Though swing dancing seems to be sweeping popular culture in Ann Arbor, alternatives to that particular dance form remain viable options for the interested booty-shaker.
A rival to swing - in number of followers and campus popularity - is classic ballroom dancing, the nostalgic aura of which reminds some of past times they never experienced themselves. Also, some of the University community have been attracted to square dancing or Latin salsas.
Geoffrey Blank, an LSA junior and an avid Latin dancer, laments a relative lack of local opportunities to salsa. Blank even joked that upon graduation, he wants to open his own Latin dance club. Luckily for fans like Blank, the Michigan Union-based
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| DANA LINNANE/Daily Ball room dance instructors Bob Printer and Lisa Godo show us how it's done at the Michigan Union Ballroom Sunday night.
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"In a way, I regret it. I wanted a chance to expand my culture," Blank said of his interest in Latin dance. "And I saw it as a de-stresser, a way to take a reprieve from classes and studying."
The idea that dancing is a wonderful stress reliever is a resounding theme among students. "I have a sense of unconsciousness when I dance, a sense of forgetting about myself," said LSA senior student Jasmin Rae Ziegler.
The Ballroom Dance Club offers lessons every Sunday at the Michigan Union. For more information and a host of links to other places offering lessons, check out the club's Website at www.umich.edu/~umbdc. The U Club occasionally offers ballroom lessons (in addition to swing lessons on Wednesday nights), and the CCRB also has lessons available.
Thanh Tran, an Engineering senior, described the allure of ballroom dancing: "I think the appeal of so-called structured dancing is that you really feel more connected with your partner and the music," he said. "You go to Scorekeeper's and everyone's pretty much doing their own thing, but with ballroom or swing, there has to be a certain level of understanding between the partners. It's interactive."
LSA junior Sara Helman agreed. "Ballroom has all these classic moves that one can incorporate, and you really work closely with your partner."
Moreover, fans find something attractive about the stylistic time travel involved with ballroom dance. It is like revisiting a "bygone era," Helman said. "There's a fascination with living that sort of thing out ... artificial nostalgia, almost."
An aspect of dance that both Helman and Tran seemed compelled by is the social interaction between dancers, the relationship that one establishes with another person through the act of mutual movement. "It's going out and doing something, as opposed to watching a movie or something," Tran said. "It's a great way to meet people."
In fact, the social appeal of dance is cited by many as a compelling reason to dance. Barn dances, commonly held by fraternities and sororities, give students an opportunity to square dance. David Gracey, an LSA senior, said of these barn dances that in effect, they are "date parties in disguise."
Of course there are multitudes of students who vastly prefer modern dance to ballroom - believing ballroom too regimented, restrictive, and difficult. For these, people tend to head to places like The Dance Gallery. Located on Third Street, the dance gallery has become a mecca for many School of Art students and offers classes in modern dance and ballet, are the places to be.
"No other dance form allows a person to express his or herself in this way," Maureen Suter, an LSA junior, said of the kind of modern dance moves taught at places like The Dance Gallery. "It's a great, beautiful way to express yourself."
Beautiful as these dances may be, many students never try to learn to salsa or Jitterbug, fearing the styles may be too difficult. To a novice, the idea of throwing oneself into a new form of dance may appear to be a daunting proposition, rife with possibilities for embarrassing missteps.
Many experienced dancers find this to be an unfortunate misconception. Suter made it clear that learning these dances is something anybody can do. "There are benefits of (dance) to people of different levels of ability," she said. "There are a lot of moves, but beginner's would appreciate them."
Tran, speaking of ballroom dancing in particular, was even more emphatic. "Most (dance steps) aren't hard to learn at all, as long as you're wiling to give it a shot," she said, although she did warn that it "depend(s) on how much of a natural dancer you are."
Students said Ann Arbor's now-bustling dance scene offers a little something for everyone. Just ask area dance fans like LSA senior Sea Stachura said it best: "There is, I think, dance for everyone. Dance is good that way."
Ballroom Dancing The Ballroom Dance Club gives lessons on the medium Sundays at the Michigan Union. 763-5750.
Classic Swing Learn the kind of swing dancing now immortalized by commercials for The Gap every Sunday at the Blind Pig, 208 S. First St., 996-8555.
Flamenco, Jazz, Tap The Dance Theater Studio, 711 North University, offers lessons in some of the world's less traditional dance styles. 995-4242.
Swing and Latin The U Club offers swing dancing lessons Wednesdays at the Michigan Union. Call 764-1342.
Waltz, Rumba, Fox Trot and Country Go Dancing, located at 5060 Jackson Rd., offers a variety of lessons. 994-4600.
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