On Wednesday and Thursday nights, a dull classroom comes to life with the fast footwork, graceful arms and swaying hips of the University Ballroom Dance Club.
A group of 15 to 20 students gather twice a week to practice and learn new dances, said Philip Taylor, agriculture business senior and president of the organization.
The talented crew has placed first at the beginning level for the past two years in “A Gumbo of Ballroom,” the annual national qualifying competition held in Baton Rouge.
“We produce quality dancers,” Taylor said. “People come from all over the country to compete in this event.”
Taylor said he placed first in all of the competitions he entered.
“It is a little scary at first because there is a ton of people,” Taylor said. “But once you start dancing, it becomes second nature.”
The club was founded in 2007, and the instructors are students.
“The founders had been ballroom dancing for about eight to 10 years,” Taylor said. “Every so often, we get a chance to visit a professional instructor.”
Club members learn the waltz, tango, foxtrot, cha-cha, rumba and East Coast swing, Taylor said. Members spend one night learning the basics of ballroom dance and the next focusing on teaching members the technical aspects of ballroom dance and how to compete.
Taylor said he had no background in dance when he joined, and now he is teaching his peers.
He said ballroom dancing is a unique experience.
“You get to meet a lot of good people through it,” Taylor said. “It’s a social thing and something to look forward to during
the week.”
Ballroom dancing has become popular because of the television show “Dancing with the Stars,” according to Lane Barry, the club’s advisor and a script writer for University Relations.
“It is great exercise,” Barry said. “You are working your body as well as working your mind.”
The club performs at different events on campus, including the holiday Candlelight Celebration and Fall Fest, Barry said.
“They do a great job and they wow the crowd,” he said.
Brian Strand, political science senior and member of the club, said he joined because of his friends.
“I regret I didn’t start earlier,” Strand said.
Jared Eppley, geology junior and member of the organization, said the club helped him come out of his shell.
“Freshman year, I went to class and went straight to my room,” Eppley said. “Because of the club, I am a completely
different person. It is the best experience that could have happened to me.”
 
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Contact Claire Caillier at [email protected]