Dear Competitors, As some of you have already noticed, videos from the 2008 Dance of the Roses are on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/video/?oid=23199917424. (You need to sign up for a Facebook account if you don't have one.) Photos from the competition are available at http://ballroom.caltech.edu/comp/gallery.php. You can check results and scoresheets by visiting http://ballroom.caltech.edu/comp/results.php. If you won first place in any of the Open-level events, or if you were a member of the winning formation team, you are eligible for free entry in next year's Dance of the Roses. Please email the Caltech Ballroom Dance Club at ballroom@caltech.edu to claim your coupon. Thank you all for helping us make the Dance of the Roses a success, and we hope to see you again next year. Meanwhile, Happy Dancing! All the best, Caltech Ballroom Dance Club

Dear Competitor, The MIT Open is only 2 days away! We have a record-breaking 1,080 registered competitors this year, so we hope you're as excited as we are! Below you will find important information regarding the comp. If you are the team captain, please make sure to forward the information to your team so that every competitor is informed. Information Overview: 1. Schedule available on web 2. Layout available on web 3. Friday Check-in 4. Show Tickets are Will Call 5. Traffic delays 6. Parking Info Details: 1. SCHEDULE: All the event start times are now posted at http://ballroom.mit.edu/comp/schedule.php. Please check when your first round is scheduled, and make sure to be in the ballroom, ready to dance, 30 minutes prior to that time. Registration closes 45 mins prior to the event, so if you're hoping to add beginner standard, we recommend that you do so Friday evening (see #3). 2. LAYOUT: The layout is now available at http://ballroom.mit.edu/comp/images/layout.pdf. Please note that this year, Registration is located INSIDE the ballroom, and the practice space has been moved to the corner of the room. Please be courteous to your fellow dancers and use the practice space only for practicing (not loitering). 3. CHECK IN: We will have check-in available at the venue on Friday from 7-9pm. We especially encourage large teams to take advantage of this so as to speed things up on Saturday morning. REMINDER: YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE YOUR NUMBER UNTIL YOUR ENTIRE TEAM'S FEES ARE PAID, so if you foresee any complications, dealing with them on Friday will be easier for all parties involved. 4. SHOW TICKETS: As you know, competitor show tickets are free this year. However, YOU STILL NEED TO PICK THEM UP AT WILL CALL. Please pick them up at your earliest convenience on Saturday, since the line may get significantly longer later in the afternoon. Be prepared to show ID. If your friends and family need to purchase tickets, they can do so online at a hefty (>25%) discount through tomorrow afternoon. 5. TRAFFIC: Boston is very busy this weekend with a couple marathons as well as daily Red Sox games. This means that not only will many roads be unpredictably congested, but there may also be temporary street closures over the course of the weekend. We encourage you to leave well in advance of your event to ensure that you arrive at the ballroom on time. If you are coming from Boston and find the Mass Ave bridge closed or congested, you should be able to take Storrow Drive down to Central or Harvard Square and get into Cambridge that way. Memorial drive may have delays as well, since there is a race along there on Sunday. To summarize, buffer in plenty of time and be prepared for alternate routes. 6. PARKING: MIT is very busy this weekend as well, with a number of other athletic events going on. If you find that the West Garage (garage accross the street from the venue) is full, there are a number of other lots in which you should be able to find parking (a few of them are simply a bit farther down Vassar St, away from Mass ave, as well as near the intersection of Mass. Ave. and Albany St.). Please feel free to check out the MIT parking map for more options. We look forward to seeing you! 2008 MIT Open Competition Committee

The staff at RPI asked me to send this message on their behalf. To all RPI Competitors, For those of you arriving the night before the event, we are holding a welcome dance on Friday night from 7:30 to 10PM. It will be held in the Academy Hall Multipurpose Room. Directions can be found on our competition website at http://ballroom.union.rpi.edu/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33&Itemid=76. Anyone who has requested housing must come to the dance to meet with their host. Please contact me at anselv@rpi.edu or 585.704.1189 for any housing questions that arise. Thanks, Victoria Anselm, Housing Coordinator, RPI Ballroom Dance Competition

Only a few hours left to register for 2008 MIT Open Ballroom Competition by the regular deadline at 11:59pm on Sunday, March 30! With already 500 couples registered and growing, this is the competition not to miss! http://ballroom.mit.edu/comp/registration.php Check out the list of adjudicators: http://ballroom.mit.edu/comp/judges.php There will also be cash prizes for Championship and Open level events! Register now! http://ballroom.mit.edu/comp/registration.php Dance on, 2008 MIT Open Ballroom Dance Competition Committee mitbdt-comp-comm@mit.edu

Dear Competitors, My name is Nishant and I am the Competition Coordinator this year for the Columbia University Ballroom Dance Team. I would like to personally inform you that we have finalized the date for our 2nd annual Big Apple Dancesport Challenge. The date to remember is December 6th, 2008! Like last year, this will be a one-day competition offering all levels and styles of dancing. We have a great panel of judges and a spacious venue in store for you and your team. The Big Apple Dancesport Challenge will also feature the Starry Night Winter Showcase with a performance from a top professional couple. Last year we had Riccardo Cocchi and Yulia Zagoruychenko. This year we plan on going even bigger. Who knows, maybe we’ll have more than just one performance couple. We are currently in the process of updating our website. In the mean time, please visit it for more information: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/ballroomteam/competition/ Alternatively, if you have a question, concern, or comment, please feel free to contact me personally via email. We hope to see all you there again this year! Thanks for your time, Nishant Mittal nkm2101@columbia.edu Big Apple Dancesport Challenge Coordinator 2008-2009