgers Ballroom Team website. Tune in and support our local dancers!

• Louis del Prete will be 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 tomorrow, May 15. No refunds after 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.
• USA Dance is hosting its first cruise taking place aboard the luxurious Italian Cruise Line Costa's "Atlantica" from November 28 through December 5, departing from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and hitting the following ports-of-call: Key West, Florida; Ocho Rios, Jamaica; Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; and Cozumel, Mexico. For more details, click here: www.dancecruiseusadance.org. The instructors will be Dan and Silke Calloway and Wayne and Marie Crowder. Sounds like a great cruise, tailored for ballroom dancers of all levels, so sign up TODAY!
• 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 some suggestions:

• Tonight, Hot Salsa Friday at the VIP Lounge at the Iguana. Doors open at 6 pm.
• Tonight, Friday Fiesta monthly dance at American Ballroom Theater Studio (formerly Pierre Dulaine Dance Studio). Lessons start at 7 pm, dancing starts at 8 pm. Admission is $15 per person, just $12 with your USA Dance card.
• 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, May 15, Millennium Dance Party at Club 412/YSBD, three DJs in three rooms, spinning hustle, salsa and ballroom. Lesson at 8 pm, dancing starts at 9 pm.
• Tomorrow, May 15: 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, May 16, Sunday Tea Party at Manhattan Ballroom Dance, mixed ballroom dancing starting at 3 pm.
• Monday, May 10, 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, May 18, Hot Salsa and Latin at Club 56 in Farmingdale, LI. Lesson in salsa. Doors open at 7 pm. NOTE: This event will take a hiatus after May 18 until mid-June so be sure to get there on Tuesday night before it takes a three-week break.
• Thursday, May 20, 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 an intermediate follower seeking a leader for practice, social dancing and competition. Check out the Partner Search page to see her posting or post your own ad if the fancy strikes you. It's free, easy and quick. Do it today!

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That does it for this week! See you at the Pre-Dance Parade Social tomorrow night!

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