Volunteer Report

DanceFest 2016--Why I’m Excited, and You Should Be Too

By Kaylee Anderson

I might be a little biased considering DanceFest is where I made my initial debut, but the yearly collegiate competition hosted by the University Of Minnesota's Ballroom Dance Club is certainly nothing to sneeze at. It seems like a century ago that I first shuffled onto the floor of Dancer's Studio, avoiding eye contact with audience members and trying desperately to smile at the judges in hopes of better marks. Despite the initial terror, I managed to make callbacks in every dance—a feat I never dreamed of accomplishing, what with my unfortunate history of failure when it comes to anything competitive. My parents were blown away too—they never expected that I would be involved with such an extravagant event and simultaneously find success in my first attempts. The glee I felt running from one ballroom to the next in my newly-fashioned ballroom attire is still memorable to me, and the smiles of my teammates were what really kept me going. Everyone was so encouraging, and thankfully that is a facet of our team that has been growing steadily throughout the year.

I haven't been on the competition team for all that long in comparison to others. I'm just now completing my first year, but thanks to the time I spent as a club member ballroom has been a part of my life for the entirety of my college career. By no means am I an expert, but I do have more wisdom to impart than before as well as a mouth that refuses to shut. That's why whenever someone asks for help, I'm always game to try. Because of that, I've really been able to get to know some of the newer members of the competition team and see how they've progressed in just a few short weeks. It's amazing the amount of knowledge that they can soak up from the lessons we blaze through in a matter of hours. The mentoring others did for me when I joined mid-season was immensely helpful and really set my mind at ease when I saw them cheering for me at my first DanceFest, and that's why I am so excited for March to come.

I want to watch the grinning faces of our ballroom newbies as they drive across the floor with more power than before. The newer leads especially have made large strides in terms of progress. So many of them came in with half a week of club lessons under their belt and still managed to make their way into the finals in their first competition ever. It's insane what they've managed to glean, and the fact that they can still smile even with their brains racing a mile a minute is fascinating. I couldn't pat my head and rub my stomach simultaneously if my life depended on it.

The follows, too, have done incredible work. So many are accepted to the team after semesters of trying, and some feel as though they know more than they think they do—I can say that because I was one of them before competition team lessons started. But slowly, follows start to learn that if they back-lead everything, it makes for a pretty boring dance. Even with the focus more concentrated on leads during many of the lessons, they still can figure out their own footwork, arm styling, and expressions with little effort.

Like a proud parent, what I'm most excited for at this year's DanceFest is to see our newer members accomplish things they never dreamed of when they were first accepted onto the team. Callback, finals, scholarships, the whole nine yards: the world is their oyster when they have as much motivation as they do. I think DanceFest is as successful as it is because of the amazing support system that acts as its backbone. Yes, there's the music, there's the venue, but without the people, there's no party. I can't wait to cheer on my teammates and all of the aspiring mixed-proficiency dancers who will be there come March. I can say for certain that it will be even bigger and better than before with the St. Paul Union Depot in our arsenal.