January/February 2016 Newsletter

Volume
XXVX
Number
1
Newsletter of the
Chapter
In This Issue:
President’s Message - Page 2
Monthly Dances - Pages 4-5
Upcoming Events - Page 3
Membership News - Page 6
Still Dancing Chapter 23- Pages 7 & 8
2
President’s Message
Happy 2016 Dancers!
What better way to work off some of those holiday
pounds we all gained from this last month with
homemade treats and holiday parties - so, Let's Get
Dancing!!!!
Calling all tech savvy dancers: We still need writers
for our Chapter Newsletter and someone to take
over as editor eventually and we also need a Webmaster. If you are interested in helping out with
these items, please let someone on the board
know. We'd truly appreciate it!!
It's time to turn over a new leaf with our Southern
Star Chapter Board for the years 2016 and 2017.
MANY MANY THANKS go to these outgoing Board
Members for their years on our board: Stan
Sheppard (Treasurer), Jerry Dvorak (Member at
Large), and Beth Nolan (Member at Large). Also,
Nikki Dvorak and Mike Nolan will be stepping
down with their volunteer duties after many
years. You will be missed on the Board, but I'm sure
we'll see you on the dance floor! Returning to the
Board are the following members: Myself, Tracey
Zirfas (President), Jackie Blount (Vice President),
Martha Hughes (Secretary), and Elaine Derby
(Member at Large). Thanks for joining us once
again!!! And finally, WELCOME to our new Board
members: Hyeyong Temlin (Treasurer), Nancy Egbert (Member at Large), and Mandy B. (Member at
Large). We're so happy to have you join us! We have
a lot of exciting new plans and ideas in store for our
chapter, so stay tuned for upcoming details. We can
always use more volunteers too, just let us know
what you would like to help out with!!!!
If you have not renewed your Southern Star Chapter
Membership, or you'd like to join our chapter,
please see Peg Johnston (our Membership Coordinator) for more details and an application. And
don't forget to wear your Gold Star pin with pride to
show you are a chapter member!
Our November dance was actually on Veteran's Day,
Nov. 11th this year. So, our theme was a salute to
Veteran's and many dancers were wearing our patriotic red, white and blue colors to join in on the salute. Kevin Rios, of Just Dance Studio in Lakeland,
was our special Guest DJ while Mike and Peg were
away enjoying a cruise. Thanks for filling in once
again Kevin - we were so excited to have you
there! Yulia and Sergey Kopylov and two of their
students were the monthly featured showcase dancers. What a treat is always is to see their talent and
choreography on the dance floor. Yulia danced a
snazzy little number with Jim Drake and Sergey brought back an old favorite Jive/East Coast
Swing routine with me - or "Charley" as he called me
in this routine due to my outfit.........more like Farrah Fawcett if you ask me! It's always fun to watch
these routines! As an added feature, Laurie Collett
(Rhapsody Ballroom Owner) sang a tribute to all of
the US Military branches. She asked each veteran to
stand up as their song was highlighted. What a special way to say thank you to all our dancing veteran's
and families of veteran's - THANK YOU for your service and for protecting our freedom!!!!!!!!!
Our December dance was a potluck/covered dish
affair. WOW! Who knew we had dancers who could
cook and bake too??!! YUMO! Also, as is tradition,
we enjoyed two stirring performances by Richard
and Laurie Collett (Rhapsody Ballroom Owners).
They never cease to amaze us with their creativity
on the dance floor - with the music, costumes, and
dancing choreography! Unfortunately, unforeseen
circumstances sidelined Nikki and Jerry this month,
so amateur dance partners/competitors Mike Johnston and I, stepped in to do a holiday Santa themed
East Coast Swing. It was fun and good practice for
us as we get ready for the USADance Winter Frolic
competition in Coconut Creek, FL on Jan. 30th. Wish
us luck, or better yet, drive on over there to cheer us
on!
Let's all look ahead to a Happy and Healthy 2016
with lots of fun dance experiences! And always
keep this in mind: "To be able to dance is both a joy
& a privilege. But to be able
to dance among friends is
truly a blessing!"
