Greetings from American Dancer and welcome to 2022!! It’s a new year of social dancing, a new year of competition, and a new year of American Dancer!! There’s so much to look forward to, but first let’s look back at 2021.
It is hard to believe that 2021 is history. Certainly, it was a year of recovery and relief for so many, both professionally and personally. Despite a struggling economy, USA Dance’s administration maintained an operational infrastructure that can claim many noteworthy accomplishments. Our leadership re-invigorated the Education program by improving and expanding the collegiate program and relaunching the K-12 program. We launched Para-Dance and sent dancers to participate in the Special Olympics in DanceSport. We saw the re-opening and blossoming of social chapters and events, many of which ended the year with lovely holiday parties and dances. On the DanceSport side, we witnessed our first Breaking Nationals. Plus, we held six successful National Qualifying Events, multi-sited 2021 National Championships, and sent representatives to World Championship events all over the World.
So, what is in store for 2022? USA Dance is hoping for the further regrowth and expansion of our social chapters. Dancers are still looking for chances to get on the floor, and we are the organization that can make those opportunities happen.
For the competitors…we hope you have your dance shoes ready to go because the competition circuit is set, and the 2022 Nationals are around the corner. This year’s Nationals, April 1-3, look very exciting, as they are combined with USA Dance National Collegiate DanceSport Championships in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Events include Amateur Syllabus through Championship competitions for all age levels, Professional-Amateur, Teacher-Student, and Professional categories. There will also be education workshops and a collegiate team match. Leading up to Nationals are only two more competitions: Southeastern DanceSport Championship in Atlanta, Georgia, February 18-20; and Mid-Atlantic Championships in Tysons Corner, Virginia, March 19-20. All are encouraged to register early for these events and Nationals.
American Dancer is facing a change in 2022. We recently said good-bye to our fabulous and talented managing editor, David Getchell. We were sorry to lose him but have a few new faces and ideas for the way forward. With many demands on our small volunteer staff and to keep up with the social media world, we are moving to a blog format. This will allow for a steady stream of information and timelier stories. We know that many USA Dance Members are longing for the return of the hard copy magazine, but that is not yet in the cards. Please give this format a try and take full advantage of the news, information, stories, photos, videos, and dance tips provided by our talented staff: Cliff Arnold, Alessandro Scalora, Anna Najarian, and Julia Seleznyov. We will do our best to keep you up to date in the Dance World.
Our staff will be reporting, writing, and taking pictures, but we can’t do it alone. If you are good with the pen and/or camera, please consider joining the American Dancer team. Anyone who is a member of USA Dance is welcome to be a full-time, occasional, or one-time contributor to this publication. Here’s what we are looking for:
- Social news, stories, and photos about USA Dance chapters, events, and individuals
- USA Dance Competition news, events, stories, and photos
- WDSF Competition news, events, stories, and photos
- USA Dance administrative information
- Dance and Dance Organization tips
- Ideas – Maybe you don’t like to write but have a good USA Dance story; let us know.
- USA Dance Opinion/Editorial Pieces
American Dancer retains the right to edit any accepted submissions. As a picture is worth 1,000 words; don’t forget to include dance photos with your written piece. We also take stand-alone photos with short descriptions. (Note: To be published, all photos must identify those pictured and include photo credits)
This is going to be a busy and exciting year. We hope you enjoy reading about USA Dance and the 2022 Dancing World!
Semper Choris!!!
Rose-Ann Lynch
Managing Editor, American Dancer
