Students take to the dance floor

In just an hour, University students can exercise, meet people and relive an American tradition - ballroom dancing.

The University's Ballroom Dance Club, a student organization founded eight years ago, hosts classes every Sunday for interested dancers. The sport is gaining popularity, especially among college-age people.

The club's membership has skyrocketed to more than 400 regular dancers in the last few years, said club manager Karen White.

KAREN SACHS/Daily Two ballroom dancing students do the fox trot in class Sunday. Participants in the class learn a variety of steps and dances in ballroom style.

"Ballroom dancing is a very rewarding exercise. The club is also a great, very safe place to meet people," said White, a University alumna.

Rackham third-year student Mark Nechanicky, dressed in a dress shirt and casual khakis for the weekly club meeting on Sunday, said he's enjoyed meeting people in the classes.

"I had never danced before I came to the club, but my New Year's resolution was to learn how to," Nechanicky said. "I came to the club because there is a variety of teachers. You don't have to have a partner, and it's very inexpensive."

The Michigan League Ballroom was filled Sunday with chatty members, whose attire ranged from blue jeans to tuxedos.

The instructors stood in the middle of the ballroom, showing dance moves to students when necessary. Another club volunteer rushed around the room, calling out dance steps for the students to follow.

"If people were interested, I'd encourage them to come and check out the first lesson because it makes things easier, and to come for a variety of different teachers and dances because if one doesn't fit you then another dance or teacher may," he said.

The music ranges from Top 40 songs to old classics such as "Moon River." The club also is open to University alumni and faculty, but the ballroom had a younger crowd Sunday.

"It's really a lot of fun. Physically it's good exercise. I like to do it instead of going to the gym or going to an aerobics class," said Mary Christensen, a graduate student instructor in French literature.

This year, the club introduced a dance team for students who are very serious about ballroom dancing.

"To offer an outlet to those who like to compete, the club has established a new dance team for students only," White said. "The team will travel to other colleges and universities to compete. The competitions will be fairly informal, friendly and low cost."

The classes are usually held in the Michigan Union or the League ballrooms. White said television popularized ballroom dancing, which has been declared an Olympic sport, and attracted younger members.

Mark Dimmer, a manager at the Arthur Murray dance studio in Bloomfield Hills, agreed that interest in ballroom dancing is rising among a younger crowd.

"In the past, many of our clients were in the 40- to 80-year-old age range," Dimmer said. "Now, we seem to be appealing to a much younger group who are in their 20s to 30s."

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