On May 10, 1899, Mrs. Austerlitz gave birth to a little baby named Fred in Omaha, Nebraska.  Seven years and one name change later, little Fred Austerlitz hit the stage as Fred Astaire, partnering his older sister Adele in a popular brother-sister act that would endure until Adele's marriage in 1932.  Although modern audiences know Fred Astaire for his on-screen partnering of Ginger Rogers, he was equally (and in some cases even more) suited to dance with hats, canes, coat racks, firecrackers, sports equipment and animated mice.

Here's Fred in one of my favorite numbers, though some of you may like the clip after the jump more.

Evolution Dance Center presents the 2008 EDC Awards:

"Imagine, Create, Evolve"
Directed by Gee Bethancourt

May 31st, 2008!  Tickets on sale now!

For more info, please visit our website:
www.Evolution-Dance.com

Although Paula Abdul has reinvented herself as a judge on American Idol, it appears she years to return to her dancing roots. The former choreographer is reportedly eager to join next season's cast of "Dancing With the Stars."

Last month, the show's host, Tom Bergeron, accidentally revealed Abdul's desire to join the show. And now, she's admitting to OK! Magazine, "I'm just hypothetically thinking about it." Abdul elaborates, "It's all Tom's fault! I'm a huge fan [of the show]. It would be a phenomenal experience for me to be a student and to learn a form of dance that I've never been introduced to."

In a continuation from my previous blog "Survival Guide for......" (http://blog.danceruniverse.com/blog/story/2008/3/4/194256/7780) I am going to talk about more ways to promote yourself.

The evolution of technology has opened the possibilities of advertising for dance studios, dancers and choreographers. Years ago everything was on VHS tapes. We had to find that dumb wire and hook two VCR's together to kinda patch together clips of work onto one tape. The process was dangerous because you never knew if you had hooked the VCR's correctly. There was always the possibility of erasing your master tape. Some people actually paid editing professionals to create their reels.Advanced programs for your computer make editing a reel onto DVD seem like a piece of cake. (MMMM  white chocolate raspberry cheesecake)

What's a reel? What should a reel contain? How much is too much?

The United Dance Merchants of America, an organization dedicated to dance manufacturers and retailers, has launched a new website just in time for National Dance Week (April 25-May 4).

Created by Northstar Marketing, the site boasts pages for UDMA event locations, membership information and registration, the annual dance resource and fashion show, and an alphabetical membership directory.

A password-protected members-only section will be updated shortly. In the meantime, check out the site at http://www.udma.org.    

Artist Beth Fein's international interactive performance art piece, Dance Anywhere, will be held on April 25, 2008. This conceptual dance project seeks to increase public awareness of dance in all its forms. Where will you be and how can you be a part of this global event?

Calling all competitors!  Win up to $1,000 in cash (or additional cool prizes) for your original dance video.