Friday, October 27, 2006

Dancing With The Stars On Tour

Dancing With The Stars is hitting the road, bringing a team of professional dancers and celebrities from seasons 1-3 to 38 cities through the Unites States. Tickets will go on sale on November 4th.

Participating celebrities and dancers are Joey Lawrence and Edyta Sliwinska (Season 3), Harry Hamlin and Ashly DelGrosso (Season 3), Lisa Rinna and Lousi van Amstel (Season 2), Willa Ford and Maksim Chmerkovskiy (Season 2), Drew Lachey and Cherly Burke (Season 2), Joey McIntyre (Season 1), and Kym Johnson (Season 3).

Scheduled Dates are:
12/19/2006 ipayOne Center at the Sports Arena - San Diego
12/20/2006 Save Mart Center - Fresno
12/22/2006 KeyArena - Seattle
12/23/2006 Rose Garden - Portland
12/27/2006 HP Pavilion - San Jose
12/28/2006 Staples Center - Los Angeles
12/29/2006 Glendale Arena - Glendale
12/30/2006 Thomas and Mack Center - Las Vegas
01/02/2007 Qwest Center - Omaha
01/03/2007 Xcel Energy Center - St. Paul
01/05/2007 Allstate Arena - Rosemont
01/06/2007 Palace of Auburn Hills - Auburn Hills
01/07/2007 Nationwide Arena - Columbus
01/09/2007 Wolstein Center - Cleveland
01/10/2007 Air Canada Centre - Toronto
01/12/2007 Bradley Center - Milwaukee
01/13/2007 Mark of the Quad Cities - Moline
01/14/2007 Scottrade Center (formerly Savvis Center) - St. Louis
01/16/2007 Roberts Stadium - Evansville
01/17/2007 US Bank Arena - Cincinnati
01/18/2007 Conseco Fieldhouse - Indianapolis
01/19/2007 Rupp Arena - Lexington
01/21/2007 Gaylord Entertainment Center - Nashville
01/23/2007 St. Pete Times Forum - Tampa
01/24/2007 BankAtlantic Center - Sunrise
01/26/2007 Gwinnett Center - Duluth
01/27/2007 Greensboro Coliseum - Greensboro
01/28/2007 Verizon Center (formerly MCI Center) - Washington
01/30/2007 Richmond Coliseum - Richmond
02/01/2007 Continental Airlines Arena - East Rutherford
02/02/2007 Nassau Veterans Memorial Colliseum - Uniondale
02/03/2007 Mohegan Sun Arena - Uncasville
02/05/2007 DCU Center (formerly Centrum Center) - Worcester
02/06/2007 Wachovia Center - Philadelphia
02/07/2007 Verizon Wireless Arena - Manchester
02/08/2007 Arena at Harbor Yard - Bridgeport
02/10/2007 Dunkin Donuts Center - Providence
02/11/2007 Boardwalk Hall - Atlantic City

Coming Soon - Holiday Trophy Ball in Connecticut

On December 2, 2006, the South Windsor studio is throwing a Holiday Trophy Ball. Each ticket sold includes a $10 donation to Variety Childrens Charity and each attendee will receive a Top Hat pin.

Happy Birthday South Windsor, CT Studio!

The Fred Astaire Studio in South Windsor, Connecticut is celebrating its first anniversary on November 19th! A big thank you to all the students and staff who made this first year so memorable!

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Win Tickets To The Dancing With The Stars Finale!

Be there when a new champ is crowned!

It's one of the hottest shows on TV and we want you to be part of it! The competition is heating up on ABC's 'Dancing With the Stars' and you could win a trip to the finals. Airfare, hotel, transfers and tickets to the show are included. Our Fred Astaire Studio in Houston is throwing a contest to send one lucky winner to the finale. Contact the Fred Astaire Studio in Houston for more information and you could be on your way! You'll also receive 10 private lessons with a Fred Astaire professional teacher and eight groups or parties at one of the five locations! Good luck from Fred Astaire Dance Studios!

*Ten runners-up will receive a Dancing with the Stars poster.

