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by Ohio Star Ball Staff
Ohio Star Ball Newsletter
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Final Newsletter Prior to Start of the 2008 Ohio Star Ball (Note this
is a resend of a previous email sent today in which the text version of the
newsletter email was incorrect. Our apologies.)
Tuesday November 18th through Sunday November 23rd, 2008
This is the last newsletter prior to the start of the 2008 Ohio Star Ball and
we wanted to inform you of some additional updates that you may be interested
in. If you are coming to this year's Ohio Star Ball, we want you to know that
like the graphic at the OSB web site states, you are our only purpose. Best of
luck and we hope to see you at the 2008 Ohio Star Ball.
Please check at the Ohio Star Ball web site for any later updates beyond what
is contained in this newsletter.
http://www.ohiostarball.com/
Latest Updates!
* The Final Main Schedule for the Ohio Star Ball is now available on the
Schedule page or in PDF form. A Heat Schedule is also shown on
the Schedule page or in PDF form.
* There's also an updated interior layout map of the Columbus Convention
Center that shows more detail about Ohio Star Ball venues.
* There is additional information below on the PBS show, America's Ballroom
Challenge, which airs on February 25th, 2009 from 9 to 11 p.m. This year's
host is Jean Louisa Kelly, along with co-host Ron Montez.
* There's a new web site (http://www.bestofthebestdancesport.com) dedicated to
information about the Best of the Best Dancesport Challenge. Please visit
this web site to see details about the challenge.
The date of last update for this information was 11/16/08 @ 10:00 p.m. Please
check back often to see if any further updates. Thanks - OSB Staff.
Ohio Star Ball: 31st Annual Celebration
The Ohio Star Ball will once again host the World Pro/Am Championships and
World Professional American Smooth and Rhythm Championships. With the rising
interest of Pro/Am dancing worldwide, the Ohio Star Ball has been selected to
host these prestigious categories for 2008, now giving dancers from the four
corners of the globe the opportunity to Win A World Title right here in the
United States!
In addition to the previously mentioned Pro/Am events, the Pro/Am Standard
Gentlemen Only Championship will take place and not to forget our college
ballroom dancers, we will be also hosting the U.S. National Collegiate
Championships this year at the Ohio Star Ball.
The selection of the Team Members for the 2009 International Junior Couple
Arnold Classic Team Match will be happening in Ohio. Top Juniors from the
United States and Canada in the J3 thru J6, Under 21, and Open 5 Dance Latin
and Standard Divisions will have the chance to make the Team. Additionally,
there is a new Pro/Am competition category for youth called the World Pro/Am
Championship Youth, which includes all 4 dance styles for ages 16 to 18.
Also, the Grand Finales of the Best of the Best Challenge and the DanceSport
Series Team Match will take place.
Best of the Best Challenge
For the Best of the Best Challenge, the qualified Pro/Am winners from the 2007
Ohio Star Ball and Holiday Classic, and the 2008 Atlanta Open, Capital
DanceSport, Embassy Ball, First Coast Classic, and Millennium competitions will
battle it out for Top Honors! The closed Bronze and Silver competitions will
take place on Wednesday evening, November 19, starting at 7 p.m., and the Open
Gold competitions will take place on Thursday evening, November 20, starting at
9:05 p.m. Please stop by to cheer on your favorite competitors and to find out
who will win in each of these three levels. It will be exciting to watch. Also,
be sure to see the new Best of the Best Dancesport web site located at:
http://www.bestofthebestdancesport.com/
Please visit this web site to see details about the Challenge and which
dancesport competitions host the Best of the Best events. You can also see some
videos of competitors at the Best of the Best Grand Finale at the 2007 Ohio
Star Ball, including the winners of last year's Best of the Best Challenge.
World Pro/Am DanceSport Series
And finally, for the DanceSport Series Team Match, perhaps you've waited all
year to see which region will become a world title winner? Don't miss the
Grand Finale on Thursday night, November 20, at 7:30 p.m., when all 7 regions,
with the top team winners of each region, compete in the Grand Finale World
DanceSport series Team Match. This year, we are proud to announce that
Supadance will be sponsoring the Supadance Cup ..... a total of $20,000 dollars
in vouchers will be awarded. The Top Male and Top Female student who
accumulated the most points throughout the DanceSport Series year .... will
each receive $10,000 dollars in vouchers. This is the world's richest Pro/Am
purse. Will you be the first to receive it?
