Professors Learn; Students Teach: Ballroom Dancing Competition
Ann Miller and Charles Wehling danced the East Coast Swing, making it to the finals
Photo by Bailey Jacobson
The Marshall Performing Arts Center became a ballroom Friday, Sept. 11, as professors, pupils and even professionals took the floor. The event, Dancing with the Scholars, is a UMD spinoff of Dancing with the Stars. Bulldog Ballroom put on the event, with student members of the club representing the professionals, serving as dance partners for faculty members as they performed their routines to win the “Scholar Ball”. The event featured several classical ballroom styles: the tango, waltz, rumba, east coast swing, foxtrot and cha-cha, according to the event pamphlet. An alumni performance added the quickstep, while a professional interlude performed the Viennese Waltz.
Paul Bates and Renee Olds danced the foxtrot, making it to the finals
Photo by Bailey Jacobson
The headlining scholars, made up of UMD faculty members, included Ari Feld, Ariuna Taivan, Brian Lukasavitz, Ann Miller, John Schwetman, Corissa Marson, Paul Bates and June Lee. Each learned a ballroom style dance over the summer with their student partners. August Kruszka, a co-president of Bulldog Ballroom, said the biggest challenge “was getting faculty interested in participating.” They added, “it’s so interesting to take the part of teaching, and you know, flip it around. Now the students have become the teachers,” adding, “I thought it was really really fun to work with the faculty.”
Rae Lyons, a guest judge with Rebecca Katz Harwood and Charles Nies, holds up a 10 for a performance. Each judge had complements for every performer on Friday.Photo by William Bauer
The event featured three guest judges, along with audience voting to determine both the final three and the overall winner. UMD Chancellor Charles Nies, UMD Department Head for Theater Rebecca Katz Harwood and Rae Lyons, the co-owner of North Shore Ballroom, judged the stiff competition. Each offered praise for the dancers, citing the impressive feat of learning ballroom-style dances with their students. Lyons also dazzled the crowd during the professional interlude, showcasing a Viennese Waltz for spectators.
June Lee and Emily Marchetti danced the tango, capturing the judges and audiences favor and winning the "Scholar Ball"
After an impressive first round and more than 150 audience votes cast, the three finalists were chosen to advance to the final round. Ann Miller of the CAHSS Advising department, June Lee of CEHSP and Paul Bates of SCSE returned to the dance floor to perform their routines a second time after Lyon’s performance, giving the audience one final chance to see the dancers perform before casting the final vote.
The winners danced their way to victory with a Tangled-inspired tango to “Bad Guy” by Billie Eilish. June Lee, a professor and Exercise & Rehabilitation Sciences Program Coordinator, and Emily Marchetti performed the winning routine and took home the “Scholar Ball”. “We were given tango as our dance. We were given our partnership, and then we had the freedom to choreograph and pick the song and choose the costumes,” Marchetti said. Lee noted, “it was very fun for me,” saying the dance went "seamlessly,” and it was “all very flowing, and I just enjoyed learning something new with Emily.”
Bulldog Ballroom meets every Thursday 6:30-8:30 pm, and encourages anyone to come and try out dancing. Lee added a final note: “I encourage all the faculty, staff and students to learn, start learning ballroom dancing… getting to know your partner and, you know, move your body and have fun.” Marchetti agreed, saying students should “join the club, come and learn [for] themselves!”