Dancesport attracts all types of dance enthusiasts

The doors open, the lights turn on and the glare on the floor resembles gold. One young man walks in wearing designer jeans and his hat tilts to the right. Another young man walks in wearing old track pants and a high school T-shirt. A young woman walks in wearing baby pink velour pants and her hair is in a tight bun below her ears. IU Dancesport brings this diverse group together with a little tango music. \nIU Dancesport is also known as the IU Ballroom Dance Club, according to the club's Web site, www.iub.edu/~dance. Dancesport gives all students and alumni the opportunity to learn ballroom dancing, ranging from the standard fox trot and waltz to Latin favorites like the cha-cha and samba. The club is divided into two separate groups, the competitive team and the social club.\nThe competitive team is composed of about 30 members who practice with assigned partners preparing for the next competition, said member Megan Gold.\n"There are different levels of our team: newcomer, bronze, silver and gold," Gold said. "It depends how long you have been dancing."\nLast semester, Dancesport competed at nationals at the University of Michigan. Freshman member Elisa Hunter said the group was very pleased with its performance. \n"Seven people were national finalists," Hunter said. "But two of our best dancers, Joe Ehlers and Jasmin Quasniczka, got Gold Nationals and placed first in the Midwest Regional Championship."\nShe said being a member of the competitive Dancesport team is a big commitment but the competitive nature of the club and team camaraderie makes it worth it.\nThe Social Club is much more laid back and open to anyone who wants to learn different types of ballroom dancing but has no previous experience, said Public Relations Director and sophomore Manuel Jose. Wednesday night dance parties are devoted to introducing newcomers to the art of ballroom dancing, as they are able to learn from the existing members in a fun and friendly environment, Jose said. \n"It's basically our 'release day'," he said. "We dance to everything: merengue, salsa, tango and it is far more laid back." \nJose said the club welcomes anyone who is interested and hopes to continue increasing membership, especially the male attendance. Neither the competitive nor the social team requires a try-out. \n"We would never cut anyone from the team, and we pair couples up according to their height," he said.\nMore than 300 students and friends came to the IU Dancesport Fall call-out meeting, according to the Web site. For students who might be interested, most of the current members first enroll in Ballroom and Social Dance, a class offered through the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation.\nIU Dancesport is currently preparing for its next competition, the Arnold DanceSport Classic, which takes place this weekend in Columbus, Ohio.