Be sure to check out which region you represent and support your team by
wearing your region colors and by cheering on all your fellow team dancers as
they compete for this prestigious title of World Pro/Am DanceSport Team Match
Grand Champions. Last year's winner was Region 1, so don't miss out seeing if
Region 1 can retain their title, or if there will be a new team champion.
Weekend Dance Camp
For Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, November 21, 22, and 23, we are planning to
have a fantastic weekend dance camp with some of the best lecturers in the
world in attendance. Take a look at who will be there. Note: Each day there
will be 3 - 45 minute sessions.
Friday (2:00 - 4:15 p.m.)
* Rufus Dustin
* Toni Redpath
* Edward Simon
Saturday (2:00 - 4:15 p.m.)
* Diana McDonald
* Michael Chapman
* Maja Serve
Sunday (12 noon - 2:15 p.m.)
* Gary McDonald
* Linda Dean
* Pierre Allaire & Mireille Veilleux
Please plan to attend as many of these lectures as possible as the potential
knowledge to be gained is invaluable.
Ohio: A Made for TV Event
Once again, the Ohio Star Ball will be broadcast on PBS as the America's
Ballroom Challenge. This year, America's Ballroom Challenge will be airing on
February 25th, 2009 from 9-11 p.m. on PBS and the host for the show will be
actress and singer, Jean Louisa Kelly. Ms. Kelly has a long list of credits as
an actress and singer and further information can be found at her official web
site:
http://www.jeanlouisakelly.com/
Ron Montez will again be a co-host this year. You can find bios of both hosts
on our Spotlight page. (Also listed is a policy on no personal recording during
the Saturday evening events.) Please keep an eye on the PBS web site and the
Ohio Star Ball web site for updated information when that is available.
PBS America's Ballroom Challenge Web Site:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/ballroomchallenge/
Schedule Changes
We want to let people know that some changes were recently made to the program
schedule. The event changes are as follows:
* Friday, November 21, 2008 - Preliminary Rounds for Open Pro International
Standard, International Latin, American Smooth, and American Rhythm
* Saturday, November 22, 2008 - Final Rounds for Open Pro International
Standard, International Latin, American Smooth, and American Rhythm
If there are any other changes made, we will list them here, so check back
often. You can view the full program schedule by visiting the Schedule Page.
Venue Information
The Ohio Star Ball will be held from Tuesday, November 18 through Sunday,
November 23, 2008, at the Columbus Convention Center, and the adjoining Hyatt
Regency Columbus hotel. This is in downtown Columbus, just north of the State
Capital Building and just south of the Ohio State University. It is also right
next to an area called the Short North, which is an area rich in restaurants,
shops, and other businesses.
If you are flying in to the Columbus Airport, access to the downtown is a short
10 minute drive from the airport. If you are driving, please see OSB web site
to view a map of the venue location in Columbus and to request driving
instructions. If you are need of a hotel, please check on the internet for
available hotels in the Columbus area. (It should be mentioned that this year,
the Ohio State University will be having a home football game the same weekend
as the Ohio Star Ball, so it may take some looking around to find an available
hotel, if you don't already have one.)
As far as the layout of the Columbus Convention Center, please see the OSB web
site to view the Interior Layout of the Columbus Convention Center, and the
Meeting Room Areas where many of the vendors and other functions/events will be
located. Once you arrive at the Columbus Convention Center, you should check
into the Registration Desk, which is located in the third floor Regency Foyer
area of the Convention Center, right next to the adjacent Hyatt hotel. Please
refer to the program schedule on the Schedule Page or your official Ohio Star
Ball program to determine the location of the different Ohio Star Ball dance
events for each particular day.
We hope the information provided here will be helpful in your travels to and
from Columbus area and during your stay while at the Ohio Star Ball.
Sincerely,
The Ohio Star Ball News Staff
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