By Anna Rice
Students got into the swing of things Saturday, when the NU Ballroom Dance Club (NUBDC) hosted Swing Night.
The event, which took place in the Curry Student Center Ballroom, was the group’s first attempt to revive an old event. Swing Night consisted of an hour-long lesson, followed by two hours of dancing.
The swing dance lesson, in which 38 people participated, was taught by sophomore physical therapy major Xerxes Kapadia, NUBDC co-captain and 2008 alumnus Allison Goulet and 2007 graduate school alumnus JD Nowselski.
NUBDC President Andrew Harris said all lessons are taught by students. Although the event was free and open to all members of the Northeastern community, $5 donations were suggested, he said.
At first, some students stood by the sidelines and watched others dance, but by the end of the lesson all attendees were on their feet.
“It’s a little bit intimidating watching the people in the club,” said Sam Cook, a sophomore health sciences major. “But there are enough people who don’t know what they’re doing so I don’t feel too bad.”
NUBDC social chair Jessica Doonan, a sophomore theatre and American Sign Language major, said the group hosts events to be instructive, but most importantly to entertain.
“We just mostly do it for fun,” she said.
Beginners and experienced dancers learned six basic dance moves. Men and women were initially separated to learn individual steps, then paired up to practice. Most students said they came without a partner and rotated between several they were paired with throughout the night.
“It was a good lesson,” said Selena Rice, a junior biology major, who said she has attended NUBDC lessons before and has swing danced at Ryles Jazz Club in Cambridge. “They explained it very well.”
After the lesson, music came on and students were invited to dance freestyle. Club members twirled their partners around, while beginners practiced the moves they had learned and mingled around refreshments provided by the club.
Club leaders said they were satisfied with the turnout, even though they had encountered a few problems during the planning process. Without senior members, the board had to educate itself on what needed to be done, Doonan said.
“The timing got to us,” Harris said. “Everything came up much faster than we expected.”
Some first-time attendees, like Northeastern graduate student Alison Dickson, said she found out about Swing Night when she received an invitation on Facebook.
“I thought it sounded like fun,” said Dickson, who said she had never swing danced before.
Harris said NUBDC plans to host more social events similar to Swing Night next semester. The group’s biggest project will be a week-long dance camp, consisting of nightly lessons.
Most of the attendees said they enjoyed Swing Night and looked forward to participating in future NUBDC events.
“It’s not like there was pressure,” Dickson said. “Everyone was nice and relaxed.”
The NUBDC holds free lessons Mondays from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.; open floor, when students can practice, Thursdays from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Saturdays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., all in the Curry Student Center Ballroom, Harris said. The group also has opportunities for interested students to compete in local collegiate competitions.
