First rule of dancing: The boys are there to make the girls look pretty.
So said Courtney Nelson, promotions officer for the University’s Oregon Ballroom Dance Club.
“Girls should feel pretty when they dance,” she said.
Every Friday night, couples and singles – students and community members alike – flock to Gerlinger Hall for dancing.
“This is the most people I’ve seen here for a while,” said regular Chantel Bunkers, looking around at the full room.
“(Newcomers) are usually very nervous about it,” Nelson said. “We don’t care if you can’t dance as long as you’re having fun. With dancing you learn how to catch yourself before you fall. Clumsy people don’t have to worry.”
“(Dance) is good for the self-esteem,” said Kirby Fling, the club’s music director. “They come to dancing, do it for a year and are totally different people.”
However, there are several new concepts to learn that don’t include the feet.
“I always have to lecture to the gentlemen,” Fling said. “(Dancing) is a different form of masculinity.”
He said that because of our culture and the media, men often have a difficult time getting into dance, especially when they are expected to take on the task of leading.
“The lead has a much higher level of responsibility,” Fling said. “The only way to get good at it is time. I’m always encouraging the guys at the beginning, ‘You have to come every week and you have to stick with it. In six months you’ll be awesome.’”
For many students the dance club provides a welcome relief from studies and the rest of college life.
“I think students need a time to relax and get away from things,” said Denise Steele, the local dance instructor who led the Oct. 5 lesson. “Dance is a lifetime healthy habit, and it’s a social exercise. Also, it’s fun!”
“I liked it a lot,” said freshman Brittany Farrell, who attended the lesson and stayed around for the free dance. “As a freshman, I’m trying to experience everything.”
“We used to be a dance culture … and then it kind of went away,” Steele said. “I think people are hungry to be social. Dance is a joyful, wholesome way to be in a social setting and I think it is very important for the students and the community.”
Dancing has more than just social benefits, said Ben Douglas, the University’s medical director
“When people come to college, one of the things that tends to happen is that they aren’t as active as when they were in high school,” he said. “We’ve all heard of the ‘Freshman 15’ or the ‘Sophomore Spread’. It is beneficial to stay active. With students in particular, they often spend so much time concentrating on studies that the rest of the body is ignored.”
Merely concentrating on a single aspect of exercise, however, won’t really help. A good exercise regime should include some aerobics, but the point of exercising isn’t to be completely worn out at the end, Douglas said.
“One thing that I always try to remind people of is that exercise doesn’t have to be exhausting,” Douglas said. “You don’t have to train for a marathon…just do something as simple as going for a walk after dinner. If you can incorporate exercise into activities that are also more social, that’s good. Dancing is a great combination. It’s ideal.”
“What’s so great about ballroom dancing is that it’s this whole other form of communication between human beings,” Fling said. “It’s all unspoken, and it taps into something. It makes you more aware of what’s around you.”
In addition to just showing up on Friday nights, students should also bring comfortable shoes that won’t fall off.
“Leather soles are best if you have them,” Nelson said. “All shoes need to have non-marking soles. No stilettos! You can mess up your legs and hurt yourself.”
Nelson said that in addition to attending the Friday night dances, it is helpful to take outside dance classes. There are many opportunities within the University and around Eugene.