PITTSBURGH CHAPTER (3007) USA DANCE, INC. PRESIDENT’S LETTER AUGUST 2025
Hi! Hope you’re having a great summer! Mine is being consumed by planning for the USA Dance National Ballroom DanceSport Championships (Nationals), March 27-29, 2026, at the Wyndham Grand Hotel in downtown Pittsburgh.
Under Chuck Garret’s leadership, for the first time, USA Dance Inc. has combined its major national activities at Nationals:
- DanceSport Championships.
- Collegiate DanceSport Championships.
- Social Dance Celebration.
- Professional Excellence Summit.
I’d like to encourage you to think about participating in one or more of these activities as a social dance participant, a competitor, a spectator or a volunteer.
The Social Dance Celebration is brand new and is being organized as a multi-day dance camp. Activities will include two workshops with local and national instructors running hourly for 1 ½ days; multi-hour social dances on Friday and Saturday evenings; panel discussions with USA Dance leaders and champion athletes; Chapter leadership workshops; and spectator access to the competitions throughout. Social dancers can also compete in the Fun Dances (see below) as amateur couples or with a professional.
The core of the DanceSport Championships will remain the same -i.e. competitions in International and American Style dances for amateur couples or Pro/Am couples ages 7 to 80+ in syllabus proficiency levels from Pre-Bronze to Gold and open levels from Novice to Elite. Changes are likely in the competition format (e.g. split floors) and the Collegiate Team Match, and scheduling, including style- block programming.
Details of the Professional Excellence Summit are being finalized but may include panel discussions on how to become a competition professional and a certification test for at least one type of professionals who help oversee competitions.
USA Dance Inc., its 150 chapters, and all its competitions are run by volunteers. Volunteers will be needed in over 20 different locations for 15+ hours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Some spots need 4-hour commitments; others, only two hours. Our past history indicates a need for about 60 volunteers. We’ll need more in 2026.
If you are considering dancing as a competitor, now is the time to start getting ready. Competitors will be classified as USA Dance DanceSport members (or athletes) which implies preparation. So, why would you want to dance in Nationals 2026 as a competitor? A few reasons:
- Practicing for competitions helps focus your learning patterns and techniques in order to perform at the highest level you can, no matter what level you’re working on.
- It’s a place to test whether you want to pursue competitions in the future. Most of us want to be social dancers, but some will learn they like the challenges presented by competitions
- It will be the cheapest competition ever – as there are no transportation and probably no hotel costs.
If you’re taking lessons at a studio to learn some of the 10 dances in the International Standard or Latin syllabus or the 9 dances in the American Smooth or Rhythm syllabus, and want to compete, ask your instructor if s/he would like to compete with you at the dance level you’re learning. Individual adult dancers, except collegiates and Pro/Am couples, must qualify by participating in certified USAD competitions prior to Nationals. You need 6 points as an amateur adult couple to compete at Nationals by attending two of the following competitions:
- October 11, 2025. Carnegie Classic, Carnegie Mellon University – a Collegiate Challenge (2 points)
- October 31-November 2, 2025. Midwest Dance Sport Championship, Chicago. Regional Competition (4 points)
- January 17-19, 2026. The MAC. Newark, New Jersey. Regional Competition (4 points)
- January 31, 2026. Ohio State University Collegiate Challenge. Columbus, Ohio (2 points)
If you’re a social dancer with an interest in any of the Fun Dances – Argentine Tango, Bachata, Country Two Step, Hustle, Merengue, Night Club Two Step, Salsa or West Coast Swing – there are no prior qualifications for amateur or Pro/Am couples. Find a partner and begin to practice dances and routines to perform at the Fun Dance competitions, most likely scheduled on Friday afternoon.
On our more local efforts: Thanks to Brian Lee, the DJ for our June 21 and July 19 dances at the Wightman School Community Center and Tango instructor in June, and Jon and Stratton DeWitt Foxtrot instructors in July. Our next dance on August 16 will be at the VFW in Coraopolis. Dmitry Demidov will teach Jitterbug and Brittany Demidov will be the DJ. The theme is Elvis Remembered.
Hope to see you dancing,
Jane Downing, President, USA Dance Pittsburgh (3007)