Large turnout for opening ball

Friedhoff Hall was filled to the brim on Saturday, Sept. 5th with people dancing.

The Opening Dance Ball was the first event of the semester held by the Colorado School of Mines Ballroom Dance Club. Their inaugural event began at 7 p.m. with an hour of waltz and swing dance lessons for people new to ballroom dancing. The incredible group of individuals that run and are members of the Ballroom Dance Club did an excellent job teaching the beginners some basics of both the waltz and some swing dancing.

“It was awesome learning some new types of dancing and I had a great time dancing, even if it did get a little hot,” said Jenny, a junior here at Mines.

By 8 p.m., the free dancing had begun. The Ballroom Dance Club’s great turnout to Friedhoff Hall saw everyone having a blast, dancing in all kinds of styles and skills levels.

“I kinda recommend going to the first hour, for the lessons, so that you kind of look like you know what you are doing. I didn’t.” Levi, a Mines student, said.

There was a record turn out for this event which put a smile on everyone’s faces because it meant more dance partners and generally more fun. The event drew out some members of the local community who also decided to spend the night dancing. There was every kind of music: from traditional swing music to country music to popular songs heard on the radio. No matter the song, there were people swinging, spinning and swaying to the music.

One student, Katie, said, “I don’t really know how to dance but it was still a lot of fun!”

For anyone who might have missed out, there will be several other events just like this put on by the Ballroom Dance Club later in the semester. Before then, however, the Ballroom Dance Club also has weekly dance lessons for swing dance, tango, waltz and blues dancing. Tango and blues lessons are on Wednesdays in the McNeil Room in the Student Rec Center at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., respectively. Waltz and swing dance lessons will be held on Fridays in Friedhoff Hall, at 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., respectively.

If anyone is interested in getting a little more serious, there are two official dance teams on campus. The Waltz team is Perpetual Motion and the swing team is the Slide Rulers and they are always looking for more members. If you are looking for something fun to get involved with and want to learn some impressive dance moves, look into signing up for one of these great teams.

For any questions or more information on how to get involved, email minesballroom@gmail.com.