The Mississippi State University Ballroom Dance Club will hold ballroom dance classes again this semester.
According to the school’s website, the Ballroom Dance Club was founded in 2004 by students and faculty who wanted to come together and form a ballroom dance club at MSU. The classes began in the spring of 2005 after a club constitution and bylaws were adopted. It has remained continually active every year since.
The dance classes are held at the Joe Frank Sanderson Center, Studio A at 4 p.m., 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. every Sunday. There will also be an open dance that follows at 7 p.m.
The classes are mostly taught by student teachers who are members of the Ballroom Dance Club. The classes are free and anyone can participate. No previous experience is required.
For those that want to become a member of the Ballroom Dance Club, all it takes is coming to a class and signing in.
A mixture of dances are taught at the classes, including Waltz, Foxtrot, Cha Cha, Salsa, Swing and more.
Dr. Ginger Pizer, faculty advisor for the Ballroom Dance Club, said the students in the club are involved with events both on and off campus.
“The club has a Halloween dance every fall and the formal Moonlight Ball every spring,” Pizer said, “and we also provide the teachers for Salsa in the Streets in the fall, and lots of our dancers enjoy dancing there.”
The students also take advantage of events run by the Tupelo Ballroom Dance Club and the Dance Studio, also in Tupelo.
Some students attend collegiate ballroom dance competitions, but it is not required that those taking the classes compete. There are those who simply go to the classes for social dancing and those who like both.
Dr. Pizer said the main thing is that the classes are fun, and the goal is to provide a way for those in the MSU community to learn, practice and enjoy ballroom dancing.
“Ballroom dancing is a great combination of physical activity, social interaction, and artistic expression, and different people come to it for each of those reasons,” Pizer said. “I started dancing ballroom with my own college club, and I’m still dancing and learning more, so I can speak to the fact that it’s something you can do and enjoy for years to come.”
Those who are interested in the classes or joining the club can find the most up-to-date information via the club’s Facebook group, ‘Mississippi State University Ballroom Dance Club.’