Tracey
3
Upcoming Events
Jan 6th Pasco County USA Dance
Contact Pete (727)-967-3106
@ New Lakes of Regency Park Civic Center, 8330
Civic Dr, Port Richey 34688 7:00 – 10:00pm
Monthly Dance (1st Wed)
Jan 13th SouthernStar USA Dance
Contact Carol 813-689-5381
@ The Rhapsody Ballroom 7:30 – 10:30pm
Monthly Dance (2nd Wed)
Jan 25th Suncoast USA Dance
Contact Nancy 727-576-1206
@Gulfport Casino in Gulfport
7pm – 10pm Monthly Dance (last Monday)
Feb 3rd Pasco County USA Dance
Contact Pete (727)-967-3106
@ New Lakes of Regency Park Civic Center, 8330
Civic Dr, Port Richey 34688 7:00 – 10:00pm
Monthly Dance (1st Wed)
Feb 10th SouthernStar USA Dance
Contact Carol 813-689-5381
@ The Rhapsody Ballroom 7:30 – 10:30pm
Monthly Dance (2nd Wed)
Feb 29th Suncoast USA Dance
Contact Nancy 727-576-1206
@Gulfport Casino in Gulfport
7pm – 10pm Monthly Dance ( 3rd Monday)
Dance every Wednesday 7:30 pm and
Dance on Fridays 8:00 pm @ The Rhapsody Ballroom
Contact Richard @ 813-985-6570
*********************************************
On the cover: From left: Richard and Laurie Collett, who provide the ballroom for us each month.
Laurie also sang a tribute to the armed services at our November dance. Jim Drake, Tracey Zirfas,
Yulia and Sergey Kopylov also provided a fabulous show for us.
4
November Dance
by
Nikki Dvorak
Thumbs up on a perfect show!
From left: Richard and Laurie Collett, Jim Drake, Tracey
Zirfas, and Yulia and Sergey Kopylov.
The day of our November chapter dance was also
Veteran’s Day so we decided to have everyone come
dressed in red, white, and/or blue. We also honored
our chapter members who have served in the armed
services. Laurie Collett put together a medley of all the armed
services theme songs, and as
each branch’s song was being
sung we had those veterans
stand. There was even a service
dog in the house! The photo below shows just a few of the veterans who were at the dance.
Thank you for your service to
Laurie
our country!
There was a good
turn out for the
dance. Kevin Rios
stood in as DJ for the
evening since Mike
and Peg were on their
annual dance cruise.
Thanks, Kevin for a
the flawless fill-in.
Yulia and Sergey Kopylov delivered a great show
for the entertainment portion of the evening. It
started out with Yulia and Jim Drake portraying two
hooligans as
they danced a
fun international quickstep to a fast
paced
Russian
song.
These
two
showed how
important it
Yulia and Jim
is to have
stamina in ballroom dancing. Agility and great technique are requirements as well to successfully be
able to pull off such an vigorous work, and these
two were well up to the task. It was full of spirited
energy and completely entertaining.
Next up was a fun
Swing/Jive danced
by
Sergey
and
Tracey Zirfas. Sergey had shoulder
surgery in July and
it looks like he’s
completely healed
from that, thankfully. I can’t imagine
a ballroom floor
Tracey
without him and his
and
quirky sense of huSergey
mor and fabulous
choreography. I’ve
seen them perform
this dance before but it just keeps getting better all
the time. They clearly were having a good time entertaining with this crowd pleaser. What do you
think? Was Tracey “good cop” or “bad cop”??? She
did get her crook by the end of the dance!
We celebrated a couple
birthdays. Elaine and
Franco were presented
with several cakes, and
we all sang the traditional
song (sorry, we’re dancers, not singers!).
After that it was back to
the dancing. After all,
that’s why we were all
there in the first place.
The rest of it was just,
well, “icing on the cake”!
5
December Dance
by
Niki Dvorak
Merry Christmas everyone!
Our entertainers for the evening’s show: Richard and Laurie Collett, birthday boy, Mike Johnston, and Tracey Zirfas.
It’s Christmas time in the city….. And you know
what that means– time for our chapter’s annual
Christmas dance. The ballroom was all decked out
for the holidays and everyone was dressed to match
in their holiday finery. We declared it a potluck dinner night so you know the food was fabulous too.
Good thing we were dancing to work off all those
calories!
In an annual tradition Richard and Laurie Collett
treated the audience to two
beautiful theatre arts numbers for the show. The first
was to the music, Silent
Night. It was graceful and
restrained, a model of
poise.
Laurie and Richard
Jerry and I usually dance
with the Colletts for the
Christmas show and we did have a Christmas dance
that we were working on. Disaster struck when my
bum knee started giving out randomly, and I was
unable to continue with our rehearsals. You’ll just
have to believe me when I say it was going to be
fabulous! Hey, a girl can dream……
Mike Johnston and Tracey Zirfas stepped away
from their duties as MC and
DJ long enough to perform
for us. They came up with an
engaging East Coast Swing
number.
