<div dir="ltr">Hi everyone,<div><br></div><div>Hope you had a good weekend! Here is the info for this week: </div><div><br></div><div><div><font size="4">Lessons</font></div><div>If you're interested in taking virtual lessons and haven't yet signed up, here is the link again: <a href="https://forms.gle/xf6wABg4s9Sed2uZ8?fbclid=IwAR1pdkt6x3UcIEDpiQXzXrCzBMnFZkLlOhB5jg76c_wDaVEmcD22uxZd5nY" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" style="text-decoration-line:none;outline:none;list-style:none;border-width:0px;border-style:initial;border-color:initial;padding:0px;margin:0px;display:inline;box-sizing:border-box;font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,system-ui,".SFNSText-Regular",sans-serif;font-size:15px;white-space:pre-wrap">https://forms.gle/xf6wABg4s9Sed2uZ8</a></div><div><br></div><div>If you've already signed up for lessons, you'll receive another email from me with the Zoom link and more info today. If you don't have an email with the lesson links by 9AM the day of lessons, please let me know! I am bccing a lot of people which seems to cause some email services to register it as suspicious/spam. Please check your junk or spam folder, and if it's not there, email me! </div></div><div><br></div><div>If you'd like to access recordings of previous lessons, click <a href="https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1L24AJeIT7FgO6KjBEuCadl0vlnfbC0L4?usp=sharing" target="_blank">here</a>. </div><div><br></div><div>Finally, we'd love to hear any feedback you have on the lessons you've been attending, so that we can make them a fun time for everyone. The feedback form can be found <a href="https://forms.gle/aS3jNQ2PhJGf5LnJ8" target="_blank">here</a>. </div><div><div><br></div><div><font size="4">(CMU BDC) Events</font></div><div><span id="gmail-m_8797561387133705895m_7090636446361651814gmail-m_-2470768975069453795gmail-m_4168928635901460366gmail-docs-internal-guid-78188da1-7fff-313a-afb8-0e24de92945c"><font face="arial, sans-serif"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.38;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);background-color:transparent;font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;vertical-align:baseline;white-space:pre-wrap">The CMU BDC calendar is mostly up to date on the events we'll be having throughout the semester. You can view it by clicking <a href="http://www.cmubdc.org/lessons/calendar" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></p></font></span></div></div><div><br></div><div><u>Wednesday, 9/30:</u></div><div><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 40px;border:none;padding:0px"><div><b>12 PM</b> <font color="#8e7cc3">Qualitea Wednesday</font> (<a href="https://cmu.zoom.us/j/93920707274?pwd=REdOaC9KTk05Qk9uVnNJUDNkSUkzZz09" target="_blank">Zoom Link</a>, Password: 441382)</div><div><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:arial,sans-serif;white-space:pre-wrap">Like food? Like tea? Like human interactions? If you like at least one of them, join us on Wednesdays!</span></div><div><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:arial,sans-serif;white-space:pre-wrap"><br></span></div></blockquote><font color="#000000" face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="white-space:pre-wrap"><u>Friday, 10/2:</u></span></font></div><blockquote style="margin:0 0 0 40px;border:none;padding:0px"><div><font face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="white-space:pre-wrap"><b style="color:rgb(0,0,0)">8 PM</b><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#8e7cc3">Board Game Night</font><font color="#000000"> (Zoom info to be sent out)</font></span></font></div><div><font face="arial, sans-serif" color="#000000"><span style="background-color:transparent;white-space:pre-wrap">Want to play some intense board games? J</span><span style="background-color:transparent;white-space:pre-wrap">oin us in playing various games!</span><span style="background-color:transparent;white-space:pre-wrap"> You won’t be bored at our board game night (Pun intended ;) ) .