Monthly Newsletter February 2019
NASSPDA


Spotlight

For this month's e-newsletter spotlight, we'd like to feature Kato Lindholm, one of the 2019 North American Champions in smooth and rhythm.  Here is some background on Kato:

"I have always danced. Being born into a dance family it was natural for me to spend a lot of time at my parents' studio. I think I attended my first dance class at the tender age of 3 and from there it lead to dancing competitions a few years later.

Throughout my childhood and teen years I danced in Denmark. In my early amateur years I had a Swedish partner and became Swedish National Champion. After that,  dance brought me to Germany for a very short time until I finally came to Chicago about 16 years ago. My professional competitive career ended about 9 years ago with my  best results being in Smooth having reached national finals. 

When I stopped competing I was burned out and fed up with everything that came even close to competitive dancing. I decided that I was just going to teach, run my studio and do occasional dance collaborations with other artists. I most definitely did not want to compete ever again. I spent a few years following that plan but realized that I did not dislike dancing as much as I thought. In fact I missed the intensity of practicing to get ready for competitions. What I really disliked was living and dancing in the form of a female and I started a long overdue transition. My partner, Alex Tecza, took it all in stride and stuck with me. As my transition progressed, my love of dance came back. So after a long hiatus we have now started competing together again and it is better and more fun than it ever was. 

Our first NASSPDA competition was at Floorplay in the Desert where we won the North American Championship in both Smooth and Rhythm. Aside from competition, we also work with dancers/choreographers of other dance styles performing in theaters and alternative venues.


People dance for all sorts of reasons. Some want to compete, some do it for health and others enjoy the social aspects of dancing. The way I see it any reason to dance is good. I no longer own a studio but when I did I was occasionally asked if we would teach same-sex couples. The answer of course was that we would teach any kind of couple but I always found it troubling that they felt they had to ask if they were welcome. Everybody should feel that dancing is accessible to them regardless of gender, sex, their choice of partner, or their preferred role. If dancing is perceived as an activity exclusively for "traditional" couples with gender roles set in stone we need to make the general population aware that there is more to dancing than that. Having had to contort myself into a role that I always knew didn't fit me makes this an important point to me personally. This is where I think an organization like NASSPDA is extremely important, and it is, to my knowledge, the most inclusive dance organization in the US at this moment. Besides providing venues for same-sex and reverse role couples to dance, I also believe it is important that we actively seek out ways to reach new people to join the community. Some may already be dancing and some may not even know that dancing is an option for them. I think we would all benefit from being part of a bigger dance family. I will definitely do the best I can to make people aware of the opportunity to dance with whoever they want in whatever role they see fit." 

You can find Kato Lindholm together with Alex Tecza on




Announcements

NASSPDA Survey

The NASSPDA Board has heard from some community members that a name change is necessary to expand its mission and become more inclusive. In particular, the "same sex" in the name may not be welcoming to the non-binary community. The Board would like to engage the community (NASSPDA members and non-members) for feedback and direction on the potential name change and expansion of mission.

Thank you in advance as we value and appreciate your opinions that will help steer our organization.   Please click on this link.



NASSPDA Membership Directory

Have you checked out the NASSPDA Membership Directory?  This is a resource to allow NASSPDA members to connect with others in the community.  Please contact Horace Luong ([email protected]) if you'd like to be added to the directory (this is available to NASSPDA members only).




Board of Directors Election
Election Committee

Board Member Elections!

NASSPDA's Board Elections will be in the Spring of 2019. Two members of the Board are up for re-election this year: Benjamin Soencksen and Erik Jaeger. Barbara Zoloth's term is also up, and she is not running for re-election! 
If you are interested in joining the Board or want to nominate someone, please read the information below:
 Each nominee must have an active NASSPDA membership and submit the following to the Election Committee: * a Candidate Statement Form * a photo * two (2) Supporters' forms
 Forms are available on  http://nasspda.org/board-members/  and instructions for submission are included.
 Each nominee will be contacted via phone by a member of the Election Committee for a short interview. Once a nominee has been accepted, their name and Candidate Statement will be included in the ballot.
 Elections take place in May, and every NASSPDA member will be sent an electronic link to the ballot. (People who have registered to vote via snail- mail will be sent a paper ballot).
 Voting will close on May 15. Results will be announced by May 31, and be posted on NASSPDA's website The Election Committee is in charge of reviewing candidates, supervising and running the election. No one on the Election Committee will be a candidate for election on the Board. If you have questions, please email: [email protected]




