After at least five years of absence, the Ballroom Dance Association performed to a medley of Disney songs at Culture Night on April 29 in the Cannon Activities Center. Members of the association said it helped bring students together, see their commonalities, and celebrate, share, and preserve their diverse heritages.
The association started up again in Fall 2016, said Vice President of Activities Esther Candari, a senior in fine arts from Kaneohe. “We’ve reached beyond our initial goals and aspirations for BDA. Honestly, our hope was we could get 10-to-20 people who could just get together casually once a week and dance ballroom. The club has attracted very different people, and it’s cool to see that.”
Tiffany Nielson, a junior from Virginia majoring in elementary education and the previous president and re-founder of BDA, said she was excited for the association to perform. She said, “As soon as I started the club, Culture Night was already in mind and I thought of a Disney theme, inspired by ‘Disney Night on Dancing with the Stars.’ I thought it would be so much fun and familiar to people.”
The association performed various dance styles such as the Cha-Cha, Paso Doble, and the Lindy Hop. Candari said, “We took all Disney movie soundtrack songs and choreographed dances to them. We took the idea of being fun and innocent but stepped it up a notch and so we did tule skirts in jewel tones. We made all of our skirts from scratch and we did an ombré dip. There are accessories to go with the skirts so all the guys have a matching bowtie to go with their partner’s skirts and all the girls have a matching bow to go in their hair.”
Candari said, “The really funny thing is we have not had enough girls for Culture Night. You would think at BYUH we wouldn’t have enough guys. That was our sincere fear starting the club - it would only be girls who are interested and the guys wouldn’t be interested. We’ve been consistently short three or four girls during the last semester. That blind-sighted us.” Candari said with couple choreography, they perform with a lot of dips and drops. “The girls really have to be confident their partner is not going to drop them. We coach people and do a lot of trust-building activities.”
Jonathan Jessop, vice president of service and careers for BDA, said he has been a member of BDA since it started in Fall Semester. “I joined the presidency in Winter Semester. I helped choreograph and plan the dance nights. I mainly teach the guy members because I’m the only guy on the presidency,” said Jessop.
“Going into it, we knew we wanted to perform in Culture Night,” said Jessop, a senior in hotel and tourism management from Oregon. “We knew [Tiffany] would be gone. So while she was still here, we choreographed and recorded each dance. This whole dance is dedicated and possible because of her.”
Ballroom dancing has a lot of technicalities because even basic steps are more complex, said Jessop. “Since Culture Night was moved up, we’ve had less time to practice so we put the dances on YouTube and instructed the members to practice on their own.”
Kalina Gilson, a freshman in music from Texas, said the instructors were very skilled. “The more difficult dances are a challenge, but it’s amazing to see how the dance changes from unknown steps and comes together.”
Lynne Hardy, a sophomore in graphic design from Arizona, has been a member of BDA for two and a half semesters. She said, “It took a while for me to get comfortable. I was robotic at first. I had to learn how to move and how to get out of my comfort zone and have fun. It really is learning an art with someone and it is so rewarding.
“It took time and a lot of practice to get where I am now. I feel that it helps us become better friends. I always feel welcome here and the teachers are so great,” said Hardy.
Jessop said his favorite part was participating with the other BDA members. He said, “I’ve done 14 different chapters my whole time here at BYU-Hawaii. Ballroom is the most accepting. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from, and it doesn’t matter your skill of dancing.”
Nielson said she wanted to do some ballroom dancing since she first came to BYUH. She said, “Ballroom dance changed my life and really helped me to get out of my comfort zone. I wanted those who did not feel like they had a place to have one and to be able to come and just dance and enjoy the music and rhythm.”
Candari said, “It’s cool to see how far people have come. I feel like our club gives a space for those people who don’t really know what culture they fit into. Regardless of how much dance experience you have, regardless of what cultural background you come from, we want to make sure you feel comfortable club.”
Nielson said BDA had a great turnout for their weekly meetings because no one was put on the spot. “You could do your own thing and not worry about other people. There was no pressure, just to learn how to dance and to relax. I saw people in the club change and become a lot more confident and social than when they started. They were so comfortable doing what they were doing.
Candari said, “I hope this is a club that sticks around. One thing I’m most proud about our club accomplishing is a shift I’ve noticed in campus culture when it comes to dances. I feel like people are much more comfortable dancing ballroom at campus dances than just a year ago before the club was started.”
Writer: Leslie Owusu