</span></font><span style="background-color:transparent;font-size:11pt;white-space:pre-wrap;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:Arial"> </span></div></blockquote><div><blockquote style="margin:0px 0px 0px 40px;border:none;padding:0px"><div><span style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:arial,sans-serif;white-space:pre-wrap"><br></span></div></blockquote><font color="#000000" face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="white-space:pre-wrap"><u>Saturday, 10/3:</u></span></font></div><blockquote style="margin:0 0 0 40px;border:none;padding:0px"><div><font face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="white-space:pre-wrap"><b style="color:rgb(0,0,0)">8 PM</b><font color="#000000"> </font><font color="#8e7cc3">Movie Night</font><font color="#000000"> (</font><a href="https://cmu.zoom.us/j/91698094332?pwd=VnBSYkt1dWljd2NPdFlhakd4VkRzQT09" style="color:rgb(0,0,0)">Zoom Link</a><font color="#000000">, Password: 237554)</font></span></font></div></blockquote><blockquote style="margin:0 0 0 40px;border:none;padding:0px"><div><div><span style="background-color:transparent;white-space:pre-wrap;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:arial,sans-serif">Want a nice relaxing night? We’ll be showing a movie (yet to be determined) and hanging out together. </span></div></div></blockquote><div><font color="#000000" face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="white-space:pre-wrap"><br></span></font></div><div><div><font size="4">Announcements</font></div><div><div><div>Ballroom is (still) on Discord!! Come hang out with us, make friends, and create a ballroom community across the ages (Alumni are also encouraged to join)! We'll be posting info about upcoming events there as well as having popup events. Here is the invite link: <a href="https://discord.gg/2AP4Ekh?fbclid=IwAR0dlqBBE-iXPSi0aEdbithkZEocGrnHlcoLcYQhyq8dB5x3CTExys3F0mM" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" style="outline:none;list-style:none;border-width:0px;border-style:initial;border-color:initial;padding:0px;margin:0px;display:inline;box-sizing:border-box;font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,system-ui,".SFNSText-Regular",sans-serif;font-size:15px">https://discord.gg/2AP4Ekh</a> I will keep bumping this until either the entirety of this mailing list joins or unsubscribes from these emails :) :) :) :) :))))))))))))))))))))))) :^) :^) :^) :p</div></div></div></div><div><br></div><div><div><font size="4">(Collegiate Ballroom) Events</font><br></div><div>USA Dance has put together a few cool initiatives to keep the collegiate ballroom scene thriving.</div><div><br></div><div><b><font color="#76a5af">Dancing Universities Facebook Group</font></b></div><div><span style="white-space:pre-wrap"><font color="#000000" face="arial, sans-serif">This group is for all members of Collegiate Social and Competitive Ballroom Dance Clubs. Each week they will host live lessons covering a variety of topics and taught by teachers from all over the United States. The recordings will be posted in the group and organized by level and style. Click <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/2735756116713400" target="_blank">here</a> to join the group. </font></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>They also have a Discord group for collegiate dancers all over the US to interact with each other. Here is the <a href="https://discord.gg/PTqmjpJ" target="_blank">link</a> to join. </div><div><br></div><div><span style="margin:0px 1px"><span style="background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:contain;color:transparent;display:inline-block;vertical-align:text-bottom;height:16px;width:16px;font-size:16px;background-image:url("https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t33/2/16/1f947.png")">🥇</span></span><span style="margin:0px 1px"><span style="background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:contain;color:transparent;display:inline-block;vertical-align:text-bottom;height:16px;width:16px;font-size:16px;background-image:url("https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t2b/2/16/1f389.png")">🎉</span></span><b><font color="#76a5af">Virtual Competition</font></b><span style="margin:0px 1px"><span style="background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:contain;color:transparent;display:inline-block;vertical-align:text-bottom;height:16px;width:16px;font-size:16px;background-image:url("https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t2b/2/16/1f389.png")">🎉</span></span><span style="margin:0px 1px"><span style="background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:contain;color:transparent;display:inline-block;vertical-align:text-bottom;height:16px;width:16px;font-size:16px;background-image:url("https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t33/2/16/1f947.png")">🥇</span></span></div><div><font face="arial, sans-serif" color="#000000"><span style="white-space:pre-wrap">As most of you know, CMU BDC is a competitive club. Beyond weekly lessons and social dancing, we also have a very strong presence at ballroom competitions all across the US. While the competition scene looks a little different this year with COVID, it still exists! I’m writing today to announce our participation in a very special entirely online competition hosted by the USA Dance Collegiate Committee. This opportunity is open to any and all active members of our club (yes even you, newcomers!). Keep reading if you’re interested in participating!