President’s Letters

Hi and Happy Spring!

The USA Dance National Ballroom DanceSport Championships held on March 22-24 at the Wyndham Grand Hotel were a great success!

A total of 765 DanceSport members from more than 30 states competed in 340 events over three 17-hour days. Our local participation increased substantially from the 2022 Nationals with 87 registered dancers, most of 62 volunteers and many spectators, particularly on Friday during the Pro/Am competitions and the Night Club dances. 

Many thanks to the participating studios- Arthur Murray Downtown and South Hills, Ballroom Connection, Demidov Dance, Nova Ballroom Company and their 9 instructors and 20 students; the collegiate teams from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh; and the adult amateur couples.  

Our volunteers supported the national organizers by monitoring the ballroom floor, doors and on-deck areas and helped out in registration, ticket sales, awards, the consignment shop, anti-doping efforts, and YouTube live streaming. Susan Ryan, Youngstown USA Dance Chapter, helped secure a not-widely publicized inclusion of Night Club dances (Hustle, Merengue, West Coast Swing, Salsa, Bachata, Night Club 2-Step, Argentine Tango) for 18 amateur and Pro/Am couples, which attracted primarily social dancers.  

Finally, a special thanks to Norrie Bastedo Vladuchick, developer of the electronic volunteer sign-up sheet for the national and Pittsburgh websites; John Siefken, Andy Orochena, Gloria Schohn and Mila McQuaide who stayed the entire weekend, and Megan Stanis for continuous publicity over the past six months.  

USA Dance will be back in Pittsburgh on March 28 – 30, 2025 for the National Championships, again at the Wyndham Grand.  

Belated thank you to Cris Sharpley, Arthur Murray South Hills and Penn Hills for teaching Salsa and John Siefken for his music at the January 20 dance at Wightman School Community Center; Jimmy Page, Night and Day Studio, teaching Viennese Waltz on February 24 at the Palisades and Brian Lee for his music; and Chris Drum DJ and instructor for Night Club 2-Step and the Tango Formation Team at the March 16 St. Patrick’s Day dance.  We appreciate their artistry, enthusiasm and dedication to making our dances truly social. 

The Winter Session of the Special Needs Adaptive Program ended on February 25 with a dozen intermediate dancers and their mentors, taught by Barb Johnson, and a small beginners’ class taught by April Fisher. The Spring Session started on April 7.   

The final performance of the Woodland Hills’ Dickson Preparatory Steam Academy Dance Program will be held on May 17 at 7:00 pm in the Academy gymnasium, 7301 Schoyer Avenue in Swissvale. Organized by 6^th grade teachers Ms. Nicole King and Ms. Stacy Estatico, with dance instruction and curriculum provided by Ms. Amanda Wolf, Studio 101. Approximately 30 six graders have been learning Waltz, Bachata and Merengue, dance etiquette, manners and music theory since mid-January. They will go “on tour” to perform for fifth graders in the District. Please plan to come!   

The USA Dance Pittsburgh April 20 dance will be held at the Keith Holmes VFW Post in Coraopolis with Chris Roth, former Steel City Ballroom owner, teaching rumba and Mark Boucher providing the music.  

On May 18, Jon and Stratton DeWitt, Nova Ballroom Company, will teach waltz and DJ at the Wightman School Community Center. 

Hope to see you soon!
Jane Downing, President, USA Dance Pittsburgh

Hi ~ Happy almost spring!

USA Dance National Ballroom DanceSport Championships, downtown Wyndham Grand Hotel, March 22-24. www.usadancenationals.org.

Professional/Amateur and Amateur couples can register until March 8 to participate in Fun (Night Club) Dances: West Coast Swing; Hustle; Argentine Tango; Merengue; Country 2 Step; Salsa and Bachata. Contact Susan Ryan, susanaryan2@aol.com, president of the Youngstown USAD chapter if you are interested in doing Night Club 2 Step. All ages. All proficiencies. Must be USA Dance Social Dance member. Look for Competitors/Fun Dance Rules.

Volunteers are still needed for ticket sales, door monitors, deck area; live stream taping; medal and anti-doping escorts, particularly on Sunday. Sign up at Events/Volunteers.

Attend the event. Tickets are available by the session (day or evening), day, and weekend. Competitions are held for dancers under age 9 to over 75 at all levels of proficiency. All, including local, Pro/Am and amateur couples are tentatively scheduled for Friday afternoon. Final schedule available March 18. Look for Events/Tickets and Schedule.

Thank all of you who came to our January dance at Wightman School, with special thanks to Cris Sharply who taught Salsa and John Siefken who DJ’d, and to our February dance at the Palisades with special thanks to Brian Lee as DJ and Jimmy Page who taught Viennese Waltz. 

The Special Needs Adaptive Program finished its winter session with advanced and beginner’s classes. The next six-week session most likely will start after Easter. Many thanks to the volunteer mentors and teachers, Barb Johnson and April Fisher. 

We’ll be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day on March 16 at the Palisades. Wear green and join in the celebration!

Jane Downing, President, USA Dance Pittsburgh

Hi, and Happy New Year! I hope your holidays were good. 

We ended 2023 with an East Coast Swing lesson from Tunisia El, Penn Hills Arthur Murray Studio, and music from Mark Boucher. The Palisades was decorated for the holidays, thanks to Janine Hauck and Mary Ann Gaser from our Board, and a good time was had by all.  

The Special Needs Adaptive Program (SNAP) ended in November with 16 students, thanks to the excellent work by Barb Johnson, April Fisher and the mentors, most of whom were USA Dance Pittsburgh members. 

We’re starting 2024 with a bang!

On January 20, we’ll be at the Wightman School Community Center, with Cris Sharpley, Arthur Murray South and Penn Hills Studios, teaching Salsa and John Siefken DJ’ing. A surprise special dance is planned. 

On Sunday, January 21 at 1:30 pm, the next session of the Special Needs Adaptive Program will start at the Higher Voice Studio, 144 East Main Street, Carnegie. Recruitment is underway for both Advanced and Beginner classes. Barb and April are teaching. Please contact Barb at 412 720-0610 if you’re interested in being a mentor (i.e. dance partner) or know a potential participant for either program. We’re really excited about the growth of the program!

Planning is underway to re-start the Woodland Hills after-school program. More to come later.  

Volunteering for the National Ballroom DanceSport Championships on March 22-24, 2024 at the Wyndham Grand Hotel will be online thanks to the new website and a Google volunteer form designed by Norrie Bastedo Vladuchick. More information on that here or at the Nationals Website.

We also want to urge Pro/Am (Professional/Amateur) couples to participate in the competitions. There are no required pre-qualifications. It’s a chance to demonstrate proficiency at whatever level you’re dancing, for how many dances you choose within a community of about 900+ dancers. Registration information can be found at registration. Early bird registration ends on February 22.

We’re one of the sponsors of the Carnegie Classic being organized by the CMU Ballroom Dance Club on February 9-11 at Rangos Hall. The weekend includes a welcome dance on Friday evening, competitions on Saturday, and a dance camp on Sunday. Adult dancers are welcomed, and participation would be great practice for the USA Dance Championships. More information at Carnegie Classic.com

Hope to see you soon!
Jane Downing, President, USA Dance Pittsburgh

P.S. – A reminder that admission now costs $15.00 for members; $20.00 non-members; $5.00 students with IDs.