Top hits blast from the speakers in Flanagan Gymnasium as members of the ballroom dancing team swing dance to the beat. The music never ceases, as dancers only pause when a new song starts or to take a break for a drink of water.

“Before I started ballroom, I saw myself as the guy with two left feet,” said Michael Senatore, president of the ballroom dancing club at Syracuse University. “At weddings and other social events, I wouldn’t even think of stepping out on the dance floor.”

The ballroom dancing team typically meets on Friday and Saturday nights in Skybarn on South Campus. They plan various social dances on and off campus throughout the year, including a Halloween dance on Oct. 31 from 7 to 10 p.m. in Skybarn. After 25 years, the focuses of the club and its members — inclusion, competition and a chance to relieve some stress — remain unchanged.

“We still want to grow and continue to compete in local competitions as well as participating in social dances throughout the community,” Senatore said. “We try to keep it like it’s always been.”

While ballroom dancing may seem intimidating, Senatore said, the team encourages everyone to try dancing and prides themselves on being open to anyone. While most ballroom teams refer to partners as “male and female,” Syracuse’s team refers to the partners as a “leader and follower.”

Culture and personal background also play factors in ballroom dancing and certain aspects of it attracts people differently, whether it be a romantic or cultural appeal.

“Different dances have different personas,” said Andrew Austin-Banas, one of the coaches of the team. “Waltz and Foxtrot are more friendship based and sweet, the rumba and cha-cha are a bit more sexy with more hip motion.”

In the world of ballroom dancing, there can often be questions regarding romantic affiliation, and it’s not uncommon for dance partners to start dating, Senatore said.

“I think it naturally happens,” Senatore said.

Bethany Bourgault, an SU graduate student, and Austin-Banas, an assistant scientist at Bristol-Myers Squibb, are the clubs’ primary dance teachers. Bourgault had been dancing 17 years prior to joining the team in 2015, and Austin-Banas, 25, started dancing when he was 15. He picked up the endeavor after his older sister would come home and practice with him.

“She wanted someone to practice with,” Austin-Banas said, “so I started learning in reverse from there.”

The two teachers, and occasional outside instructors, prepare all dancers for semi-regular competitions, though not every dancer competes. Some past competitions have been held at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ithaca College and Cornell University.

But most members didn’t get into dancing to compete; they were seeking the opposite of a competitive environment.

Anyone who is interested in ballroom dancing should try it, Senatore said, and though it can be intimidating, people shouldn’t get discouraged.

“You don’t become a concert pianist overnight,” Senatore said. “If nothing else, it’s a great skill to have and it’s just fun.”

Published on October 24, 2017 at 11:56 pm

Contact Kathryn: krpirzad@syr.edu