Attendees of Hofstra University’s Turkey Foxtrot event were in for a night full of fall themed dancing, dinner and dance lessons. The event was hosted by Hofstra Ballroom and Latin Dance on Tuesday, Nov. 11.
The evening opened with a free dinner for all those in attendance. The dinner included rice, empanadas and chicken fajitas. Dessert was also served, featuring two different cakes, cookies and brownies.
After dinner, the showcases of group members and their dances began. There were five showcases that highlighted dance partners that have worked together throughout the semester.
Team-by-team they were given the opportunity to perform in front of the audience. During each performance there were loud cheers of encouragement from the crowd. A variety of dances were performed including tango, swing and even a chicken dance.
Amber Sun, a senior pre-medical studies major, performed a swing dance during the showcase. Sun emphasized the club’s community and willingness to work with anyone regardless of experience as main reasons to join the club.
“I felt it was such a strong community that it’s able to help everyone learn dance and get into dance,” Sun said. “Even if you’re not someone with a dance background.”
She also spoke about the importance of hosting the Turkey Foxtrot event.
“Most of the time we just practice,” Sun said. “So it’s nice to have something where we get together … it really helps celebrate this club.”
Accompanying Sun during their showcase was her dance partner, Mika Freitor, a junior education major. Freitor is the vice president of Hofstra Ballroom and Latin Dance.
Freitor provided context for their showcase performance and why the pair chose to perform a swing style dance.
“Swing has been my favorite [style], and I think it has the most fun moves,” Freitor said. “We wanted to choose something that we really like doing but also something that the audience would really enjoy.”
“I’m somebody who really needs something to be very committed to and something that really pushes me, and ballroom is that thing,” Freitor said when describing why she became very involved in the club.
Freitor laid out the work the club does to prepare for competitions.
“We try to practice every day, we try to run every dance and iron out any kinks,” Freitor said.
When it comes to competitions themselves, Freitor described them as a lot of fun. Additionally, Freitor spoke about how competitions have brought together the dance community on a much larger scale.
“I meet so many different people from different schools and we all support and cheer for each other,” Freitor said. “You get to see all of these people who have been working equally as hard as you have.”
Katrina Wiegmann, a senior bioengineering major and the president of Hofstra Ballroom and Latin Dance, spoke about the club as a whole.
“It’s so much more than dance,” Wiegmann said. “It’s the incredible community that we foster.”
In terms of coordination of the event, Wiegmann spoke about the logistics of putting on the Turkey Foxtrot.
“It’s a lot of paperwork, but I’d do it all happily again,” Wiegmann said. “And I felt we put together a really great event.”
When addressing students considering joining the club, she called it the best decision she has made in college.
“It brought me to some of the most incredible people I’ve ever met, and it gave me a sense of community and belonging,” Wiegmann said.
The final part of the evening included dance lessons. Spectators rose from their chairs and joined in on the dance performances. No dancing experience was necessary, and the lessons were taught by experienced dancers from the club.
Everyone found a dance partner and followed the steps of a specific dance. Once the initial steps were given, participants were allowed to begin dancing.
People were able to go at their own pace, and experienced dancers were around to assist anyone with form or the steps of how to dance the particular style.
The dance lessons allowed audience members to build rapport with dancers and other audience members. By the end of the event, audience members had gone from watching dancers perform to becoming dancers who performed.
If you’re interested in getting involved, the club is very active on their Instagram @huballroomdance. Additionally, you can find their upcoming events on GetInvolvedHU.
