Beyond the Fancy Footwork

What Else Ballroom Dance Has Given Me

By Tijen Petersen

My partner, Joel Torgeson, and I started dancing with each other two and a half years ago on the University of Minnesota’s Ballroom Dance Competition Team. Less than a week into the school year, Joel asked me to be his partner, and we've been dancing and competing as both collegiate and amateur dancers ever since.

I grew up dancing everything from ballet to hip-hop, all styles where you progressed at an individual rate. I had complete control over how much I wanted to put into my dancing and how much I improved throughout the years. Of course, we performed in groups and practiced as a class, but improvement was on an individual basis.

Once I joined the ballroom community in college, I quickly realized that ballroom dancing is not an individual sport. Working in a partnership comes with a set of new challenges. Your improvement is dependent on the dedication and effort of both you and your partner, instead of just yourself. Individual learning styles have to be compromised in order to obtain the most efficient learning style between the two of you. On the logistical front, you are working around two incredibly busy and different schedules to find time to practice.

Working in a partnership of course also comes with a huge list of positives. Joel and I have gotten to know each other’s quirks, interests, and passions, after spending countless hours each week practicing with each other, and traveling around the country together for competitions. I have become more patient, and understanding in our partnership, and I've developed an incredibly deep sense of thankfulness for the time people have put into our team that has allowed me to dance everyday.

After our third Dance Fest competition together, Joel and I have been able to look back and see all of the progress we have made throughout our three years as a team. We are certainly proud of all that we have done, but we never stop looking forward and trying to improve our dancing. We are excited to attend our first USA Dance National Championship Competition in Baltimore, Maryland, this year and lay out a new set of goals for future competitions.

In our partnership, we have discovered there is something uniquely beautiful about setting a common goal, and putting that above all that comes your way. We now know that ballroom is more than learning the steps. It’s about understanding, patience, trust, support, creative expression, working as a team, and ultimately, having fun.