Some University students do not settle for popular, generic dance moves party-goers generally show off weekend nights. Some University students - members of the Salsa Club, to be specific - choose to bring their own styles of dancing to some unlikely venues.
"I have definitely salsa-ed at some fraternity date functions," Salsa Club President Leise Hook said.
The group, which meets Mondays from 8 to 9 p.m. for beginners and 9 to 10 p.m. for intermediates in the Student Activities Building, provides a casual outlet for students seeking to meet new people from all corners of Grounds, while also brushing up on those Latin dance moves. During each meeting, the group goes through the various steps, and at the end of each semester, members of the group put on a showcase for the University community.
The club's most recent showcase - "A Night of Dancing: Bajo Las Estrellas" - occurred this past weekend, with showings Friday and Saturday night in Minor Hall. The entire show, which comprised of 11 performances by the members, along with guest performances from New York Style Salsa Club and the Ballroom Dance Club, was choreographed entirely by the students.
The popularity of salsa-style dancing is seen through the great number of members who join Salsa Club at the beginning of each semester. Hook explained that in August, Salsa Club starts out with several hundred members, but through the semester, the numbers dwindles down to about 100 people showing up to practice each Monday.
"Salsa just has that sexy element that makes it appealing for [the] college-age," said Teresa Sikes, the club's incoming artistic director.
Although Hook, who was first introduced to salsa when she was a student in high school, already had a dancing background before coming to the University, most Salsa Club members come to their first practices with little or no experience, she said.
To accommodate these different skill levels, Hook said Salsa Club splits the members into several different groups, but at the end of each Monday night practice, the groups come together and rotate partners to help beginners learn from the more advanced dancers.
"If you don't know what you're doing, it's really beneficial to dance with someone who does," Sikes said.
In the past, the majority of the members who show up every week are typically girls. This has proved to be a useful selling tool for attracting more male members, Hook said, who often join to meet dancers of the opposite sex. Recently, though, some practices have drawn more male dancers than females - a problem the club has never before faced.
The group provides a dynamic way to meet other students, as each person dances with as many as 20 other partners at every practice, Hook said. Each group rotates both among themselves and within the entire group. No one dances with the same partner the entire night.
The partner element of salsa also helps build friendships among students from different years. Hook said she decided to increase her involvement after she participated in a rueda circle with the then-president of Salsa Club as well as a few third- and fourth-year students who befriended her.
"[I try to] reach out to first- and second-years the way I was reached out to," she said.
In addition, Sikes said most of the more experienced dancers and instructors are female. This division goes against natural salsa dancing, where the men lead and the women follow.
"We don't have many guys who are interested in learning to follow," Hook said.
Therefore, the female instructors have to master the lead footsteps in salsa to teach the males the proper technique.
Students of all years are eligible to become instructors, who guide attendees through the proper form of each move. Originally, instructors were appointed by the president of the club. But this year, Hook opted to hold instructor tryouts, with the hopeful instructors teaching a new dance move to a beginner, she said.
Although the lessons are initially centered on pattern-based dancing, dancers soon discover that salsa allows for a lot of personal style and interpretation.
"Everyone has their own style ... You can spice it up however you want," Salsa Club Treasurer-elect Kalli Mayton explained.
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