</span><br style="white-space:pre-wrap"><br style="white-space:pre-wrap"><span style="white-space:pre-wrap"> <span style="margin:0px 1px"><span style="background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:contain;display:inline-block;vertical-align:text-bottom;height:16px;width:16px;background-image:url("https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t5d/2/16/1f3c6.png")">🏆</span></span><span style="margin:0px 1px"><span style="background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:contain;display:inline-block;vertical-align:text-bottom;height:16px;width:16px;background-image:url("https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tbe/2/16/1f3b6.png")">🎶</span></span>What: The USA Dance Digital Collegiate DanceSport Challenge! This entirely virtual collegiate ballroom dance competition gives dancers a way to stay active despite the current circumstances. This competition offers events at all levels (Newcomer, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Novice, Pre-Champ, Champ) and in all four styles (Latin, Rhythm, Smooth, Standard). Dancers are permitted to register for up to two consecutive levels per style (That’s a lot of dancing!).</span><br style="white-space:pre-wrap"><br style="white-space:pre-wrap"><span style="white-space:pre-wrap"><span style="margin:0px 1px"><span style="background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:contain;display:inline-block;vertical-align:text-bottom;height:16px;width:16px;background-image:url("https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t63/2/16/1f483_1f3fd.png")">💃🏽</span></span><span style="margin:0px 1px"><span style="background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:contain;display:inline-block;vertical-align:text-bottom;height:16px;width:16px;background-image:url("https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t31/2/16/1f57a_1f3fb.png")">🕺🏻</span></span>Who: You!! You can compete solo, or with an established partner. (Because of COVID, CMU BDC will not be facilitating any new partnerships. We encourage you to follow all safety guidelines if you do choose to dance with another person.) You will be competing against other collegiate dancers from all over the US.</span><br style="white-space:pre-wrap"><br style="white-space:pre-wrap"><span style="white-space:pre-wrap"><span style="margin:0px 1px"><span style="background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:contain;display:inline-block;vertical-align:text-bottom;height:16px;width:16px;background-image:url("https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t9e/2/16/1f3a5.png")">🎥</span></span><span style="margin:0px 1px"><span style="background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:contain;display:inline-block;vertical-align:text-bottom;height:16px;width:16px;background-image:url("https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tf6/2/16/1f39e.png")">🎞️</span></span>How: Participation will be done entirely virtually by submitting videos of your dancing. Each week for the duration of the competition, you will be provided with dances and corresponding music for each level/style you are registered for. You will then film one minute clips of your dancing and submit them via YouTube. Judges will watch each video and give you back a score from 0-100. The top 50% of scores in each level/style will continue to compete again the next week.</span><br style="white-space:pre-wrap"><br style="white-space:pre-wrap"><span style="white-space:pre-wrap"><span style="margin:0px 1px"><span style="background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:contain;display:inline-block;vertical-align:text-bottom;height:16px;width:16px;background-image:url("https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t7b/2/16/231a.png")">⌚️</span></span><span style="margin:0px 1px"><span style="background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:contain;display:inline-block;vertical-align:text-bottom;height:16px;width:16px;background-image:url("https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t1d/2/16/1f4c5.png")">📅</span></span>When: The competition runs from 10/30 to 11/24. You will film and submit your video anytime Friday - Sunday. Videos will be judged Monday-Thursday, and you will receive feedback for the following week.