A Little Ballroom Sociology

By Alejandra Narvaez

"What’s ballroom?" Ever wonder what people think about you? Therein lies a social marker, label, identity which others use as foundational knowledge to understand why you even exist.
Although another’s perception of ballroom might be that we only eat spinach, we as ballroom dancers have the ability to change that perception. Others determine who you are based on their conglomerate of knowledge and experiences. Everyone uses these shortcuts to try to blueprint the identity of who we meet, so as not to repeatedly encounter the unknown---which is exhausting---and it becomes part of how we see others’ place in our world.

Ballroom represents a rich and significant addition to my ever-developing cultural identity in America. It has given me the ability to express myself and my emotions in an overwhelmingly meaningful way, something that I never had the ability to do previously. This rare social marker is achieved by hard work, sweat, and blood. Ballroom charmingly shows that failure is okay in the beginning, and has helped me face the realism that things may have to be done wrong before they can approach a moderately-acceptable level.

I have no idea how I ended up here… a ballroom dancer. I wasn’t even allowed to sing in the shower much less make physical contact with the opposite gender. Although ballroom may tell you nothing in regards to where I was born into the world in a social, cultural, or economic context, it tells you what I have built for myself. Ballroom tells you about my love for the discovery of what we are capable of, my love of seeing others smile, and that I work hard to reap what I sow. Aspects unique to each of us unify our team at the University of Minnesota, and this was only a little bit about my own experiences.

So, what is ballroom to you?