We are starting to schedule in person events! On June 19th at Tawasentha Park in Guilderland we will be holding a fundraising picnic. The picnic will take place in the large pavilion, there is a concrete floor for those who would like to dance. If not come and see friends and enjoy some food, companionship and music. There will be a basket raffle to help raise funds for Albany AIDA.The event will begin at 6:00 pm. Bring along some friends and pass the word! SAVE THE DATE: Saturday, June 19th. We hope to see you there.
April Learn and Practice
Jason Fenton will be teaching our April Learn and Practice on Zoom. Sunday, April 25th at 1:00 pm. Jason will be teaching East Coast Swing and one partner Charleston. Tune in for a fund session.
Also, Thank you to Igor Litvinov for our March Learn and Practice. It was a terrific lesson, enjoyed by all,
Learn and Practice
Although our Spring Ballroom Challenge was conducted as an in-person event, our Learn and Practice sessions will continue to be on Zoom until it is safe to meet again in person. Just a reminder our March Learn and Practice will be taught by Igor Litvinov.
Then coming in April we will have Jason Fenton. Jason will be teaching East Coast Swing and one partner Charleston. For complete information go to our events page.
Learn and Practice sessions take place on the fourth Sunday of the month at 1:00 pm. We hope to see you there!
Spring Ballroom Challenge
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!
USISTD needs your help!
In an effort to create more learning opportunities for the dance community, the Albany Chapter welcomes donations. Membership dues are minimal and many of the projects we hope to undertake will require additional capital. Go to our Take Action page where you can join or simply make a donation to our organization. Thank you!
Spring Ballroom Challenge
We have some exciting news! Our Spring Ballroom Challenge which will take place on Saturday, March 13th will be live streamed on Youtube. This is our first in person event since the beginning of the pandemic. We are following strict safety protocols so are unable to have spectators. Streaming the even will give you a chance to see it and start thinking about participating in the next event, sometime this fall. Tune in and see what all the fuss is about!
Thank you to Boris and Sasha Spitchka!
We would like to thank Boris and Sasha for their informative Learn and Practice session yesterday! It was very informative , and a valuable reminder that warm-up exercises are an important part of dance. We appreciate you taking the time to do this lesson for us!
Deadline Approaching!
Attention all dancers, the deadline for applications for the Spring Ballroom Challenge is rapidly approaching! Sign up to participate in a proficiency competition and get valuable feedback from our evaluator Michael Choi. Michael is one of the few USISTD certified examiners. Competition not your style? Improve your dance technique through medal testing. Go to our Events page for registration and fee information. Deadline is February 27th. Don’t miss it!
Spring Ballroom Challenge
It is with a great deal of excitement and anticipation that we are presenting the Spring Ballroom Challenge to be held IN PERSON on Saturday, March 13th. We are acutely aware of the current pandemic situation and are taking all the necessary measures to ensure the safety of all participants. Registration is now open for the Youth and Adult proficiency competition and USISTD medal testing. For complete information see our EVENTS page.
Our evaluator will be Michael Choi, an experienced dance competitor, instructor and one of the select few USISTD Examiners. We are pleased that Michael will be joining us for this special event.
Learn and Practice Updates
Our Learn and Practice events are the fourth Sunday of every month at 1:00 pm. We are currently holding Zoom sessions, but are looking forward to the time when we can return to in person instruction. Here’s a sneak peak at upcoming Learn and Practice events:
February 28th Boris Spitchka the importance of warming up for dance and preparation exercises
March 28th Igor Litvinov: Exercises and steps for Waltz, Foxtrot and Tango
April 25th Jason Fenton:East Coast swing and One partner Charleston
Our Zoom link is
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89088152087?pwd=VmUyRlJtelpJanhKY3h6bXRUYXlQQT09
Meeting ID: 890 8815 2087
Passcode: 436942
Please join us!