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The Blackpool Dance Festival, among the world's largest and most prestigious DanceSport competitions, drew to a close last week, with a bang. The first place in the Professional Standard went to Arunas Bizokas and Katusha Demidova, representing the United States. Congratulations to Arunas and Katusha for their tremendous achievement, a first for a professional standard couple from the United States. Third place went to Victor Fung and Anastasia Muravyova, also of the United States. Fifth place went to Giampierro Giannico and Anna Mikhed, representing the United States. (Footnote of interest: Giampierro had previously danced with Anastasia and Anna had previously danced with Victor.) What a terrific and historic result for our United States professional standard dancers! Arunas, Katusha and Giampierro can all be found coaching and teaching in the Greater New York area. We are proud and privileged to be in the company of such dancing greatness.

A belated congratulations to Pasha Pashkov and Daniella Karagach, two more local favorites who represented us well at Blackpool. Out of a field of more than 300 couples entered in the Rising Star Amateur Latin, Pasha and Daniella emerged in sixth place, the only couple from the United States to be represented in that final. Pasha and Daniella, you do us proud!

Congratulations to all the dancers from the Greater New York area and the United States who competed at Blackpool. You are all winners in our book. Keep up the great work, and thanks for continuing to raise the standard of dancing here in the United States.

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Quick update on our upcoming Luau Social on June 19 at Manhattan Ballroom Dance studio: We are again planning to have Popeye's Fried Chicken, and if you were at our April social, you remember how delicious it was. We only plan to have enough for people who arrive in the first hour or so, so if you would like some fried chicken at the Luau Social, we advise you to arrive early. For more details about the Luau Social, click here.

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One of the fun things about dancing in New York in the summer time is the opportunity to dance outdoors. You are probably already well-acquainted with Midsummer Night Swing, which kicks off its current season at Lincoln Center at the end of the month on June 29. You may not be as familiar with MoonDance, which takes place by the Hudson River at Pier 54 on W. 14th Street and occupies five Sundays, starting a month from now on July 11. Here's the full description from the event website:

Whether you’ve been dancing for years or want to learn how to boogie like a pro, Hudson River Park’s MoonDance is your chance to strut your stuff under the stars! Free lessons from Dance Manhattan begin the evening before New York City’s favorite dance bands perform. MoonDance takes place Sunday evenings on Hudson River Park's Pier 54 - no experience necessary. Featured styles include swing, tango and salsa.

For a listing of all the bands that will be playing and the dates, click here. Note that the events may be cancelled without notice if the weather is not conducive to dancing outdoors, and we have no word as to whether the organizers have figured out how to alert people ahead of time if a cancellation does occur, so you may have to take your chances or assume that the event will be cancelled if the weather is bad. Let's hope that the weather cooperates this year, because they do get some wonderful bands, and dancing by the water can be quite enjoyable.

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If you find yourself with some free time in the afternoon and evening on Wednesday, June 23, by the World Financial Center, you may want to make your way to the Winter Gardens to catch the American Ballroom Theater Dancing Classrooms Colors of the Rainbow Team Match. Those of you who remember the documentary "Mad Hot Ballroom" or the feature film "Take the Lead" from a few years ago might be familiar with Pierre Dulaine and his American Ballroom Theater Dancing Classrooms program which has brought ballroom dancing to tens of thousands of New York City students since 1994. The Colors of the Rainbow Team Match is a city-wide competition that represents the culmination of the school year's Dancing Classroom program in New York City's various public schools. Fifth graders will be competing from 3 pm to 4:30 pm and eighth graders will compete from 6 pm to 7:30 pm. The event is free. For more details, click here.

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Reminders:

• MAC 2011 Photo Contest: Help us pick the publicity photo for MAC 2011. Click here for the contest rules. The deadline for submissions is June 30, 2010. You have a few more weeks 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!
• 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. The Sunday classes have already started and the Friday classes start tonight. 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.
• 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, 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, 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 13, Sunday Tea Party at Manhattan Ballroom Dance, mixed ballroom dancing starting at 3 pm.
• Monday, June 14, 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 17, free admission to the weekly mixed ballroom social at DanceSport on Thursday nights from 9:30-10:30pm.
• Thursday, June 17, 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 17, 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: We have two advanced followers looking for leaders. Check out the Partner Search page to see their listings, or post your own ad to find a partner. It's free, easy and quick. Do it today! Also, take note that the Partner Search Mixer at Manhattan Ballroom Dance studio will take place starting at 7:15 pm, right before our Luau Social on June 19. Admission to that mixer gets you into our social, too, so keep it in mind if you're in the market for a partner.

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That does it for this week. Good luck to everyone competing at the Summer Sizzler/NQE this weekend in Hackensack, NJ!

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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.