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About Us A Bit of Our History The Bluegrass Chapter of USA Dance (formerly Bluegrass USABDA) hosted its first monthly dance in October 1994 at Southern Hills Methodist Church. It was a success, although at the end of the first year total receipts exceeded expenses by only $1.00! In 1994, the Chapter had about 30 members. The Chapter currently has 123 members. For the next few years dances were held at Adath Temple located on North Ashland Avenue. We began dancing at Morton Middle School in July 1996, and at Oleika Shrine Temple in 1999. The format of our dances has remained the same ...one hour of dance instruction followed by general dancing. Average attendance during the first few years was about 65. Average attendance currently is about 130. Beginning in 1995, two dances have been held each year at the University of Kentucky Student Center Ballroom. In October 1996, our college program was extended to Eastern Kentucky University, and EKU hosted two dances annually on the campus. Throughout the years, our Bluegrass Chapter has given back to the “community”. Our performance team has performed in nursing homes and health care centers since July 1996. The first “Dance for the Heart” was on September 13, 1997, and $450 was donated to the American Heart Association. The “Dance for the Heart” has become an annual event, and with the addition of the silent auction, we have been able to donate much more. In 1998 and 1999, we also had dances to benefit Habitat for Humanity. The first “Newcomer Dance” to encourage more community participation in ballroom dance occurred in August 1999, and in the following year, we began offering a 5-week series of introductory dance lessons twice a year. We offer a class in ballroom dance and a class in Latin dance. These introductory lessons are very popular, and there is usually a waiting list for the lessons. The founder and first president of our Bluegrass Chapter was Linda Reece (1995-1996). The next presidents were Susan Blanchett (1997-1998), Kathy Marra (1999-2000), Janet Thompson (2001-2002), Ed Fenton (2003-2004), Henry Stephens (2005-2006) and currently Joe Buckman. The success of our local chapter reflects the continued growth and interest in dancing nationwide. The number of chapters has grown from 12 in 1986 to a current number of 162. There are currently 22,500 registered USA Dance members. May 2007
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