On March 13, 2021, the Albany Chapter held its first live dance event since the pandemic began! The Spring Ballroom Challenge was held at Dance Fire Studio in Niskayuna, with our special guest Judge and Examiner, Michael Choi. Mr. Choi is a highly qualified professional dancer and one of just about a dozen USISTD-certified Examiners in the country. We were honored to have him come officiate at our event.
The youth dancers performed first, and we have a link to their portion of the event: https://www.dancefirestudio.com/gallery
They were a joy to watch. It’s great to see our next generation of dancers training early. There was some real talent on display. Then there were nine USISTD Medal Tests, completed both by youth and adults. Congratulations to Gerry and Priscilla Giglio for passing their test – with honors! – and becoming Adjunct members of the chapter. Finally, the adult dancers rounded out the day. The audience was treated to many of the Smooth, Standard, Rhythm and Latin dances, but also West Coast Swing, Argentine Tango, Salsa! There was something for everyone. Pictures from the Spring Ballroom Challenge can be found [what webpage - gallery?]
Sincere thanks to Dance Fire Studio, Michael Choi, and the many volunteers who made this all possible. And congratulations to all of the dancers who put themselves out there and worked hard to prepare for this challenge. It was a job well done.
While it was challenging to run this event during a pandemic, masks were required, seats were assigned, and social distancing was constantly encouraged. We look forward to a day – hopefully in the not too distant future – when we can have a bigger event, with more participants, and lots of spectators!