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President's
Corner

 

Practice sessions are on the fourth Friday 6:00 to 8:00 PM
 at a new location:
 The Rocky Mount Imperial Centre
the same place where we hold our monthly
dances.

The cost is $5.00 per couple

Contact Leo Bishop ( 252) 903-7561 or
 Rod Buckner (252) 266-6201
if you are planning to
attend.

  
 
 

 

Jan 2010 

USA Dance Inc
Important Information For Chapters

TO:  USA Dance Chapter Officials

Hope your new year is off to a grand start! 

There are lots of exciting things happening with USA Dance so please take a moment to review and familiarize yourself with recent changes in our structure and bylaws.

These actions are designed to make it easier for our chapters to operate and to provide a stronger support network for you.

We are still in the process of updating chapter officers.  If you have received this message but are no longer on your chapters board, please forward to your new Chapter President to assure they are aware.

 Mary - USA Dance Central Office

800-447-9047

central-office@usadance.org

USA Dance Reorganized

 by Lydia Scardina, President

Reorganization 2010 -

            What Chapters Should Know

A reorganization of USA Dance has been approved by the Governing Council and incorporated into the January 2010 national bylaws.   This reorganization was made to create a more function based structure in lieu of the regional structure that prevailed in USA Dance for many years.  Of interest to chapters are the following:

·        Restructuring the Youth College Network from a division into two separate programs - a K-12 Youth program and a College Network program.

·        Creation of new director positions with specific program responsibilities in lieu of the six generalist Regional Vice Presidents.

·        New positions created include: Director of Chapter Liaison, Director of Administrative Support, Director of K-12 Student Programs, and Director of College Network who are appointed by the National President.   

·        The regions of the country will be called Districts and will be divided in such a way as to provide better support for chapters.  Each District will have an Area Coordinator who will be guided by the Director of Chapter Liaison as they provide assistance to chapters.  The Area Coordinators will be appointed by the Executive Committee of the Governing Council and will be voting members of the Social Dance Council, which is headed by the Vice President of Social Dance.

Questions?  E-mail central-office@usadance.org

National Bylaw Changes

by Bobbi Jo Gamache, Dir. of Chapter Liaison

Article XII Chapters -

         Bylaw Changes Affecting Chapters

Chapter bylaws are incorporated into the national bylaws to provide uniformity to the governance practices of the  160+ USA Dance chapters.   The chapter bylaws are found in Article XII of the national USA Dance Bylaws dated January 1, 2010.   Highlighted below are new additions to the chapter bylaws:

·        Adult membership requirement of 51% for  chapters and boards.

·       Board of directors will not exceed nine Voting Members effective with the next scheduled  
                   election.   The extra positions may become committee positions.

        Chapter officers are elected by the Board of Directors.

·        Board member absenteeism policy is defined.

·        Chapters will identify themselves as a USA Dance  chapter and include their chapter number.

·        Chapter bank accounts must be approved by the  national treasurer.

·        Chapters may develop branch chapters subject  to national guidance.

·        Most board decisions are based on a majority vote  provided a quorum of two-thirds of all current  board members exists.  No proxy votes are allowed.

·        Election procedures, chapter officer position descriptions, and committee requirements are included.

Local Bylaws

byBobbi Jo Gamache, Dir. of Chapter Liaison

Chapters To Be Guided By National Bylaws

January 1, 2010 brings in a change to local management of chapters.  All chapters will be guided by one set of bylaws, the national USA Dance Bylaws. 

This action allows chapters to clearly differential between local policy as determined by the local board and requirements that we as one organization must follow consistently to maintain our IRS 501c3 nonprofit status.  The one set of bylaws for all also help  to ensure that board members have a clearer understanding of the good governance practices needed by them as stewards of this nonprofit organization.  

The principal articles in the 2010 bylaws affecting chapters are as follows:

·       Article VIII - Social Dance Council

·       Article XI - Districts

·       Article XII - Chapters

·       Article XIII - Financial Administration

·       Article XIV - Indemnification

Before tossing your local chapter bylaws, review them for policies that need to be added to your Chapter Policy Book.  The national bylaws are the rules for governing USA Dance and the chapter policy book are local guidelines for chapter board members and committees to follow when managing chapter business, programs, and projects.  Remember, chapter policies must not conflict with the national bylaws and policies.  

USA Dance national policies such as Conflict of Interest are available on the website www.usadance.org under Chapters.  Other topics - Minimizing Chapter Liability, and Alcohol-Smoking policies are available online in the Document Library (passkey is Tango).

Questions?  E-mail central-office@usadance.org  
 
 
 


San Jose, Costa Rica
April 15th -19th 2010

 




Tambor Beach, Costa Rica
April 19th - 24th 2010

CRC Newsletter  HOT in COSTA RICA EDITION

FEB 2010

Dear Fellow Dancers,

                            We hope this email finds you in good health and enjoying the start to what promises to be a fantastic year.

