Volunteer Report

Meet Craig Hagensick

By Mary Beth Beckman

If you've been to a Twin Cities amateur dance competition in the last several years, odds are high you've run into Craig Hagensick at the front desk. In addition to my duties as editor, the last few years I've been registrar for Star of the North DanceSport Classic, Minnesota Ballroom Blast, and Dance Fest, and every year, I've shared the registration table with Craig.

This year is no different. As I write this, I'm sitting at the front desk at Blast with Craig to my left, busy taking money from spectators and stamping hands. This month, I wanted to dedicate our volunteer report to Craig, who has been an important fixture and active volunteer in the amateur dance community for the past seven years.

Craig has been involved in amateur ballroom dancing ever since he partnered with his wife, Joyce, over ten years ago. Joyce once mentioned in passing that she wanted to learn ballroom dance, and five years later, as Craig was driving past Dancers Studio, he remembered this comment and bought Joyce a lesson package for Christmas. Since then, they've been hooked.

Not long after, Craig learned about competitive amateur dancing and competed at Star of the North. He was already volunteering at USA Dance monthly dances, but after being invited to be on the board (he served as treasurer for two years), he made being the face of the monthly dances—greeting dancers and running the cash box—a monthly commitment, never missing more than one dance a year.

Craig makes time for volunteering because he enjoys seeing the dance community flourish and be effective. When asked why he devotes so much to volunteering, he said, "Someone has to do it."

His favorite dance style at the moment is American rhythm, and he loves the excitement of amateur dance competitions. His attitude towards the dance community is that it is full of genuine, honest, good people who just want to dance, and he enjoys making it easier for people to get out there, dance, and have fun.

When he's not dancing, Craig is an avid runner and loves spending time with his dogs.