Spring Break
Students scoot at western dance
Program Council hosts dance lessons
Shea Tellefsen
Issue date: 9/24/08 Section: ARTS & LIFE
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Hosted by the University Program Council, the Dance Series hit it off with NT last school year when it held a ballroom dancing class.
"It was a really popular one; we had over 100 people here," said Jonathan Hall, a recreation and leisure studies junior and the council's vice president of arts. "We hit a chord with the UNT campus when we did ballroom."
After the success with the ballroom class, this semesterís western dance class was the first of a series of three for the fall semester.
The council is looking to offer students an outlet for fun and variety.
"We're looking to broaden our horizons and bring in new people," Hall said.
Council representatives, decked out in western attire, were at the door at the beginning of the evening to greet every cowgirl or cowboy who showed up for the dance class.
As each person entered, the room was buzzing with personality as trained two-steppers glided around the room to set the tone for the evening.
Once students found their place on the dance floor, they were introduced to the dance instructor, Blake Elder.
Elder has been dancing all genres for the majority of his life. However, country western dancing is where he got his start.
"My parents used to rodeo ever since I was growing up," Elder said. "When Dad got through with the rodeo, there was always a dance afterward."
Elder now has his own studio called Blake Elder Dance in Fort Worth.
Aside his studio, he also teaches dance at the University of Texas at Arlington as he has for the past 15 years.
He was more than enthusiastic about getting to teach NT students who were new to two-stepping.
"When I can take someone who doesn't know something and show it to them and they light up like a Christmas tree and it's like 'I can dance!'" he said.
After Elder introduced himself, he also introduced the students to the basic patterns of the two-step dance. A handful of Elder's dance students came along to provide extra help to the beginner dancers.
Once the students had learned some basic steps, they tried out the new combinations with a partner.
The students continued the rest of the class in the same fashion while dancing the night away.
By the end of the class, the beginners' dance steps began to take shape because they had learned four or five different two-step patterns.
After much repetition, learning and a snack break, Elder and his partner performed an advanced version of the two-step to finish off the evening and to show each student what they could accomplish in the future.
The University Program Council, along with Elder, will also host a ballroom class Oct. 7 and a Latin dance class Nov. 25. Hall said they hope to continue the trend for next semester.
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