Tracey
always
dresses the part in each show
she does, and I loved her take
on the Santa costume (I want
those boots!). The fun and
energy they brought to this
dance was infectious, and had
the audience clapping along
and wishing we were up there
dancing with them.
Mike
and
Tracey
For the last piece in the show
Richard and Laurie returned for a
thrilling theatre arts number featuring a large silver ring. It was
used in many inventive lifts with
Laurie sinuously draped in and
out of the ring while Richard
twirled and spun around the floor.
It was completely intriguing, and
had the audience enthralled
throughout the dance. I hope we
can convince them to perform the
dance for us again sometime. Did
anyone get a video of it? I’d love
to see it again!
Once again we wrapped up the evening after the
show with the door prize drawing and lots more
dancing.
A big thank you goes out to all who brought food
for that delicious potluck banquet we all enjoyed.
And thank you to all of you who give your time and
energy to the chapter as volunteers. Your efforts are
greatly appreciated.
Don’t forget about the price increase starting with
our January dance. The cost for SouthernStar members will be $8 and non members pay $12. It’s well
worth joining to get that lower rate, plus there’s
some pretty good swag for joining as a new member!
I hope you’ve all had a wonderful holiday season.
6
Membership News
Birthday Dancers
January
1-2
Phillip Guest
1-8
Patricia Johnston
1-8
Sandy Lopez
1-11
Kimberley Moresco
1-12
Elizabeth Golinden
1-13
Beth Nolan
1-13
Pat ONeill
1-19
Russell Davis
1-20
Jim Drake
1-21
Jillian Tokish
1-23
Peg Johnston
1-27
Ellen Watkins
February
2-1
Larry Watkins
2-2
Yv0onne Karel
2-8
Daniel Golinden
2-16
Claudette Gladden
2-18
Lee Taylor
2-22
Marianne ONeill
2-28
Roberta Nicholas
2-28
Carey Shea
7
Still Dancing
By Rose Masciello
An autobiography
raised eyebrows they asked, “Are you a new
neighbor? We’ve never seen you before.”
I answered, “Yes, we moved to Flatbush just a few
weeks ago.” Then I proudly added, “John the Barber
is my father. He owns his barber shop and gives
great haircuts.”
“Oh yes, he does,” they answered simultaneously.
Then one of the girls said, “Mr. John gave me and
my sister Buster Brown haircuts that we just love.
Don’t we Sally?” Sally agreed as she primped and ran
her fingers through her new hairdo.
CHAPTER 23
Sally and Tootsie
The neighborhood was still unfamiliar to us, so my
mother, being overly protective, did not allow me to
venture further away than a few feet from our own
front stoop.
One day I said to my mother, “Mama, soon I will be
eight years old. Don’t you think I should be allowed
to ride my bike up to Papa’s barber shop and back?”
Mama answered, “Yes, and if you are careful and
promise not to go around the whole block you may
go up to the corner bakery shop.”
In a flash my bike became the Nina, the Pinta and
the Santa Maria, and I turned into Miss Columbus,
on my way to discover America.
I arrived at the barbershop and cheerfully waved to
my father who was gazing out of his shop’s window.
He stepped outside and with the air of a patrol officer, he sternly asked me, “Where is your passport?”
We laughed as I explained that Mama had given me
permission to explore as far as the corner bakery
shop.
Feeling rather frisky I continued on my way, merrily
riding my bike sideways. A few doors away from my
father’s shop I noticed from the corner of my eye,
two young girls sitting on the steps of their front
stoop. They watched me curiously and as I was
about to pass them by they waved and started to
walk towards me.
They approached me with friendly smiles, and with
Her sister said “We’re twins and our nick names are
Sally and Tootsie.” I was surprised to learn that the
girls were twins. They did not resemble each other.
Sally was thin and had dark hair and eyes. Tootsie
was robust and had exotic almond shaped hazel
eyes.
I said, “My name is Rose and I have a four year old
brother, Tony. Do you have any brothers?”
“ Yes,” answered Tootsie “his name is Louie and he’s
twelve years old. He likes to tease us and calls us
the “Dolly Twins” and sometimes he calls us babies.”
Sally pouted and said, “We’re not babies. We’re going to be eight years old in two weeks, on August
16th. How old are you?”
