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Headlines from Blackpool (thanks to Dance Beat):

• Eugene Katsevman and Maria Manusova, 11-time undefeated United States Amateur Latin Champions, announced their retirement from professional competition. We wish Eugene and Maria well in all their future endeavors.
• Val Chmerkovskiy and Darya Chesnokova finished fifth in the Amateur Latin. Congratulations to Val and Darya on their excellent result, representing U.S.A. in the final!
• Congratulations to Team USA for winning the Team Match (again). This year's team consisted of Arunas Bizokas and Katusha Demidova, Victor Fung and Anastasia Muravyeva, Riccardo Cocchi and Yulia Zagoruychenko, and Eugene Katsevman and Maria Manusova.
• Congratulations to Xingmin and Katerina Lu for making the final in the Senior Standard.
• Congratulations to Riccardo Cocchi and Yulia Zagoruychenko for finishing second in the Professional Latin and winning the jive in that event.

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June is upon us and while the official start of summer is three weeks away, summer kicked off unofficially last weekend with the Memorial Day holiday. In the past week, it has been hot enough in New York City to feel like summer is already in full swing. And we here at NY USA Dance, for the last few summers, have ushered in the season with a Luau Social. This year, it will take place on Saturday, June 19, at Manhattan Ballroom Dance studio (which is where we held it last year). The social will start at 8 pm, but for those who may be looking for dance partners, you might want to arrive 45 minutes early for the Partner Search Mixer, a regular event at the studio. This time around, the mixer will coincide with our social, and if you pay the admission for the Partner Search Mixer, you can stay for the Luau Social taking place right afterward. Admission to the social is $15 for USA Dance members and full-time students and $20 for the general public, and if you wear something appropriate to a luau, such as a Hawaiian shirt, bikini, coconut shells, hula skirt or other similarly suitable apparel, you can take $2 off the price of admission. Click here to see the flyer for more details, and save the date. We hope to see you at the Luau Social!

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Last week we told you about the photo contest and said that the contest rules would be forthcoming. Well, the rules have been posted. Just click this link to read them. We have three on-line galleries for you to choose from, and if you would like to add your MAC 2010 photo gallery to the mix, please send the link to photos@nyusadance.org. We know there are far more than three galleries with great shots of the MAC, and we'd like to hear from you. By submitting your gallery, you will provide everyone out there with even more terrific MAC 2010 photos to nominate as possible publicity shots for MAC 2011. Please take note that if your photo is selected for MAC publicity purposes, you are granting us permission to use that photo for such purposes.

Each person can submit up to five photos for consideration, and a committee of reviewers made up of members of the NY USA Dance Board of Directors will select the winning photo. The person who selects the winning photo will receive 10% off his or her personal participation at the MAC (i.e., attending as a spectator or competitor). The deadline for submissions is June 30, 2010. You have a whole month ahead of you to send us your choices for the best photos from MAC 2010 so start looking and send your selections to photos@nyusadance.org before the end of the month. We look forward to receiving your nominations!

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From time to time, our chapter receives inquiries about children's dance programs. We just received word from a group called International Motion which is starting a summer dance program for children. It has programs for two age groups, the first from 5 to 9 and the second from 10 to 18. These summer programs are intensive and are structured like a day camp for dancing and the arts, providing instruction in all dance styles (e.g., ballet, tap, jazz). The 10 to 18 age group has a program that includes ballroom instruction. The program takes place from July 6 to 31 at the Fisk Building on West 57th Street. Registration is taking place now. If you are interested or know someone that might be, click this link to visit the website for more information.

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In last week's edition, we mentioned the Summer Dance Program at DanceSport on Sundays starting this Sunday, June 6 and running until August 29. DanceSport tells us that there are still 14 spots left, so if you were thinking about it but haven't gotten around to registering, now's your chance. The faculty includes 10-dance champions Aleks Gisher and Luana Conte, as well as Giselle Peacock from the Broadway hit “Burn the Floor.” Questions? Call the studio at 212 307 1111 and ask for April. You can also register on-line. Click this link to go right to the registration page. It's three hours of lessons and practice time on Sunday afternoons, working out to just over $4 per lesson. Check it out!

