An Ode to Ballroom Dance

My greatest regret is waiting until the end of my sophomore year to join Carleton’s Latin and Ballroom Dance Team. I joined after taking the Social Dance I and West Coast Swing I PE courses. All of the student-teachers were members of the ballroom team and I figured, why not give it a shot? I forced one of my friends to go with me to Newcomer’s Practice, which is geared towards total beginners. Despite being totally out of my comfort zone, I became enamored with ballroom.

While a shared love for dancing is what brings the team members together, what really shines is the community. We have two coaches, Ella and Stuart, who are Carleton alumni! But a lot of what we learn is peer-taught. We share knowledge and we simply goof off.

While we are competitive and do compete, it’s not all about winning, but having fun. It’s a ton of fun to cheer for teammates and to watch other dancers compete.

Plus, every spring term, we have a dance showcase. It’s incredibly satisfying for us to invite our friends and family to watch a choreographed dance that we spent all term working on.

As my senior year comes to a close, I am incredibly grateful for the confidence and joy being part of the ballroom team has brought me. I would never have imagined my self as a dancer a year ago, but now it is something I will continue even after graduating.

Ronnie (they/she/he) is a senior Biology major from Oak Park, IL. Outside of blogging, she is also an Admissions tour guide and a Student Ambassador for Alumni Relations. You can usually find them in Cowling Gymnasium with the Ballroom Dance Team, practicing for the next competition or chatting with teammates. They also have very strong opinions about food on campus (especially LDC eggs and Burton fried tofu). She is also the commodore of  Carleton’s sailing club and a DJ for KRLX, the student run radio station.