If you were to stray into cafeteria 2 one Wednesday afternoon at 2:30, your discovery at first glance would surprise you. Fast paced music blares through the speakers, as students attempt to waltz around the floor, avoiding the tables pushed back against the walls. Don’t be too alarmed though; you’ve just stumbled upon a meeting of the Ballroom Dance Club.

Started by club president, Natasha Andriyanycheva (’10) her sophomore year, Andriyanycheva began the ballroom dance club as a way to continue her love of dancing in school.

“I’ve been doing Ballroom Dance for eight years,” says Andriyanycheva. “It’s pretty popular, and you see it in the movies and stuff. I talked to some friends & they showed a lot of interest.”

And thus, the Ballroom Dance Club was born. With a meeting each week, the club gathers together, and memorizes a wide variety of different dances. Ballroom Dance itself can be categorized into the American style, and the International Style, which too contains the standard genre and the latin genre. The Club tends to focus on the more popular styles, such as the Salsa (Latin), the Quick Step (International Standard), the Samba (Latin), and the Foxtrot (International Standard). Other popular styles include the Jive, the Samba, the Cha-Cha, the Waltz, and the Tango. 

The meetings consist of learning the steps, practicing them, and then adding the music. Dancers are paired together, and then separated, as male dancers learn their part and female dancers study theirs. Andriyanycheva teaches the dancers their roles, while the Club’s officers, Sarah Chung (’10), Yoonsie Kim (’10), Katie Savarin (’10), and Susie Choi (’10), help organize the meetings. The Ballroom Dance Club has since expanded to include about 50 members. The Club even engages in mock competitions, with one upcoming in February. 

“I really enjoy Ballroom Dance. [Dancing] is actually a lot of fun,” says Savarin (’10). “There are a lot of great people in this club.”