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Reminders:

• DWTS pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy will be giving two seminars at Dance with Me in New Jersey. One will be on Saturday June 5th from 6:00PM to 6:45PM and the second seminar will be on Sunday June 6th from 5:00PM to 5:45PM. Each seminar will include a 15-minute meet-and-greet session after the seminars. Regular price is $100 per seminar or $175 for both. USA Dance Members will be able to do each seminar for $80 or both for $150. For more information, contact Dance with Me at nj@dancewithmeusa.com.

• Dance Chelsea will be presenting two workshops with Latin champion Yulia Zagoruychenko on Sunday, June 6, from 12 noon to 1:30 pm. The dances covered will be samba and jive. First ten people to sign up pay only $60 per person, the next 10 will pay $70 per person. Walk-ins pay $80 per person, so calling the studio now (917-606-0289) to register and pay would seem to be a great idea. For more information, visit Dance Chelsea's Facebook page.
• Dance New Amsterdam, located downtown near City Hall, will be offering 6-week sessions in social dance on Fridays and Sundays, starting on Sunday, June 6, at 1:30 pm and Friday, June 11, at 6:30 pm. The first classes are FREE! Sunday's classes will cover waltz, swing and tango while Friday's classes will cover salsa, cha cha and rumba. If you know anyone looking to get started in ballroom, these free introductory classes may be a good way for them to begin. For more details, visit the Dance New Amsterdam website.
• The Independence Day Ball will take place from July 3 through 7, right outside the nation's capital, in scenic Rockville, Maryland, featuring five days of workshops, social dances and activities. Learn from a world-class roster of instructors. Already confirmed for this year are Victor Fung, Maks Chmerkovskiy, Rufus Dustin, Ieva Pauksena and many others. There will be 150 workshops to choose from plus the ISTD standard seminar. July 4th weekend is only a month away, and this event tends to sell out so if you don't want to miss out, register 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!

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Looking to improve your dancing? Here are some ideas for classes and practice spaces:

• 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.
• Basic Ballroom holds a Competition Run-through Class supervised by former World Professional Latin finalists Paul Richardson and Olga Rodianova on Friday nights from 8 pm to 9:30 pm. Just $20 for USA Dance members.
• 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).
• At DanceSport, present your USA Dance card at the door and get free admission to their supervised ballroom practice on Thursdays from 9:30 pm to 10:30 pm. This session is supervised by either Snejana Petrova, Luana Conte, or Tobi Kretschmer. Plus, practice at the studio on Sundays for just $10 per hour per couple.

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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.
• Tomorrow, 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, June 6, Sunday Tea Party at Manhattan Ballroom Dance, mixed ballroom dancing starting at 3 pm.
• Monday, June 7, Salsa at Taj, with live band and special performances. Arrive before 7 pm and get in for $6 (admission price doubles after 7 pm).

• Wednesday, June 9, free admission to the swing/lindy party at DanceSport on Wednesday night from 9:30-10:30 pm.
• Thursday, June 10, free admission to the weekly mixed ballroom social at DanceSport on Thursday nights from 9:30-10:30pm.
• Thursday, June 10, Sunset Salsa, FREE beginner salsa lesson from 6:30 to 7:30 pm followed by Dance Party from 7:30 to 9:00 pm. Join Talia Castro-Pozo and a guest instructor every Thursday for a great evening outdoors at the Triangle at 14th St. and 9th Ave. It’s all FREE! Co-sponsored by Stepping Out Studios.
• Thursday, June 10, 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 or bailamosdance.com.

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Partner seekers: Check out the Partner Search page to find a listing of dancers looking for partners, or post your own ad to find a partner. It's free, easy and quick. Do it today!

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That does it for this week. Wherever you may be dancing this weekend, stay cool!

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

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General disclaimer: Please note that, other than events organized by NY USA Dance, the listing of events in this newsletter is purely for informational purposes and does not carry with it any endorsement, sanction or seal of approval, express or implied. If you have any questions about an event other than one organized by NY USA Dance, you should direct them to the organizer of that event. NY USA Dance has no control over any of the events listed herein, other than those events which NY USA Dance itself organizes. NY USA Dance bears no responsibility for the content, conduct, quality, management or operation of any of the events listed in this newsletter, other than those events organized directly by NY USA Dance.