Students Learn Ballroom Dances

Stepping Up Their Dancing Skills

Students learn the rumba earlier this month.

Six More Free Lessons Begin Wednesday

By Sam Silverbrand, staff reporter

For the past six Wednesdays at Sturgis East approximately 40 students have participated in a ballroom dance program sponsored by the Cape Cod Ballroom Dance Association. Room 204 was transformed into a ballroom after school as the students learned how to hustle, swing, rumba, salsa, and merengue, all free of charge.

“I thought it was so much fun to learn so many dances which were so different,” said sophomore Emma Brimdyr. “There were fast ones, and more slow ones, complicated and easy, but all were learnable. I’m so glad I was able to do it, it was the highlight of my day.”

Sophomore Dean Smith concurred: “It wasn’t hard to do, and even easier to learn. I plan on going to the next set of classes.”

Smith’s in luck. The first lesson of the next series workshops begins Wednesday. Recently the Dance Association approved funding to continue the lessons for an additional six weeks.

Advisor for the program, Denise Hyer, is thrilled that the pilot program is being offered to Sturgis East students by the dance association: “So many unexpected benefits can be gained from ballroom dancing. Students learn that dancing together in a more “formal” style can be fun, not to mention great exercise. They build confidence in their social interaction, and dancing is a great tool for athletes to help with balance and control in movement.”

During the first three lessons hustle and swing were taught by dance instructor Debbie Israel. In the last three classes of the workshop, students learned Latin dances; merengue, salsa, and rumba taught by dance instructor Ellen Brodsky.

“For Latin dance, I started with the meringue,” said Brodsky. “This easy dance from the Dominican Republic got kids going right away. Later the students would move on to learn the American rumba, and the salsa. “We went on to a Latin ‘diamond’ step used for International rumba as danced by college competition ballroom teams. When I played faster music, the same step becomes the basis for salsa.”

Extending the program for another six workshops gives students another opportunity to learn new dances, improve their dance and social skills, earn CAS credit, or just have fun.