 For those of you reading our newsletter for the first time. We are excited you are doing so.
 In an effort to be environmentally friendly this and our many emails are our way of keeping you informed and also prepared for our inaugural event. Our packages and entry forms are all available to download  from our website. Please note prices are for Studio Owners/Professional Coaches Only.

Our Website is constantly being updated with news and information. Check it out WWW.COSTARICANCLASSIC.COM
So what's new! We have had exciting news. The Minister for Culture has officially sent us notification, The Costa Rican Classic Dancesport Competition is an event of "High Cultural Importance for Costa Rica" and has announced thei governments support. It has been signed and authorized by the President of Costa Rica, Mr Oscar Arias. A Nobel Peace Prize Winner.
 Exciting!! View the Official Statement HERE English and Spanish.
Continental airlines has partnered with us to provide discounted airfares to San Jose.
Their Special pricing code will be on or website shortly...


Sample of Airline prices as of 02/01/2010 NYC to San Jose, CR
$322$353$359 $405$346
$315 $487$299

DO YOU NEED A VISA ?
Most foreign passport holders do not need visa's to visit Costa Rica, if you have a U.S. Working Visa
 and foreign passport you are permitted to travel to Costa Rica.
Please check out the Costa Rica Official website for other  nationality passort/visa holders. CLICK HERE

People from all over the world are excited about the event and the word is spreading. We have had inquiries & entries from Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong , Russia, Greece, United Kingdom, India, Japan, Israel, Canada, Holland, France, Spain, Belgium, Iceland, Bulgaria, Slovenia, South Africa, Chile, Argentina, Austria, and all over the USA. Awesome!The "Costa Rican's' are excited. There will be over 18 countries represented by their embassies/consulates attending the Gala Evening thus far.
Local Television and Radio will be covering the competition and the "Dance For World Peace" Gala. There will be limited seats available to the general public and already the Barcelo' Palacio has been getting inquiries. This event promises to be SOLD OUT! BOOK EARLY!
The Hotel has a limited number of deluxe and superior rooms, we certainly don't want you to miss out. We must stress that Hotel reservations are on a first come first served basis, so please register and send in your deposit ASAP to guarantee your rooms. 
We have arranged for another hotel due to the overwhelming response and we dont want you to miss out!
Located a short 2 minute drive or five minute walk from the Barcelo'. It is an excellent hotel with all the amenities and modern conveniences. Transport to and from the Barcelo' will be provided every 10 minutes during the competition. (Included)

To all the competitors that have already sent in there entries and payments we thank you. Congratulations for getting the early bird discount.

Remember the entry deadline is fast approaching we would not want you to miss out.
GENERAL INFORMATION

San Jose, Costa Rica. Known as "The Switzerland" of Latin America not for its weather, (its tropical!) but its neutral status! No Armies, Navy or Air force. Friendly, environment conscious, all natural.

The Competition is being held at the San Jose, Barcelo' Palacio' Premium Hotel.

THE COMPETITION:

We will be offering a complete range of events for Pro/AM, Amateurs and professionals in all International and American Divisions including C&W and specialty dances.

 We will also be running for the first time ever.. An Open Professional American Smooth QUICKSTEP competition. ( Regular Quickstep tempo) Check out our rules and entry section for more information.  Our website is fully operational so please come visit us. www.costaricanclassic.com

We are excited to offer over $90,000 US dollars in prize money for Amateur scholarships, R/S Star & Open Pro Events and Awards.

$5000.00 Top Teacher Prize           
Open Pro Events $5000.00 First Place in 4 divisions.
Showdance/Theatre Arts. $1500.00 First Prize.
Top Studio's and Top Students Awards.

Click here for Rules and Policy's

The Highlight of the Weekend will Be our "Dance for World Peace" Gala Benefit and the exciting Professional Open Competitions.

This will be a Formal Evening featuring:
Live Music and  Entertainment. Our musical director, Mr Brent Mills will be providing dance music for the weekend.



Click here for the Latest news on Guest Perfomers, Entertainment and Celebrity Guests.
 
This bi-monthly newsletter will be keeping you up to date with more of the events information and of course breaking news on Couples attending and Costa Rican Classic Updates.

Thank you for taking the time to read this email. We know you are busy dancers, but please take the time to visit our website. Your feedback is important to us.

 Come and experience a different kind of event in an exotic country.
 
sincerely,


Nick, David, Patrick and Marti.
Organizers
Costa Rican Classic DanceSport Competition & Costa Rica Dance Camp

PURA VIDA    (pure life)

Dance for World Peace