</span><br style="white-space:pre-wrap"><br style="white-space:pre-wrap"><span style="white-space:pre-wrap"><span style="margin:0px 1px"><span style="background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:contain;display:inline-block;vertical-align:text-bottom;height:16px;width:16px;background-image:url("https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t7b/2/16/1f3d5.png")">🏕️</span></span><span style="margin:0px 1px"><span style="background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:contain;display:inline-block;vertical-align:text-bottom;height:16px;width:16px;background-image:url("https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t7f/2/16/1f3d9.png")">🏙️</span></span>Where: Anywhere! Videos can be filmed in your dorm room, in the park, or anywhere else you can find space. Studio space may also be available if there is enough interest.</span><br style="white-space:pre-wrap"><br style="white-space:pre-wrap"><span style="white-space:pre-wrap"><span style="margin:0px 1px"><span style="background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:contain;display:inline-block;vertical-align:text-bottom;height:16px;width:16px;background-image:url("https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tf9/2/16/1f4b0.png")">💰</span></span><span style="margin:0px 1px"><span style="background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:contain;display:inline-block;vertical-align:text-bottom;height:16px;width:16px;background-image:url("https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t50/2/16/1f911.png")">🤑</span></span>How Much: FREE for active members! This competition typically costs $30 per student, but CMU BDC will cover all costs for active members. To be considered active you must attend at least 10 Zoom lessons (any level, any style) before the competition starts and continue to participate for the duration of the entire competition. </span><br style="white-space:pre-wrap"><br style="white-space:pre-wrap"><span style="white-space:pre-wrap"><span style="margin:0px 1px"><span style="background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:contain;display:inline-block;vertical-align:text-bottom;height:16px;width:16px;background-image:url("https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t6b/2/16/1f4dd.png")">📝</span></span><span style="margin:0px 1px"><span style="background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:contain;display:inline-block;vertical-align:text-bottom;height:16px;width:16px;background-image:url("https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t4b/2/16/1f4cc.png")">📌</span></span>Sign up: Fill out the following form by October 9th to participate! </span><a href="https://forms.gle/1RUXVouVK9WLjRBd6" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" style="white-space:pre-wrap">https://forms.gle/1RUXVouVK9WLjRBd6</a><br style="white-space:pre-wrap"><br style="white-space:pre-wrap"><span style="white-space:pre-wrap"><span style="margin:0px 1px"><span style="background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:contain;display:inline-block;vertical-align:text-bottom;height:16px;width:16px;background-image:url("https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/te8/2/16/1f4da.png")">📚</span></span><span style="margin:0px 1px"><span style="background-repeat:no-repeat;background-size:contain;display:inline-block;vertical-align:text-bottom;height:16px;width:16px;background-image:url("https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tbb/2/16/1f5b1.png")">🖱️</span></span>Learn More: Check out the official website! <a href="https://usadancedcd/" target="_blank">https://usadancedcd</a></span><span style="white-space:pre-wrap"><a href="http://c.org/" target="_blank">c.org/</a></span></font><br></div></div><div><br></div><div><div><div>If you want to get updates and information more often than these weekly emails, join our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/269485143143624" target="_blank">CMU Ballroom Facebook group</a>.</div></div><div><br></div><div><div><div>Happy virtual dancing,</div><div>Marie Ivantechenko</div><div>CMU BDC Secretary </div></div><div><br></div></div><div><div style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:13.33px;line-height:19.99px;background-color:transparent;overflow:visible">Email: <a href="mailto:cmuballroom@gmail.com" target="_blank">cmuballroom@gmail.com</a></div><div style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:13.33px;line-height:19.99px;background-color:transparent;overflow:visible">Visit us at <a href="http://cmubdc.org/" target="_blank">cmubdc.org</a> and on The Bridge</div><div style="font-variant-numeric:normal;font-variant-east-asian:normal;font-stretch:normal;font-size:13.33px;line-height:19.99px;background-color:transparent;overflow:visible">CMU BDC - "Building a community of dancers."</div></div></div></div>