On Wednesday, Jan 17, you may have heard the swanky tunes of classical jazz floating through the Student Center as the Ballroom Dancing Club made its debut. The Map side of the STUCE was stuffed with what felt like half the school’s population as everyone was excited for their chance to learn the Foxtrot.
Fisher McCartney, sophomore and president of the new Ballroom Dancing Club, passionately explained his love for the art form. “My favorite thing about ballroom dance is, in part, the skill” he said. “There is no negative to being able to say, ‘I know how to dance’… and nobody is really like, ‘that’s silly.’” He continued, “but, I think it’s more than just the technical skill of dancing for me; it’s the skill of being able to talk to people and being able to introduce myself.”
Most of us would probably be mortified to dance in front of our peers. Luckily for us, freshman Ashley Jarret and vice president, can easily empathize. “It can seem a little scary. I know when I first started, I was very hesitant, but honestly don’t put too much pressure on it and just try to enjoy it! When you’re learning, you will mess up; it’s gonna be hard, but just like everything else, it takes a little bit of time.”
Asbury senior Katie Jornod stated, “I used to ballroom dance a lot when I was in elementary school but then I hadn’t had the opportunity in a lot of years and honestly I never thought this would happen because when I first started at Asbury…we weren’t allowed to dance at all, so this is very exciting!”
When asked about the old Asbury views of dancing, Jarret said, “We did a lot of research on the dance policy before we got this started. I know it’s based on the different beliefs denominations of the church have on how dancing is.” McCartney also stated, “It’s fairly Biblical that dancing can be a form of worship. David danced unto the Lord and I think that in the context of Asbury, it’s super befitting to dance and take it in stride with our christian culture.”
It was quite the apparent unbalanced ratio of men and women (the girls take the attendance trophy this time); however, that did not stop the thrilled participants. In fact, many danced with their friends in the waiting line, making sure to get their steps perfected before they got their chance to glide down the cleared-off center section.
Andrew Seamands, a senior, spoke about his excitement for this club, “It’s a skill I’ve always wanted to have and I’ve never had an opportunity to learn before… It seems like a happy and wholesome time and I think a lot of people are having a lot of joy!”
“It’s way less awkward than I thought it would be!” Jimmy Hale, a junior and ballroom dance newbie said while waiting his turn in line. Ann Collett, also a junior, spoke about her jubilation for the club, she expressed, “I really like ballroom dancing! I haven’t had much experience with it, but I really enjoy the thought of it and I’m excited to learn more, so here’s to day one!”
McCartney ardently exclaimed his main goal for the club, “It doesn’t matter where you’re at. If you’ve ever danced, if you’ve ever listened to music before, if you show up, you can have a fun time. If you can’t talk to people, I was in the same boat… We will meet you wherever you’re at and you can have fun!”
From the foxtrot and waltz to swing, then tango and rumba to cha-cha and finally salsa, interested participants of all skill levels can look forward to getting their groove on the dance floor with the Ballroom Dance Club on Wednesday nights on the map side of the STUCE at 7:30PM.
Featured photo by Seraina Weatherford.