Are you a Facebook fiend? Our Public Relations committee is in need of someone to manage our Facebook page. we need an individual who is willing to make posts and create events. (If you would prefer, someone on the committee can compose the posts and you can make sure they are put on the site.) If you are interested please contact Sue Nelson at Albanychapterusistd@gmail.com. Thank You!
Membership Campaign
Memberships in the Albany Upstate Chapter of USISTD are currently up for renewal. If you are presently a member, you should have received an email. If not membership information is available on this site There is now an option available to use PayPal to pay your dues. The nominating committee is also accepting nominations for our Board of Directors. If you are a full or adjunct member please feel free to make nominations.
We are also reaching out to other dancers to increase our memberhips. If you know of anyone who might be interested, please send up their email address. Thank you!
Membership Meeting
In spite of the limitations of social distancing and other regulations, the board is trying to continue to provide substantive learning opportunities for the dance community. Our Learn and Practice Events have become virtual for the time being. They are still presented the fourth Sunday of each month at 1:00. Email us if you would like a zoom invitation and are not on our mailing list.
We are currently in the process of planning a proficiency competition for dancers to come and get feedback on their dancing from certified USISTD examiners. We are trying to schedule this for March of 2021, hoping the restrictions of the pandemic will be lifted. We will post more information as is becomes available.
Our annual membership meeting will be held on Saturday, October 3rd at 9:30 am on Zoom. All members should be receiving their invitation by email. If you do not receive the invitation or are not a member please email us at AlbanyNY.AIDA@gmail.com so we can include you.
Learn and Practice Workshop
We would like to take this opportunity to thank Michael Choi for conducting our September Learn and Practice event. The discussion and demonstration about timing was both thought provoking and informative. We look forward to seeing Michael in person when he comes to do evaluations for our Proficiency Competition to be scheduled in March of 2021.
Learn and Practice Events
You board of directors has been busy scheduling monthly Learn and Practice events. We would like to thank all the instructors for their time and efforts. Our next Learn and Practice will take place this Sunday, September 27th at 1:00 pm. This session will be taught by Michael Choi. Michael is highly regarded as a competitive dancer and also as a USISTD examiner. We hope you can join us.
Learn and Practice for August
Those of you who joined us for the August Learn and Practice with Kelly Madenjian had a wonderful experience. Kelly’s energy and enthusiasm were a welcome respite from the effects of the pandemic. Thank you Kelly!
Introducing Kelly Mandenjian
We are pleased to welcome Kelly as the next instructor for our Learn and Practice Event on August 23rd at
1 :00 PM. Kelly is a former USA Dance Senior i &!! American Rhythm and Nine dance National champion. She has served on the Board of the New London Chapter of USA Dance. She teaches fitness and dance at multiple studios and K-12 programs. Kelly co-owns Ability in Rhythm (AIR). Kelly has also taught and performed for Rhode Island USA Dance chapter, DOCMA, MASSABDA, and the Cape Cod Chapter. The topics for the Learn and Practice are ChaCha Chasses and kicks and flicks in swing. We hope you can join us!
Learn and Practice with Andrei Bires
People who viewed the Learn and Practice with Andrei Bires have been very enthusiastic! Andrei addressed arm styling and hip movement in Latin dances. His instruction was detailed and very helpful to all who viewed in. For the second session, Andrei addresses proper technique in Viennese Waltz covering foot action, swing and moving properly through the spine, not the legs. This session was also very informative. TTHank you Andrei for the outstanding workshop! Thank you to Dance Fire Studio for making this Zoom session possible.
We sincerely hope that Andrei will come back and do a live Learn and Practice when we emerge from this COVID crisis. An added note. We will be hosting an August Learn and Practice on ZOOM. IT will be held at 1:00 pm on Sunday, August 30th. Keep and eye on our Facebook page or this site for further details!.
What's Happening at USISTD?
Chapter News
The board of directors met July 10th to discuss issues facing the chapter. The National Committee met recently and decided to publish Topline magazine on-line five times a year. In addition, one paper yearbook will be published annually. If you are not receiving your copy of Topline, please let us know.
The June Learn and Practice conducted by Tom and Tamara Russell was well received. See our events page for information about the July Learn and Practice scheduled for Sunday, July 26th.
Our revised By Laws were approved by the National Committee and were emailed to the membership. They will also be posted on this site. We are pleased that our By Laws are being used as a template for other local chapters.
The current situation has severely limited dance opportunities. The Albany Chapter is looking for creative ideas to be able to provide more opportunities for dancers. We welcome any suggestions. This pandemic has had a major impact on the arts and funding is extremely limited. If you would like to donate to help us function more effectively, go to our take action page. There you can make a donation to the Albany Chapter of USISTD through our PayPal account.
We hope you are staying safe and healthy! We sincerely hope that we will be able to get together soon.
Learn and Practice with Andrei Bires
On Sunday, July 26th we will be hosting another Learn and Practice on Zoom. Andrei is an instructor at Dance Fire Studios. The session will begin with arm styling and hip action in the Latin Dances. It will be followed by “Viennese Waltz - The Dance hat Took Over the World”. In this session, we will be working on stationary steps from the American Syllabus and technical principles. If you are not a chapter member and would like to attend, simply email us at AlbanychapterUSISTD@gmail.com
A huge thank you to Dance Fire for providing this dance opportunity!