I said, “I will be eight years old in two months, on
October 26th. They clapped their hands and said, “Oh
we’re the same age and maybe we’ll be in the same
class. You’ll be going to Public School 89 won’t
you?”
I said “yes,” and while they rejoiced at the prospect
of us being in the same class, I silently thanked God
that I had found girl playmates at last.
I missed my boy cousins and truly loved them all,
but I rarely enjoyed playing “Cowboys and Indians”
and “Cops and Robbers.” Now I felt lucky that we
had moved to Flatbush and on Nostrand Avenue no
less!
Tootsie said, “We saw you riding your bike sideways.
Where did you learn to do that? I have a bike. Would
you show me how?” Sally didn’t seem to be interested in riding a bike. She said she enjoyed skating.
However, they both listened in rapt attention as I
told them about my exciting time at the Barnum &
Bailey Circus. I promised Tootsie that I would help
her to ride her bike sideways if she brought a box of
band-aids to the lessons.
(Continued on page 8)
8
(Continued from page 7)
When we finally parted I rode away with heartfelt
gratitude for having met the twins. They had made
plans for us to be together the next day so I felt no
need to explore any further. I would ride to the corner bakery another day—probably with my new
friends. Now I was eager to tell Mama my wonderful
news.
When I arrived home my mother smiled contentedly
as she listened to the excitement in my voice as I
said, “Mama, I’ve just met two girls, they’re Sally and
Tootsie. They live just a few doors away from Papa’s
barbershop and they’re my age. We hope to be in
the same class when the new term starts. They have
an older brother, Louie, who is in a higher grade. I
just know we’re going to be good friends. Mama,
tomorrow you and Tony must come with me so that
you can meet my new playmates, Sally and Tootsie.”
I could hardly wait for the next day. That night Miss
Columbus went to sleep feeling like the happiest
little eight-year old girl in Flatbush.
Email Blast!!!
If we don’t have your email address, please send us
a quick note to let us know you’d like to sign up for
the email blasts about upcoming events and chapter
dances.
Send to:
Officers &
Committee Members
President………………………..Tracey Zirfas
Vice President………………….Jackie Blount
Secretary ................................ Martha Hughes
Treasurer ............................... Hyeyong Temlin
Members-At-Large ................. Elaine Derby,
Nancy Egbert, Mandy B.
Entertainment Chairperson .. Lelia Blevins
Membership Chairperson ..... Peggy Johnston
Outreach Chairperson........... Lelia Blevins
Publicity Chairperson…… ..... Deborah Kobritz
Refreshment Chairpersons….Lurlene Gough
and Jackie Blount
Webmaster……………………...Jerry Dvorak
Newsletter Editor……………...Nikki Dvorak
[email protected]
If you’re not already a SouthernStar member
please see our chapter website for an application
for membership! www.southernstarusabda.org
The StarDancer Newsletter is published bimonthly
by the SouthernStar Chapter of USADance and has a
current circulation of 350 copies with over 600
readers throughout the Tampa Bay area.
We will gladly accept advertising for your business,
service, and/or dance event at the following rates
per issue:
Visit Our Website
The chapter has a website with information
regarding the chapter and an online version
of our newsletter. You can also view pictures
taken at recent events.
Jerry Dvorak works hard to keep the website
current. The address is:
www.southernstarusabda.org
Full Page ..................................... $35
Half Page .................................... $20
Business Card (1 Issue) ............. $10
Business Card (2 Issues) ........... $15
Please call or email for advertising deadlines or
more information.
Please submit all advertisement in electronic format
(preferably) and send to:
Nikki Dvorak, Editor
4006 Branch Ave, Tampa, FL 33603
813-237-5265
[email protected]
Places to Dance!
Feature
SouthernStar
USADance
(813) 685-1656
Location
Rhapsody Ballroom
12101 N 56th
Street
Tampa, FL
Date/Time
Admission
Misc
Wed, Jan 13
Wed, Feb 10
7:45 - 10:15 p.m.
$8 Members
$12 Non-Members
USADance
Ballroom
Group Lesson
Shows & More
Suncoast
USADance
(727) 576-1206
Gulfport Casino
Gulfport
Mon, Jan 25
Mon, Feb 22
7:00 - 10:00 p.m.
