When many think of "dancing" in college, what might come to mind is grinding in a hot, sweaty fraternity basement. But for students on the Tufts Ballroom Dance Team, dancing means perfecting their technique and showing off their skills in competitions.
Tufts' ballroom program was established in 1995 as a team but now caters to more than just competitive dancers. It is currently separated into two components: the Tufts Ballroom Dance Team and the Tufts Ballroom Dance Club. The team dances competitively throughout New England and New York and attends two lessons per week taught by professional instructors. The club, on the other hand, meets weekly and is open to anyone who wants to have fun and learn ballroom basics from team members.
Ballroom dances are divided into four categories, and each category is then further demarcated into two similar pairs. Smooth and standard categories include dances like waltzes, foxtrots and tangos. Latin and rhythm categories include dances such as the cha−cha and the rumba.
Sophomore and ballroom team captain Alex Freedman explained that most students join ballroom with little−to−no prior experience. He said that many newcomers are interested in the team because it is an alternative physical activity.
"It's a great option if you aren't a varsity athlete but still want to stay active," Freedman said.
For a newcomer's first two competitions, the captains choose a partner with whom they will dance. After they've completed those two competitions, it is up to them to choose a partner.
"Over the first semester, most people dance with more than one partner to see if there's someone they connect well with." Freedman said. He himself ended up gravitating toward sophomore and fellow ballroom captain Dana Burton, who had no ballroom experience upon coming to Tufts but had spent 10 years tap dancing.
Dancers can compete at a variety of levels. Beginners start at the newcomer level and then move up to the bronze level after a semester of dancing. The newcomer and bronze levels are based solely on how long someone has been competing.
After another semester, dancers can move up to the third, or silver, level. In order for dancers to progress beyond the silver level, they must attain certain skills and earn points in competition. When they reach the gold level and eventually the open level (the highest one), they receive subsidized private lessons. The main instructor for the ballroom team is Mark Nocera, who travels to Tufts from a studio in Woburn to instruct ballroom team members.
Senior Vicki Gilbert has moved up to the open level during her time at Tufts after joining the team as a novice. As a pair moves up in level, more moves become available to them to use in competition; at the open level, there are not really any limits.
"It's like getting up to the major leagues," Gilbert said.
After reaching a more serious level like silver, dancers begin to specialize in a certain category of dance. Before that, most dancers compete in all of the dances in order to decide what style best suits them.
"When you want to be good, it's tough to do all four styles," Gilbert said.
In order to be noticed by the judges, ballroom dancers must conform to a mandatory costume. Men usually wear black pants, a dress shirt, a tie and occasionally a vest. Women performing in smooth and standard dances wear elegant, flowing dresses, and those in Latin and rhythm dances tend to wear dresses that show more skin. Attire for both genders can involve tassels, sequins and ruffles. As pairs move into higher levels of competition, it can be beneficial to have a good deal of makeup, stylish hair and even a fake tan.
Last Saturday, Tufts Ballroom hosted its eighth annual ballroom competition. Seventeen schools and studios were represented at the competition, a lower number than in the past. Burton said that while the team was disappointed with the number of schools who sent teams, the event was a success.
"Overall, the competition went really well," Burton said.
Though most dancers represent their colleges, some competitors come from independent studios. Burton felt that there was not a noticeable difference between dancers from schools and dancers from studios. She attributed a pair's dancing quality to the amount of time they spend practicing, rather than where they practice.
The next regional ballroom competition, the 2010 MIT Open, will take place this weekend. Considered one of the biggest collegiate ballroom competitions of the year, competitors come from as far away as Texas and California. An open dance that might typically feature six competing couples at other competitions will probably have around 25 couples at the MIT event.
One of the ballroom team's biggest goals for the future is to have a greater presence on Tufts campus.
"Ballroom wouldn't be the first group mentioned if you asked someone about dancing at Tufts, but people do really think it's cool," Burton said.
Freedman agreed. "Ballroom fills a unique niche in the Tufts community," he said.
Gilbert's partner, junior Zach Bordonaro, has been very involved with improving the visibility of the team on campus. "[The] biggest recruitment endeavor is the orientation show at the beginning of every year, where members of the team demo some of the different dances that we learn." Bordonaro said in an e−mail to the Daily.
On Thursday from 1:15 to 2 p.m. and on Friday from 12:30 to 1:15 p.m., the ballroom team will host an event on the library roof for April Open House. The team's members will instruct and dance in order to promote the group to accepted students and to Tufts students in general.
"I want to show people the continuing relevance of ballroom and Latin dancing and to showcase the talent of our team to our friends on campus," Bordonaro said.
