Volunteer Spotlight

Rosemary O'Connell

By Rosemary O'Connell

When I was heading off to college, my sister gave me a piece of advice that set me on a new direction in life. She recommended that I take a social dance class to satisfy the physical education requirement at Carleton College. As someone who had only ever danced in the privacy of my bedroom with the door closed, but was also not athletic and had no idea how to satisfy the PE requirement, I was uncertain. I ended up deciding to go to the social dance club to try it out, with the primary objective of getting to spend time with my sister, who was a senior at the time. As it turned out, she ended up being too busy with classes to dance and I basically never saw her, but I found it fun and signed up for the course the next term.

By the end of that winter, I was well on my way to being addicted to ballroom dancing. I taught many of my friends as much as I could in the few days leading up to Carleton's Midwinter Ball, which featured a live big band, and joined the newly formed competitive team in the spring. I was dancing at every opportunity and learning as much as possible, a fact for which I was grateful at the end of the school year, when the team's leader transferred to a different school.

After spending the following fall abroad, I had a decision to make. My devotion had resulted in me being one of the most knowledgeable dancers at Carleton, at a time when there was no outside instruction. There were few people who could teach me, and none who were skilled at technique. I could settle for what I had already accomplished, or I could continue to learn by teaching. This was not a difficult decision, and I dove right into a leadership role, restarting the competitive team as its captain. I spent my remaining years at Carleton working to improve not only my own dancing but that of the entire community by helping to bring in professional instruction and increasing the size of the team.

After graduating from Carleton, I headed off to the University of Minnesota for graduate school determined to continue dancing. I tried out for and made the competition team and immediately saw ways to help the team as a result of my experiences at Carleton. Within several months I was on the officer board as secretary and had the unofficial role of team videographer, which I had taken on while at Carleton as well. Videos served multiple purposes, allowing friends and family to see one's accomplishments and dancers to critique themselves and make improvements.

With six years in total of graduate school on my way to a PhD in math, I had a lot of time to help with the University of Minnesota team. For the last five years, I continued being in charge of videos and served as the travel coordinator, taking care of reserving hotels and coach buses as well as managing registration for all competitions. As part of this, I provided continuity to the team. With my many years of experience as both a dancer and officer, I could guide new officers and help them avoid following ineffective paths, in addition to providing informal coaching for the team.

During my time at the University of Minnesota, I became involved with MN Ballroom Blast and U Dance Fest. Initially, I was just a general volunteer, helping with packet stuffing and setting up and tearing down the events. I soon added the role of food and beverage coordinator, managing the order and sales of food at the events. However, this role never fit what I wanted to do, which was more directly help dancers at the event. When the position of registrar became available, I jumped at the chance to help out in that role. It fit in nicely with my experience as travel coordinator and gave me the ability to help others with a necessary part of the process.

I hope to continue to have the opportunity to help make MN Ballroom Blast and U Dance Fest amazing experiences for every attendee, whether competitor, spectator, or fellow volunteer.

Joel Torgeson

By Joel Torgeson

Joel is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, and spends his time working, dancing, and helping new dancers find their way into the community. He is most active in his support of local events like Minnesota Ballroom Blast and Dance Fest, authorship of the 'Gaining Perspective' column here in Sheer Dance, participation in the Dancers Studio community, and board membership in U Partner Dance. He looks forward to seeing you out on the floor!