$5 Members
$8 Non-Members
USADance
Ballroom
Sarasota
USADance
(941) 720-6875
Sara Dance Ctr
5000 Fruitville Rd
Sarasota, FL3232
Every Monday
7:00 - 10:00
$8 Members
$10 Guests
$5 students,
chaperones, and
observers
USADance
Ballroom
Group lessons
Youth lessons
Wed, Jan 6
Wed, Feb 3
7:00 - 10:00 p.m.
$6 Members
$8 Non-Members
USADance
Ballroom
$8 - $9
Ballroom
Group and private
lessons
social dances
Group classes and
private lessons
Call for times
Call for rates
Ballroom
Group and private
lessons
Dance parties
Pasco
USADance
New
Lakes
of
Regency Park Civic
pete@dancingandhe Center, 8330 Civic
althy.com
Crystal Blue
Ballroom
(727) 392-5395
www.ballroomdanci
ngtampabay.com
Dr, Port
34688
Richey
10527 Park Blvd Group classes and
Seminole,
F l Dances Wed, Sat,
Sun
33772
call for times
Magic Dance Club
10001 66th St. N.
(727) 549-2222
Pinellas Park, Fl
www.magicdanceclu 33782
b.com
EasiDance
Ballroom
(813) 908-3340
5111 Erlich Road
Tampa, FL
Thursday Evenings
8:00 - 9:30
Please Call For Info
$6 - $8
Ballroom
Rhapsody
Ballroom
(813) 985-6570
12101 N. 56th St.
Tampa, FL
Wednesday
Evenings
7:30 - 10:00 p.m.
Friday Evenings
Latin/Swing
8:00 - ??
$6
Ballroom
The Way 2 Dance
610 Oakfield Dr.
Brandon, Fl
813-966-4788
Friday Evenings
Socials
7:30 - 10:00 pm
4th SaturdaySwing Night
Please Call for
Group Lessons
$8
Latin
Ballroom
Swing
We welcome your input. The StarDancer is a
newsletter for members of the SouthernStar
Chapter.
at (813) 685-1656 and we will add to the above
list.
SouthernStar USADance does not promote or favor
any particular studio. This list is strictly for the use
of amateur dancers seeking a place to dance.
The home office USADance national phone number
is
(800) 447-9047.
If we have not included your favorite place to
dance, please contact Mike or Peg Johnston
A recorder is on after hours. If you have a question
regarding USADance, they will be glad to help you.
Rhapsody Ballroom
12101 North 56th Street,
Tampa
7:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m.
Sponsored By
SouthernStar Chapter
of USADance
General Dancing
Mixers
Refreshments
For More Information:
2016 Yearly Planner
Jan 13………………………….Monthly Dance
Feb 10…………………………..Monthly Dance
Richard or Laurie Collett
(813) 985-6570
Carol or Pete Peterson
(813) 689-5381
Peg or Mike Johnston
(813) 685-1656
Mar 9…………………………...Monthly Dance
Apr 13…………………………..Monthly Dance
Jun 8……………………………Monthly Dance
July 13………………………….Monthly Dance
Aug 10………………………….Monthly Dance
Sept 14………………………….Monthly Dance
Oct 12…………………………..Monthly Dance
I-75
May 11………………………….Monthly Dance
Ice Cream Social Ballroom Dance
January 3 & 24, February 7, 2016
Peg and Mike welcome you to:
The New StarDust Ballroom
3613 Citrus Tree Court Plant City, FL
This beautiful dance hall features a 60 x 80 floating wood floor with seating
for 150 around the outside perimeter.
Come dance the afternoon away with us, to the best in ballroom dance music and enjoy all the ice cream you care to indulge in!
Admission is $10.00 per person
Time: 2 – 4:30 PM
The dance will include mixers, line dances and we will take your dance requests as well. Come enjoy our, clear as a bell, Bose sound system to the
best selection of Ballroom music available!
We want to thank everyone for their support throughout the years as we
start our 18th year of hosting the Ice Cream Social Dance!
Mike and Peg Johnston [email protected]
813-685-1656 home and 813-376-6921 cell
Here are some of the retiring and new chapter
board members, who were acknowledged at the
December dance. From left: President, Tracey,
new member at large, Nancy, outgoing member
at large, Jerry, outgoing treasurer, Stan, new
treasurer Hyeyong, new member at large,
Mandy, and vice president, Jackie.
Check out pages 5 and 6 to see what else happened at the monthly chapter dances!
SouthernStar Chapter
PO Box 4
Valrico, Florida 33595
email [email protected]
Web site www.southernstarusabda.org