Dips and Salsa: An Evening with the Latin Dance Club
Northern Arizona University's Latin Dance Club profile photo on Facebook.
There is no such thing as a wallflower at Northern Arizona University’s (NAU) Latin Dance Club meeting. Whether it be the vibrant music that leaves your hips swaying, or the copious amounts of welcoming members, you are almost guaranteed to end up on the dance floor sooner or later. Compiling fitness, self-confidence, intimacy and friendship all into one club, Latin dance proved to be the perfect emotional, physical and mental outlet for just about anyone.
“When I started, there was rock bottom, and I was 50 meters below that,” said senior mechanical engineering major and club instructor Alyosha Sandiago. “I was the most uncoordinated person, but now I’m running the club and I’m teaching it. So, anybody can do it.”
Dancing comes naturally for some people, and not so naturally for others, but the Latin Dance Club is here to change that. Open to anyone and everyone, there is absolutely no reason to be anxious, because there is one thing the club has plenty of: encouragement.
Emphasizing on their Facebook page that no experience or special equipment is necessary, the club leaves you with no excuse not to come out and give it a try. Offering a variety of Latin dances, ranging from the widely known Salsa to the sexier and more intimate styling’s of Bachata, there is definitely something for everyone.
“It’s given me an incredible group of friends,” said junior marketing major and Latin Dance Club member Christina Hebets. “Along with the confidence to make mistakes and dance no matter what.”
It is that kind of attitude that makes attending Latin Dance Club meetings so enjoyable. With an atmosphere that gives you the confidence of a So You Think You Can Dance? contestant, and a group of people there ready to build you up along the way, it is difficult to leave in a bad mood or at least without some new moves under your belt.
Not only do members learn how to impress on the dance floor, but cultural lessons can be taken from attending the dance lessons as well.
“I studied abroad in Spain,” Hebets said. “So they have all kind of helped me maintain my Spanish. Through this I’ve learned a lot of the different colloquialisms and even the curse words . . . I was also only dancing for a little while before I went abroad, and I was nervous that I wasn’t going to be as good when I came back, but they accepted me with open arms.”
Aside from the learning experiences, it was evident that the Latin Dance Club had really formed a family-like bond over the course of its existence. In a situation that requires such physical activity, closeness and unfamiliar experiences, having that support net is critical. Like sports for example - the strength is in the team. That same idea applies to the dance club.
“I’m a white girl from Canada, and I learned how to shake my ass here,” said senior art education and French major Shantelle Kotowich, who also happened to be the second instructor for the group alongside Sandiago.
The amount of opportunities the Latin Dance Club offers go far beyond that of simply learning to dance. For instance, if you are a student enrolled in Spanish 101 and attend a dance lesson on Tuesdays in the Health and Learning Center you can receive some extra credit.
In addition to the social and academic benefits the club has to offer, the fitness elements are obvious when merely observing the members during their lesson. Like Zumba, or any other form of dance fitness for that matter, the Latin Dance Club takes that very idea but keeps the focus on the experience rather than exercise, eliminating the stress of working out and retaining the fun.
“I’m a pretty serious rock climber,” Kotowich said. “And all of my ab strength comes from dancing, not rock climbing. Calves, too. It’s the only cardio workout I get, and it’s a good one.”
Whether your motivation is impressing that special someone with some suavity, building up your self-confidence, making some lifelong friends or achieving your dream body, the Latin Dance Club offers it all. Slip on your dancing shoes — you never know what the night may bring.
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