CSDS January 2024 Newsletter

January 2024 Newsletter

Happy New Year! We hope your 2024 is filled with good health, prosperity and of course, plenty of dancing!

Join us at our next dance on Saturday, January 20th ~ we'll be at the Municipal Arts Center (the "MAC"). Instructor Adriel Byrd makes his CSDS debut and will be teaching the pre-dance lesson from 7-8 pm. Adriel has been a student of Karen Thomas of the Dancing With Karen studio in Harrisonburg, from September 2007 until 2019, learning Ballroom, Latin and Swing. He has been teaching Salsa under Karen's tutelage for over 10 years and filling in for beginner classes swing and ballroom classes as needed. Competitively, he is an intermediate dancer in West Coast Swing. Adriel enjoys sharing what he has learned in dancing. Our DJ for the evening is Kyla Miller.

SCHEDULE:

7-8 pm: Lesson (inc. in Admission) with Adriel

West Coast Swing - Beginner Plus (dancers should know their basics). A basic pattern will be reviewed with pattern enhancements for more experienced dancers.

8-10:30 pm: Dance with DJ Kyla

ADMISSION: We accept cash, check and PayPal.

$10 CSDS Members

$13 General Admission

$5 Students and CSDS Members with January Birthdays

Children Under 17 are Free

In the event of inclement weather and/or there is a schedule change or cancellation, we will make a post on our public Facebook page (you don't have to have an account) by 2 pm ET the day of the dance and if time permits, our website will be updated and an email sent out.

January Member Birthdays

Happy birthday to the following CSDS members: Aaron Stepp, Barb Franko, Helena Lindholm, Jackie Hebert, Jennifer Miller, Julie Barber, Kelly Ceppa and Lois Love. If you attend our dance the month of your birthday, admission is just $5! Members, if we've missed your birthday, let us know!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Swing Swap

CSDS' weekly Swing Swap is going strong on Thursdays, 7-8:30 pm, at the MAC (Municipal Arts Center)! Admission is a suggested donation of $3-$5 (cash/check only). We welcome Ed Tharnish as our new Swing Swap Coordinator and Kyla Miller as our Assistant Coordinator. Please join us in thanking our volunteers who have DJ'd and/or continue to DJ for us: Vic Gregor, Ed Tharnish, Kelly Ceppa and Julie Barber! CSDS is always interested in recruiting new DJs to join our team so if you're interested in being a DJ and helping out our dance club, check out the DJ page on the CSDS website and contact Ed T. or Kyla.

Group Classes

Charlottesville classes are currently being offered through County Parks & Rec, taught by Kristin Wenger; Lake Monticello classes are being offered by Kyla Miller. Also check out our other qualified instructors, local/regional regular dance offerings and studios/groups for more opportunities to #gettoclass!

Dance Resources

Check out the CSDS website for other dance opportunities, dance groups/hosts, dance instructors and dance resources (incuding music, shoes, events, training, tips/etiquette)! Also join the CSDS Planning (Social Events, Rides, Roomies, Etc.) group so you can plan to dance elsewhere like the weekend events or in other communities frequented by CSDS dancers, such as Richmond and Lynchburg.

Social Media

Bookmark our linktree for links to our website and our social media accounts: Facebook, Instagram and Twitter! Like/follow us on these interactive platforms so you can enjoy more content about CSDS and dancing in general!

CSDS Membership

CSDS offers an annual membership for $15. Membership dues help to support CSDS and is completely optional for attending our events. Members do get to enjoy discounts to CSDS dances. To become a member or to renew your membership, please visit the CSDS website or take care of this in person at a CSDS dance. If you have any questions regarding the status of your membership, please contact CSDS.

World Swing Dance Council Appointments

Adela Su recently accepted volunteer roles with the World Swing Dance Council (WSDC), serving on its Ombudsman Committee and Hall of Fame Committee. WSDC's mission is to inspire swing dancing around the world and guide events in creating the ideal environment to promote community growth by honoring the past, supporting the present and developing the future; providing resources to educate, expand and connect the swing dance community; and to strengthen, guide and maintain the integrity of WSDC Registry Events. The Ombudsman Committee (comprised of Coleen Man, Khayree Jones and Adela) is responsible for handling any concerns by the dance community about the WSDC Board or specific Board members if a community member wishes to bring up a topic to the Board, anonymously. They can be reached by email and an anonymous reporting link will soon be available for use. The Hall of Fame Committee is tasked with reviewing its mission statement, eligibility, nominations process, voting and induction ceremony.

Code of Conduct

CSDS has a Code of Conduct. Attendees are expected to be familiar with and abide by it at all CSDS sponsored events.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

CSDS keeping in touch ...

We will announce updates by email, update our website and post on our Facebook page. Schedule changes/cancellations of our dances/events will be posted on our public Facebook page (you do not need to have an account) by 2 pm ET the day of. Please help us spread the word by sharing these announcements with your friends! You can receive our Newsletter and emails by subscribing here. For future planning, we expect our 2024 monthly dance schedule to be the same ~ 3rd Saturdays.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

CSDS Board of Directors (2024)

(next meeting ~ February 5th )

Leigh Gordon

President

Gina Fletcher

Treasurer

Ed Tharnish

Secretary,

Swing Swap Coordinator

Ed Guida

Membership