By Brianna Holcomb
arts and entertainment editor
Hofstra’s Ballroom Dance club was founded in September 2014 and on Friday, March 18, it held its first banquet.
The show consisted of several performances including a performance by Sergey Bolotnikov and Patricia Chai, professional ballroom dancers.
“Like all dancing, ballroom dance is expressive. It is all about teamwork and creating a bond with another human being. Ballroom dance is amazing,” Francesca Pavlovici said, public relations officer and event manager for the organization.
Preparation for the showcase began at the beginning of the semester and helped raise money for the club’s end of the year formal.
This banquet is put on to help expand Hofstra Ballroom into the regional ballroom community.
During the showcase, the performances displayed the meaning and stages of love. Choreographies displaying the waltz and cha-cha were performed during the showcase. The club members also displayed how both ballroom and Latin dances can express emotion.
The show began with the “point of no return.” This is where the love story began – depicted by Bolotnikov and Chai – through a slow waltz number. They danced to Russell Watson’s “Amore E Musica,” a melodic Italian love ballad.
As the love story continued we were moved through a number of different dance styles including salsa, rumba, cha-cha, jive and much more.
The jive piece, performed by Taylor Brooks and Paul Mele, depicted the flirtatious nature of meeting someone at a bar and the need for excitement in one’s life. The team danced to Christina Aguilera’s “Candyman.”
Each dance throughout the show was unique and captured the different aspects of ballroom dancing. The songs used for the dances were those that many would recognize, like the tango piece performed to Beyoncé’s “Fever.” The show also integrated modern styles of dance, such as the rumba, that was performed by Angela Marie and Joshua Cordova.
Starting the show with professional dances helped set the stage and tone for the show. It opened the audience up to the world of ballroom dancing.
“[Bolotnikov and Chai] are what we aspire to become,” Pavlovici said. “Seeing them dance reminds us continuously of how spectacular the art of ballroom is. It was an honor to work with them and to feature them at our show.”
This club is made up of three teams: competitive, formation and social. The competitive team focuses on competitions at schools throughout the Northeast, such as the “Big Apple Dancesport Challenge” at Columbia University. This team primarily focuses on the technique of the dances.
The formation team focuses on technique as well, however more focus is placed on performing rather than competing. The social team is made up of those who just wish to relax, learn the style and have fun.
Besides the showcase, the club also held an annual sock-hop in HofUSA, which taught guests how to dance like they’re in the 1950s.
It is very easy to become a part of this organization. All you would have to do is attend a practice and sign up.
The Hofstra Ballroom Dance club does an amazing job of making ballroom dance a fun and entertaining experience for all. The showcase was able to tell a continuous love story throughout the show and the mix of songs made it all the more enjoyable. Their showcase was a breathe of fresh air and a fun look at the world of ballroom dance.