Back when I was a freshman, I was very excited to start my
college experience by getting involved on campus in any way possible, so at the
annual Club Fair around Eddie’s, I signed up for at least twenty different
clubs that all sounded interesting. One
of these clubs was Fordham Ballroom Club. Like many
girls, I had taken ballet classes for a while when I was little, but I never
thought of trying to dance with a partner.
Because I signed up for Ballroom at the club fair, I received all of the
emails describing the fun activities the club put on, but I was always too
nervous to show up by myself and try something out of my comfort zone. Now as I junior, I realize how much I regret
not participating in Ballroom Club my first year here. One of my roommates this year, Dorina, is
actually the President of Fordham Ballroom Dance. Before coming to Fordham, she had even less dance experience than me, and she learned at club meetings through the teaching of previous president Fred Engelhardt. She persuaded me to come to
Ballroom one week after teaching me some basic moves in the dining room of our
apartment. As a beginner, I was nervous
that I would embarrass myself, but there were other people with little
experience that were learning for the first time along with me, and the veteran
dancers were very nice and helpful. I was
able to convince two of my friends to come with me, and we all ended up having
a great time.
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| Learning some new moves |
For Fordham Ballroom Dance, each week we meet in the McGinley Center
Ballroom for an hour and learn moves to different standard ballroom styles. We separate into sides, with boys on one side
and girls on the other. Dorina teaches a couple of moves to the group, and then
we pair up and practice what we just learned.
Each week we review and then build upon the previous week. So far
we have learned aspects of the Waltz, Salsa, and Swing. We switch partners each time we practice a
new move, so another plus of this club is that I am always meeting new people.
Along with the weekly classes, the Ballroom Club coordinates
a couple of trips a semester to a Club 412, a dance club in Manhattan where
they have separate rooms that each are dedicated to a different style of
ballroom. I am really excited for our
first trip so I can actually use what I have been practicing each week.
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| Time to practice |
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| Members having fun at Club 412 |
Check out some of these amazing performances from members of Fordham Ballroom Club!
(My talented roommate Dorina is the female lead featured in the first two videos)
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