Dancing to dominate

Genie Tran | Argonaut Brendan Souvenir, the Ballroom Dance Team’s event coordinator, talks about the dance team’s practice and competition.

UI Ballroom Dance Team to compete in Seattle competition

The student-run University of Idaho Ballroom Dance Team is once again vying for a regional win as the team heads to Seattle this weekend to compete in USA Dance’s Quest for the Best dance competition.

Genie Tran | Argonaut Brendan Souvenir, the Ballroom Dance Team's event coordinator, talks about the dance team's practice and competition.

Genie Tran | Argonaut
Brendan Souvenir, the Ballroom Dance Team’s event coordinator, talks about the dance team’s practice and competition.

The dance team has been an organization at UI since 2007, teaching UI and Washington State University students and community members of both Moscow and Pullman the basics of ballroom dancing.

“The purpose of the team is to give people an opportunity to do competitive ballroom styles, not just social dancing, but learning formations and working together as a professional team would,” said Anne Hanes, follow coach.

This year marks the second time the dance team will compete in Quest for the Best, where it is entered in the general team category. The general team category is split into two competition teams — one team is more competitive and will compete for a trophy, while the other is noncompetitive and the dancers participate to be critiqued.

A majority of the 22 members on the UI team will attend, with eight of them being dance couples. Not all members will participate in the competition via dancing, as some are there for back up or to take videos and watch.

The team will present its “Disney Medley” piece, which was created five years ago by a former member. The piece has been reengineered, rehearsed and critiqued since the beginning of fall semester, Hanes said. The performance involves a variety of dances, including the Foxtrot, Viennese Waltz, Tango and Quick Step.

Getting ready for the competition was no easy task, Hanes said. Coaches make preparations for hotels while Alicia Hodnik, the treasurer, arranges the space and makes sure all of the fees for the competition are taken care of. Taking cars of their own, the team had to organize their schedule for the day of the competition.

The competition offers a variety of sections, starting off with a youth division and later focusing on college division, Hanes said. The UI team will start off Saturday by going to a different venue to rehearse and practice, and then they will go into hair and make-up, which will take up a majority of the afternoon. After their long day, the team will be ready to present their piece to an audience and judges by 5 p.m.

To get the team pumped up before a show, dancers do their general warm up of stretching and will participate in a social dance to loosen up, have some fun and relax. It helps the team shake off their nerves and reminds them to have fun while competing, said Brendan Souvenir, events coordinator.

Throughout the year, the UI dance team participates in other events around campus. They lead ballroom lessons at least once a month and host a recital at the end of each semester. The team’s dedication is one of the reasons the dancers made it to Seattle, Hanes said.

Souvenir said his favorite aspect of the team is how it brings people together.

“The great thing about Ballroom is that we have people from all areas,” he said. “We have some people who are engineer, art and history majors . . . You get to meet a lot of new people. Dancing gives you the ability to find people that you don’t have a lot in common with, but you have dancing in common, so you bond over that.”

Jessica Blain can be reached at [email protected]

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