Review: A cowboy boot cha-cha and ballet performed to Conan Gray, USU’s Social & Ballroom Dance and Ballet recital

While many people my age were gearing up to see if Robert and Whitney stayed in the next episode of “Dancing with the Stars,” I had the opportunity to attend a ballet and ballroom recital performed by my peers. I was excited for the opportunity, not only because it was my first time seeing my friend Ella dance, but also because it gave me the chance to be a part of the campus community in a way that I hadn’t before.  

I wasn’t sure what I was getting into, but boy was I in for a treat. Growing up, I didn’t have a lot of exposure to dance like this. I saw a lot of line dances — my favorite being “Any Man of Mine” by Shania Twain — and clogged when I was really young, but this was one of my first real forays into the world of dance. The students in ballet and social & ballroom dance didn’t disappoint for my first recital.  

Right off the bat, I was surprised by the way the ballroom dances worked. It never occurred to me the dances wouldn’t be choreographed to a specific song but rather the students would practice the skills to a variety of different songs. My favorite example of this was watching the Ballroom II class tango to “Toxic” by Britney Spears.  

Besides the wide variety of genres in music, there were other things I was surprised to see. The Ballroom I dances were each done first to one song, and then judges would go up and tap a few couples on the shoulder, meaning they were supposed to come back for another round.  

After the second round, the dancers were narrowed down to three couples. At the end of the dance, the couples came forward and were handed a certificate indicating which place they had ranked. I would have liked the award to be a Mirrorball Trophy — maybe I’ll talk to the university about providing one of those next time. 

I think my favorite part of the ballroom portion was seeing what outfits each individual had chosen to wear. There were long flowy skirts, cool sneakers, patterned vests and ties — and it wouldn’t be an Aggie event without a pair of cowboy boots. The cha-cha I watched at this recital was possibly the first one I’ve ever seen done in a pair! 

I’ve always thought ballerinas were cool. Ask me about the anesthesiologist who put me under for my wisdom teeth removal — she had a skeleton ballerina tattoo, and it was all I could talk about until I wasn’t so loopy anymore. It was awesome to see ballet students from the PE 1705 classes show off what they had been working on all semester. 

Unlike some of the ballroom dances, these performances seemed to be done to songs and had already been choreographed, rather than freestyling it. I again thought the wide variety of music that was utilized in these performances was impressive — songs ranged from the classical kind of music that I picture when I think of ballet to songs you will often find me listening and singing along to in the car, like “Eleven Eleven” by Conan Gray and “How to disappear” by Lana Del Rey. My only wish was that these ballet performances could’ve been longer.  

It intrigued me that many of the numbers performed by students in the Ballet II class were self-choreographed. I didn’t expect to see students taking such an active role in something for a one-credit PE class, but it was more meaningful for me watching these dances knowing my peers had poured time and effort into the choreography. Many of these dances were duets, and it was mesmerizing to watch how each of the dancers interacted with each other, their steps and themselves.  

If I had to take one thing from this experience, it’s this: Getting involved on campus doesn’t have to look like starting a new club or going on a study abroad trip to Europe. You don’t have to stand on stage and sing karaoke or dress up in a costume. Involvement can simply look like popping over to the HPER for a ballet and ballroom dance recital performed by students who took a class on the topic and are passionate about it. As we go into the next semester, think about how you can show up in little ways to make yourself part of a community who cares about you.