In this issue, scroll down:
1 A chat with
Karen Thomas!
2. Need to buy or sell ballroom/latin attire?
3. Local Dance Competition at UVA; be a part of it!
4. Would you like free entry to the dance?
5.
Why you should become a Member of USA Dance!
(... the reasons are just irresistible!)
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USA Dance Charlottesville
this Saturday, August 23rd
7:15-10 PM
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Welcome back! We can't wait to get back on the dance floor with you!
Karen Thomas warms us up with a fun polka lesson, and launches our fall with her terrific ballroom, latin and swing music for the evening!
THIS Saturday August 23rd ~
Lesson at 7:15 PM
Social Dance 8-10 PM!
*And... it's our End of Summer Dance... wear sundresses, tank tops, shades..!
*Instructors are invited to dance for FREE! Please bring your business cards to share & tell us about current or upcoming group lesson schedules.
For an unbeatable evening of fun and music among friends new and old, join us! General Admission is $12, USA Dance members pay $9, students $6. Enjoy the beautiful ballroom at Unity Church with ample and easy parking (2825 Hydraulic Circle, Charlottesville, near Albemarle High School).
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1) A chat with... Karen Thomas!
a) Where did you grow up?
I grew up on the Eastern Shore of MD and have also lived in Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and PA.
b) How did you get into the dancing world?
I started dancing in 1981, then married my dance teacher in 1982. I turned pro in 1984 when my husband and his dance partner broke up and he needed another teacher to take over her classes. What a stroke of luck for me: I have thoroughly enjoyed my 30 years of teaching dance!
c) Do you have a favorite song?
I truly have no favorite song - there is such a plethora of wonderful music out there that I find myself able to enjoy almost any genre! Although my dance degree is in ballroom dance, I also like Latin and swing dancing too. I suppose that waltzes and slow rumbas probably move me most emotionally! People create movement according to what they hear and feel in a piece of music: they react to rhythms, tempos, and volume of the music. Each person feels and hears things differently, so what is inspiring to one person might be totally boring to another. Dancing is a very personal experience!
d) Do you have a recent favorite movie?
My most recent movie experience was Jersey Boys. I could not sit still while watching!! And really, have you ever seen a bad Clint Eastwood movie? Loved it! e) What do you like to do in your non-dancing spare time?In my non-dancing time I do gourmet cooking as a hobby. I love trying new foods, looking up new recipes, trying new cooking techniques and entertaining friends with my new found cooking information. From April through October I am a baker and cook in the Shrinemont Hotel at Orkney Springs near my home. I cook there during the day and go to the studio at night to teach! Finally, when I can, I do gardening; I have always loved plants and digging in the earth... it is my mental relaxation therapy! f) Would you share a little more about your family and home? I have four children and four grandchildren and I am married and live in a little town near the top of a mountain. I was born and raised in the country and I will always be a country girl at heart. I love living in the woods and being engulfed in nature, while being close enough to big towns and cities to find all the culture I could ever want.
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2) Need to buy or sell new or barely used ballroom or latin attire?USA Dance Charlottesville has a spot on our website where you can advertise new ballroom or latin items that you would like to sell locally within our community, if you are also a dancer in our community. Visit our website if you are looking for something in particular. Contact us if you'd like to have an item posted!
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3) UVA Ballroom Club Hosts First Ever Competition October 11th and needs YOU!
The UVa Ballroom Club hosts their first ever ballroom dance competition this Fall at Newcomb Hall Ballroom/UVA on Sat. Oct. 11th: the "Virginia Open." A fun, stress-free competition (non-sanctioned) for collegiate dance teams! The students are requesting volunteers from the Charlottesville dance community to help with this event (no home game that day!). There will be four levels of dancing: Newcomer, Bronze, Silver and Gold. They have retained a licensed invigilator to keep dancers within syllabus however need volunteers for judges, deck captains, DJ, runners, etc. No experience is required, just a willingness to help these young dancers learn what competition dancing is all about. Please spread the word! Contact: Donna Arehart
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4) Get into the dance FREE!
If you are a USA Dance Member or a college student, volunteer at the front desk for half an hour and you get into the dance free! You'd be greeting friends as they arrive, helping them to sign in, giving your feet/knee/hip a break, and all the while watching fabulous dancing on the floor! Thank you for your support! Check in to see slot availability when you arrive or email to sign up in advance by the end of the Friday before the dance! (NOTE: this opportunity is available on a dance by dance basis as slots become available at the discretion of and subject to the approval of USA Dance Board members.) |
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5) Why you should become a Member of USA Dance!
~Instead of $12, you pay only $9 at each dance
(for a possible savings of up to $27 each year)!
~Your membership card gives you membership rates at any other USA Dance you attend across the region or nation, not just ours.
~At our local chapter, volunteering at the front desk (when slots are available, subject to the board's discretion) gains free admission to the dance.
~You support a non-profit organization that welcomes all ballroom dancers from throughout the area, regardless of where/whether they have taken lessons.
~All members receive a subscription to the national organization's exciting bimonthly magazine, American Dancer. Members can use free Dancemart classified advertising in American Dancer magazine to sell personal costumes, shoes etc. or search for a partner. See magazine for details.
~There are several categories of membership; a common one is Social Adult Dancer Membership, at $25 per year.
~For more information or to sign up, ask at our front desk at the next dance, or visit
USA Dance Charlottesville
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