“I think it’s a little bit of everything. You get really close and personal. It’s a building experience,” Snow said.
The exercise aspect of ballroom dance is close to extreme. Lifting and spinning your partner can be difficult.
“You should see the sweat after a workout. We like to see these big buff guys come and show up, and they can’t lift our girls,” Snow said.
The club is not all about working out — it also has a focus in philanthropy.
“We are work driven. We like to do a lot of service. We go to rest homes around the valley and put on a show for them. It helps them remember there is still something they can relate to,” Snow said. “We have a lot of fun.”
The club holds tryouts and encourages students to come even if they have never danced before.
Jessica Craner, a freshman in international studies and communication, had never danced before trying out for the team. She decided to give it a try when she saw the booth during Welcome Week.
“All the clubs were in front of the Union, and I saw ‘Come audition,’ and I’ve never danced before,” Craner said.
Both Craner and Snow have simple experiences that lead to their involvement with ballroom dance. Snow started his career in ballroom when he auditioned at Southern Utah University and made its touring company.
Craner likes dancing becauseit gives her a muchneeded break from her schoolwork.
“I look forward to it, and it’s a way to ease stress,” Craner said.
“We don’t get a lot of negative feedback, because people audition for the company. They know what they are getting into. It’s pretty hard to learn choreography as fast as we want them to. They
spend a lot of time outside of the group dancing and practicing,” Snow said.
The club has to pick up the choreography quickly, as the sessions are a high-demanding workout not
only for the body but also the mind.
“We don’t stop dancing because we don’t have time. We have to control our body and engage our
core,” Craner said.
The club is growing, and although it can only take so many students, the number of students auditioning has increased.
“We’ve gone from 20 students to auditioning 120 and only accepting 50 to 60 students,” Snow said.