Spotlight On...Ilya Ifraimov and Nadia Goulina

One of the top professional Latin couples in the dance world today, Ilya Ifraimov and Nadia Goulina are shining stars in the Fred Astaire family.
Their dancing careers started early. Growing up in Moscow, Nadia began dancing when she was 11 years old. She started in the rock and roll style but then became the Russian Standard Champion for ages 16-18, representing Russia in the Olympics in Norway. Originally from Russia, Ilya began dancing when he was 15, focusing on Latin dancing from the start.
They met at Fred Astaire’s Upper Montclair studio where they had both been recruited by Kay Connors. A year after meeting, they began their partnership and now compete in about 15-20 competitions a year. Their list of recent achievements in the past year is long and includes (but is not limited to!):
• 1st at the Yankee Classic.
• 1st at the Maryland DanceSport Championship.
• 1st in Yuletide Ball Championship.
• 1st at the Atlanta Open.
• 2nd at the Embassy Ball.
• 2nd at the Manhattan Dancesport.
• 3rd at the US Nationals.
• 5th at the famous Blackpool competition.
Hard to believe they’ve only been dancing together for 6 years!
To prepare for these competitions, Ilya and Nadia practice about 4 to 5 times a week for 2 hours at a time.
The strength in Ilya and Nadia’s partnership lie in the authenticity of their dancing where the relationship between the man and woman is clearly defined. In their dancing, Ilya and Nadia emphasize traditional male and female roles, where the man is strong and confident and the woman is feminine and sexy. Music helps provide that feeling and their dancing adds passion to the music. Indeed, they focus on what partnership dancing is all about: the love triangle between a man, woman, and the music.
Their role models include top Latin couples such as Bryan Watson and Carmen, and Slavik and Karina. Like Ilya and Nadia, these couples are famous for their musicality, flexibility, and ability to produce a strong image of a man and woman.
As if competing, coaching, and teaching weren’t enough, Ilya and Nadia recently opened their own studio in Montville, New Jersey.

“We feel like we’re Fred Astaire people,” Ilya elaborates about his decision to open a studio, “We believe in the company and we want to stay in it.”

What free time they do have (when they’re not thinking about the designs of their next outfits) is spent going out to clubs and movies, and relaxing with friends.
When asked about the future, Ilya doesn’t hesitate. “Our goal,” he says, “is to make people happy and share our knowledge.”
Ilya and Nadia, you’ve made all of us happy with your dynamic dancing and magical partnership. We’re glad to have you as part of our chain and wish you much continued success.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

What's New?

ABC’s Dancing With The Stars is back. Tune in on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 8/7c to watch a host of celebrities turn into ballroom dancers with the help of professionals, including Fred Astaire Dance Champions Tony Dovolani, Jesse DeSoto, and Elena Grinenko!


The 2006 United States Dance Sport Championship (USDSC) was an exciting event and we’re proud to announce that several Fred Astaire professionals swept the competition away. Congratulations to our champions: Tony Dovolani & Elena Grinenko (Professional Rhythm), Victor Luna & Dawn Westberry (Theatrical Dance), Eric Luna & Georgia Ambarian (Cabaret), and Fabian Sanchez & Christina Penatello (US Mambo Champions).

Fred Astaire Dancers Ready to Rumba in Orlando!

Fred Astaire Dancers Ready To Rumba In Orlando

Orlando, FL – September 29, 2006 (Fred Astaire Dance Studios) – Fred Astaire Dance Studios will hold their 2006 National DanceSport Championships (NDC) at the Hilton Walt Disney Resort in Orlando, Florida on October 25-29th, 2006. The NDC will feature top-ranked dancers from around the country competing in a variety of different dance styles and categories. The competition is open to spectators; ticket prices range from $35-50 and can be purchased at the hotel. Highlights of the event will include a professional competition on October 27th at 8:30pm and a dance showcase beginning at 9:00pm on October 28th.

“We’re anticipating,” says Mr. Jack Rothweiler, President and CEO of Fred Astaire Dance Studios, Inc., “that NDC 2006 will be our biggest competition ever since we’re up nationwide 30% in new students and 25% in overall enrollments. This is the best year we’ve ever had in all aspects of the business.”

Fred Astaire Dance Studios are located throughout the United States. Visit Fred Astaire Dance Studios for more information.