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Successful Partner Dancing Demo at MoA

Thanks for a Job Well Done

By Yvonne Viehman

The Mall of America was the site for dancers galore on Thursday, October 30, 2014, when USA Dance hosted its annual Mall of America Dance Showcase. We gathered in the rotunda and put together sixty minutes of some of the greatest dancing in the Twin Cities. Whether it was waltz or swing, foxtrot or jazz, we entertained the crowds with lots of fun-filled performances. We’d like to take this moment to thank all of the dancers who showcased their talents that night.

The Twin Cities Performance Dance Team opened the show with a light-hearted, Gene-Kelly-inspired foxtrot, complete with umbrellas as they danced to “Singin’ in the Rain.” The team consisted of Cheri and Art Rolnick, Bernie and Scott Osborn, Lori and Jeff Goldstein, Lynne Schulz and Ha Tuong, Ellen and Don Ardery, and the newest members of the team, Lisa Wu and Daniel Lai. Gene Kelly would have been proud!

The Rhapsody and Rhythm formation team followed with a sassy cha cha. The team included Emily Boole and her partner Isaac, and Stephanie Riley and Frank Kohlasch. Hats off to them for an energetic performance!

The rotunda floor became a flurry of dancers as the following couples joined in for smooth, rhythm, and standard dances. Many thanks to Theresa Kimler and Nels Petersen, Lynne Schulz and Ha Tuong, Elaine Davis and Mike Jones, Jackie Dalton and Russell Alliev, and Cheri and Art Rolnick. In addition, there were a multitude of dancers from the University of Minnesota Ballroom Dance Club who added to the entertainment, dancing smooth, rhythm, and standard. Dancing club members included Hannah Alyea, Erik Anderson, Nicole Anderson, Melissa Baddin, Kyle Condiff, Alana Correa Sa, Danika Dahl, Joshua Dowell, Jackson Fossen, Shelby Gilliland, Audrey Haugen, John Hinks, Nick Johnson, Jacob Karr, Michael Kasinkas, Christina Kyllo, Karen Maldonado, Rachel Marusinec, Meredith McKinney
, Naomi Ochoa, Daniel O'Connell, Rosemary O'Connell, Timothy Opdahl, Tijen Petersen, Jordan Lik Yang Quah, Danielle Ringle, Luke Rohl, Patrick Severin, Sarah Snapp, Thomas Stastny, McKenzie van der Hagen, Kevin Viratyosin, Chelsea Visser, Taylor Wall, Elizabeth Weaver, and Seth Westlake.

We were grateful to have many additional crowd-pleasing dancers including Doris and Ron Lazarski, Mary and Ted Ringberg, Elaine and Lynn Boergerhoff, Janie Nordberg and Dan Bakke, Lois Donnay and David Gardner, Lynne Schulz and Lowell Franz, Irene Erickson and Tom Bischoff, Jeff Goldstein, David Carlson, Michael Lack, Paul Hodapp, Tom Lannom, Jack Smrekar, Michael Winston, Mike Wasik, Barry Rosenzweig, Danny Kristal, Ric Riebe, Mitch Ottinger, Craig Standish, Eric Neubauer, Mike Mohs, Robert Bloomquist, Chris Williams, Lori Goldstein, Barbie Albers, Marie Reilly, Melonie Robran, Gretchen Vandeputte, Bonnie Warhol, Britty Goldstein, Pat Dechaine, Laureen Darling, Melissa McCabe, Sherry Richter, Nicky Marzo, Diane Frey, Sarah Beach, Amy Hutson, and Yvonne Viehman.

Many kudos go to Theresa Kimler and Nels Petersen for providing a fantastic solo tango performance. We also want to thank Neli Petkova and Nic Westlake for making it happen on Thursday morning as they promoted our event on Kare 11 Sunrise at 5:30 a.m. They danced tango in the Kare 11 backyard when the outside temperature was only thirty-nine degrees!

We could not have done the show without the efforts of these amazing folks: Joyce Thompson (music technician), Karen Kettler Tepley and Mike Jones (on-deck captains), Cathy Dessert (photographer), and Dan Viehman (MC).

The Mall of America marketers, Sarah Schmit and Tara Neidelberg, were very helpful in giving us media exposure. We also want to thank Danielle Dewald, our MoA event coordinator, and her partner Emily for all of their efforts in coordinating this event! It’s such a thrill to dance in the rotunda and expose passersby to partner dancing.

Thanks again to everyone, as together, we made it happen!

If you’re interested in dancing at other venues throughout the holiday season, please let me know your availability for these upcoming events:

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