Editorial

Welcome to American Dancer – the online edition.  Like almost everyone I have talked to, I have so missed American Dancer arriving in my mailbox, taking a quick peek to see who made the cover, and then enjoying the content during breaks from work or practice.   I started dancing almost 25 years ago in the California Bay Area and USA Dance, USABDA at the time, became a source for many local dance opportunities.  Approximately 10 years ago I joined the board of our local NorCal chapter #4004.  After retiring in July of last year from a 28-year career with Cisco Systems Inc., and with some extra time on my hands, it occurred to me that perhaps I could offer my service to help create an online version of American Dancer.  USA Dance put out a call for volunteers and we have managed to put together an excellent staff of Rose-Ann Lynch (Virginia), Clifford Arnold (Virginia), Alla Zemlyak (North Carolina), Alessandro Scalora (Georgia), Sima Sadykhov (New York), and Madeleine Mravkarov (Georgia).

The award winning design of American Dancer, the printed magazine, was done by a professional staff.  For this first online edition, we have tried to keep the design and layout as simple as possible while striving to present an elegant look.  We also wanted to preserve the initial impression of a dramatic cover.   Coupled with that, we have also endeavored to provide a “responsive” design that is pleasing regardless of the device used for viewing.

This first issue was prepared during the COVID-19 Pandemic.  Our dance community was severely impacted in so many ways and while it is easy to be discouraged and frustrated, we instead chose to be hopeful and positive.  We are dedicating this issue to looking at how this pandemic has changed us and how we are moving forward.

Along with our cover story, you will find some of the usual columns associated with American Dancer:  a message from our newly elected President Ken Richards;  Milestones  – news including Nationals and USA Breakin; and Socially Yours – a column written by our Social Vice President Jean Mills Krupa.  We are introducing a new column dedicated to partnerships and in the Features section, we  introduce the new USA Dance officials and  talk to some of our couples about how they have been coping during these difficult times.  Missing in this issue of American Dancer are the columns covering chapter highlights and achievements, collegiate news and the professional report.  At the time of this writing, new officers and directors were busy setting up their committees. 

We hope you will enjoy this first issue of the online American Dancer and welcome any feedback and suggestions for improvement.  We also hope you will help this magazine be a reflection of your interests by submitting articles or suggestions for topics.  Feel free to reach us here.