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Dust off your dance shoes and spice up your weekends
By Joelle Andrews ’06
STAFF WRITER

Have you ever found yourself listening to the radio and suddenly feeling an urge to get up and move? At times, moving might involve a spaz-out session with the friends. At other times, it involves dressing up, going to a club and doing the proverbial “shake what your momma gave you” routine. But for some people, moving to the music involves even more.

For these people, dancing combines structure and freedom, fun and formality. Like a great jazz pianist, the great dancer knows her steps, but also knows how to emanate her unique personality. Every taste is accommodated with the many styles of dance. There are choreographed hip-hop dances, country western line dancing, elegant ballroom dancing, and stylish social dancing.

Turn on the television these days and chances are you’ll find something dance related: Dancing with the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, and, most recently, Ballroom Bootcamp every Friday night at 10 p.m. on TLC. It causes one to ask, why the sudden surge of interest in dancing?

But did dancing ever go away? Men and women have been expressing themselves through arranged movements for as long as anyone can remember – or at least as long as there has been the need for first dances at weddings. Partner dances have a particular appeal because they are capable of bringing two people together as close as is socially acceptable in public. These dances can be beautiful, sexy or flirtatious, whatever the couple chooses to make of their time together.

There are several styles of partner dancing within ballroom and Latin dancing, including the ever-popular waltz, foxtrot and cha cha. There are also dance styles that have evolved over time, and are mostly found at clubs. These social dances include swing and salsa. Swing saw a resurgence in the mid-1990s. If it can indeed be called a revival, salsa is seeing its time now.

Professor Lynn Rainville, who has been salsa dancing for two to three years, thinks it is becoming popular because it is so easy to learn. “Salsa’s just kind of like marching in place,” she said. “It’s not like rocket science.”

Many clubs offer Latin dance nights where the music is predominantly salsa, merengue, bachata and reggaeton. These musical styles appeal to the Latino population, which, in our area, is large and growing. They also appeal to the social dancer. When the music mix is heavy with salsa, the salseros often come out in force. There is usually a sense of community among these dancers because they always are at the same places with one another. Dancing is an excellent way to make friends and socialize with people you might never meet otherwise. It causes what usually creates walls, such as age and status, to dissolve. The age group typically ranges from college students to people in their 50s and 60s.

Richmond and D.C. are both cities with thriving dance communities and clubs for social dancing. In Richmond a venue called The Matrix has recently opened up. Latin Night is every Thursday from 8:30 p.m.-2 a.m. and has a cover charge of $10.

Closer to home, dancing can also be found in Charlottesville. Every Sunday night at 8 p.m. at the Outback Lodge, the Charlottesville Salsa Club offers a beginner salsa lesson and dancing until midnight. Every other Thursday, there is a salsa dancing lesson on the UVA Corner at the Satellite Ballroom beginning at 8 p.m. Check the calendar at www.satelliteballroom.com for dates. The Outback Lodge charges $5 admission, and the Satellite Ballroom is $6 for those over 21, or $8 for those under.

Maybe you have never considered social dancing before. Or maybe you have, but were too intimidated to give it a try. We all have our favorite kinds of rhythms and ways of expressing ourselves. With a little exploration, you might be surprised to discover what kinds of music and movements inspire you. The next time you find yourself tapping your foot to a beat, take the opportunity to learn how to move the rest of your body. Get out and dance!