Competition Recap
Competition Committee

Floorplay in the Desert, Palm Springs CA, January 19th, 2019

Judges - Lee Fox (chair), Michael Babineaux, Louise Garvey, Wendy Johnson, Marcus Johnson, Selena Johnson
MC - Peter Meager
Scrutineer - Sandra Wollin



125 heats throughout the day and evening

Graded Events:

B Class - American Smooth
   1st - Ali Wolf & Nydia Williams
   2nd - Cassandra Negron & Keely Brown

B Class - International Standard
   1st - Horace Luong & Rafael Dominguez
   2nd - Andreas M. Woytowitz & Erik P. Jaeger

A Class - American Smooth
   1st - Alex Tecza & Kato Lindholm
   2nd - Doug Dombrowik & Eddie Alba

A Class - International Standard
   1st - Axel Zischka & Thorsten Dreyer
   2nd - Emily Coles & Citabria Ozzuna
   3rd - Sunny Williams & Melissa Saphir

A Class - American Rhythm
   1st - Alex Tecza & Kato Lindholm
   2nd - Doug Dombrowik & Eddie Alba
   3rd - Ali Wolf & Nydia Williams

A Class - International Latin
   1st - Emily Coles & Genevieve Lauren Feeley
   2nd - Milo Marcelo & John Pan

Best of the Best
   Winner - Alex Tecza & Kato Lindholm



NORTH AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIP TITLES

Men's American Smooth
   Gold Medal - Alex Tecza & Kato Lindholm
   Silver Medal - Doug Dombrowik & Eddie Alba

Men's American Rhythm
   Gold Medal - Alex Tecza & Kato Lindholm
   Silver Medal - Doug Dombrowik & Eddie Alba

Women's American Rhythm
   Gold Medal - Ali Wolf & Nydia Williams

Women's International Standard
   Gold Medal- Emily Coles & Citabria Ozzuna
   Silver Medal - Sunny Williams & Melissa Saphir

Women's International Latin
   Gold Medal - Emily Coles & Genevieve Lauren Feeley




Competition Calendar
Competition Committee

NASSPDA Sanctioned:

April Follies -   https://www.aprilfollies.com
April 27th, 2019/ Oakland, CA/ 2019 California Same-Sex Championship 
September 21st, 2019,  Boston MA
partly sanctioned event, hosting the  2019 USA Same-Sex Championships



Not NASSPDA Sanctioned:


Independent - Rio Grande Dance Classic
April 12-14, 2019 /  Albuquerque, NM 

USA Dance -  New World DanceSport Challenge
May 24-25, 2019 / Columbus,   OH  




Membership Information
Membership Committee

Join NASSPDA TODAY!  Payments will now be taken by credit card instead of through PayPal. The new system has special encryption to keep your data safer than before. 

If you have problems, or want to help us improve the website, please write to Horace Luong, our website administrator, at  [email protected]. 



Outreach and Media
Promotions Committee

 

ACTIVITY GRANT FUNDING PROGRAM

NASSPDA would like to encourage its members and our community at large to engage in various fun activities that promote same-sex dancing. We recognize that many of our members may have a creative idea and NASSPDA would like to contribute in a small financial way.
Up to 4 grants of $250 each will be awarded per calendar year on a first-come first-served basis to applicants who can demonstrate that the proposed activity will advance NASSPDA's mission of promoting and expanding social and competitive same-sex partner dancing. 

The proposed event should also be in alignment with NASSPDA's following goals:
* Support functions and venues for social same-sex partner dancing.
* Provide a resource for same-sex partner dancers.
* Aim to raise the level of same-sex partner dancing
* Encourage the inclusion of dancers from diverse backgrounds with regard to race, ethnicity, gender, age, [dis]ability, gender identity and/or expression.
 
Some ideas for events and organizers to receive grant support:
  • Same-sex dance classes
  • A social dance mixer with actively inviting and encouraging same-sex dancing or "alternative lead and follow"
  • An excursion to a local competition, introducing dancers to the concept
  • A welcome party before one of NASSPDA's sanctioned competition
  • Setting up a booth at a local street fair promoting same-sex dancing
  • A neighborhood or community event promoting partner dancing and the inclusion of same-sex dancing
  • Involving studios to promote same-sex dancing
    •
  • An event in conjunction with a city's Pride activities
    •
These are just a few suggestions. To apply for financial support from NASSPDA's  $250 Grant Program, please visit our website.   You can also email us at   [email protected]  with any questions.