On March 23, 2025, USA Dance Chapter #2024 Ohio held its annual “Spring Fling” dinner dance at the Kent State University Student Center in Kent, Ohio. The event featured a captivating dance exhibition by professional American Smooth dancers Vasilii and Irina Platonov, who thrilled the eager audience with their performances. The couple moved in perfect synchrony to their chosen music, meeting the spectators’ high expectations.
Suzanne Gelinas of Alway’s Dancing Studio performed with partners Ray Ostanek, Jan Elder, and Terry Bowers, dancing Tango, Rumba, and Cha-Cha.
La Dance’s Studio from Cleveland had Jim Keifer and Esther Rehm Cohen perform a Waltz.
The Northeast Ohio Medical University Step and Sway Ballroom Group performed a Tango Formation
Michigan’s ballroom DJ, Rick Popp, expertly provided the music and did an outstanding job keeping the dancers on the floor.
Planning a dinner dance is challenging. It involves creating a budget that considers venue rental, catering, entertainment, decorations, and any unexpected expenses that may arise.
This chapter’s board organizes significant events yearly, including the current Spring Fling, Summer Serenade, and Harvest Ball. Amy Lee was the main organizer for this year’s Spring Fling. At the same time, Randi Green coordinated the professional dance couple for the event and also served as the event videographer (she video-recorded the dance performances and sent the videos to the performers so they could see their own performances)! The rest of the board members — Terry Jennrich, Paul Haggerty, Jacqueline Platek, Angela Ryan, and Angie Jalics — worked hard to promote the dance at local studios and recruit attendees. They utilized an electronic platform that allowed dancers to register and select their tables.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic previously disrupted the schedule in past years, the events have returned to annual gatherings, barring any unforeseen circumstances. Since the pandemic, facilities have raised their prices, and it took some time for dancers to regain their confidence in attending.
Debbie and Jerry Stachurski from Chapter 2063 (September Dinner Dance) and Susan Ryan from Chapter 2015 (Snowflake Ball) noted that other chapters faced similar challenges.
Initially, the chapter started holding dinner dances with about 100 attendees at smaller venues. With approximately 190 attendees at this year’s Spring Fling, they have now achieved participation levels comparable to those before the pandemic. A special thanks goes to Jennifer Clemenza, one of our attendees, who negotiated with Kent State University to secure a price that allowed us to use their beautiful ballroom.
The consensus among members is that they genuinely enjoy these events, which helps keep them vibrant, as other chapter members eagerly participate. The response from the area USA Dance chapter members has been tremendous!
