#3: The Ohio Star Ball!

In just one week, our team will be traveling to the most important competition of the year -- The Collegiate Ballroom National Competition, otherwise knows as the "Ohio Star Ball!"

This 2-day competition takes place in Columbus, Ohio in the Columbus Convention Center. Not only is OSB the biggest collegiate competition of the year, it's also the largest Pro/Am Competition in the world! The Michigan Ballroom team has won the collegiate championship (and the $5000 prize!) for the past 14 years, gaining a reputation as the biggest and best collegiate team in the Midwest!

Only students can compete on the collegiate level, however, recently graduated students have 6 months of eligibility to dance. Thus, a lot of alumni will come back either to watch or dance one last time, motivated by their sense of nostalgia, or yearning for the past (Babin, 85). The team is a significant part of many students' college experiences, and a lot of our alumni still feel connected with dancing and the team itself. 

Since the competition is only a week away, here are some of the ways my teammates and I are preparing:

Rounds

In a competition, competitors are split into heats, with about 20 couples on the floor at a time. Lower levels, such as Newcomer and Bronze, usually have 5-7 heats in the 1st round. As the levels get more advanced, the heats decrease in number. About half of the dancers on the floor are typically eliminated each round, dwindling down the number to about 6 couples in each dance final. At the lower levels, this is particularly tiring, as the final couples sometimes dance upwards of 40 times by the end of the day!

Merely practicing our moves can't prepare us for the mental and physical exhaustion of a competition. Thus, our team conducts "rounds" in order to simulate a real competition. Our team members will break off into heats and "perform" for each other. My partner and I have been trying to increase the amount of rounds we participate in in order to increase our stamina and physical fitness.

Clothing

With the amount of couples on the floor at a time, it can sometimes be hard to get noticed. Just one mark from a judge can prevent you from moving on to the next round, so it's important to stand out. Something that can help you do this is wearing costumes that complement your skin color. I used to wear a black latin skirt with bright pink fringe (as seen in the picture above). However, my coaches urged me to get something brighter in order to make my darker skin "pop" on the floor. My best friend, Jamie, on the other hand, has very light skin, and her yellow dress blended in with her skin tone. We decided to switch costumes for OSB and as you can see in the picture below, the color works much better with my skin type. 

The yellow dress was slightly loose on me, so I decided to get it tailored. A friend of mine told me to go the tailor in Nickel's Arcade. However when I got there, I realized there were actually 2 tailors in Nickel's Arcade! I decided to check both of them out. The first was Ojen's State Street Tailoring. Ojen spent about 30 minutes on my dress, thoroughly inspecting the seams and explaining what needed to be done. After I took the dress off, she gave me a quote of $25. However, she typically needs 2 weeks to finish a job and because my competition was in a week, she was going to charge me an additional $10 for short notice. She was taking advantage of my time pressure, or "urgency to act based on a deadline" (Babin, 165). $35 seemed overpriced for the service being done so I decided to check out the place next door: A1 Tailoring. 

When I walked into A1, the tailor spent about 5-6 minutes looking over my dress before having me take it off. Unlike Ojen, the A1 tailor didn't place any adjustments pins in the dress and I had a feeling that her stitching wouldn't be as precise. Once the A1 tailor wrote up my bill, it came out to $20. Although I suspected the service quality of A1 lacks in comparison to Ojen's, I decided that because I was only wearing the dress to one competition, I preferred A1's lower prices over Ojen's higher quality of service.

Extras/Accesories

As I mentioned previously, in order to be successful at a competition, standing out on the dance floor is just as important as dancing well. Besides wearing the right costume, there are other things that dancers to do get noticed. This includes: sparkly jewelry, styled hair, fake nails, fake eyelashes, bright makeup, and spray tans. It seems silly that these extraneous accessories can heavily contribute to how successful you are at a competition, but that's merely the nature of the sport. Just like how spray tans can keep your skin from looking washed out under the bright lights (thank goodness I don't have to worry about that!), fake eyelashes and bright makeup can help accentuate your features. Also, because our coaches and the upper-level team members push the importance of things like spray tans and accessories, group influence motivates other people on the team to also obtain these extra features (Babin, 165). In preparations for the upcoming competition, I'm headed to the mall today to buy fake nails and jewelry to match Jamie's yellow dress. I've also considered trying a new hairstyle to complement the yellow fringe. Here's an example of something I might try: Ballroom Hair Tutorial! 


It seems like there's a lot of costs associated with OSB -- functional costs (shoes, costumes), travel costs (hotel, gas, food), accessory costs (fake nails/eyelashes, hair, spray tans) and all the time put into practicing. However, the experiential value and social value of the competition is well worth it. It's my senior year and I'm hoping that the last 3.5 years of dancing have prepared me to do well at OSB this year!



Babin, B., & Harris, E. (n.d.). CB: Consumer Behavior : Student edition 7

[Rachel Macintosh]. (2016, Sept 30). Ballroom Dancing Hair Tutorial | Sleek Low Bun with a Twist [Video File]. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U73xhdQnRJc 

#2: Latin Dancing: Standard Dancing's Spicy Counterpart

Hello and welcome back! I'm glad to see you too survived the outlandish weather we've been having. Last week we had the A/C on at the dance studio and now we just turned on the heat! Since the bitter cold Michigan weathers are quickly emerging, I think it's only appropriate that I keep things hot by focusing on some spicy Latin dancing!

When people talk about "ballroom dancing," they're really referring to two different styles: "Standard" and "Latin." Standard dances include Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, and Quickstep. Latin dance, on the other hand is comprised of Cha-Cha, Rumba, Samba, and my personal favorite, the Jive!

When I first joined the team, I was a little more excited about the Latin aspect of ballroom over the Standard one. Like I mentioned in my last blog, I was a dancer for 7 years before entering college. At my old studio, I took classes in ballet, modern, jazz, and hip hop until about 9pm every night. However, I remember that every Wednesday night, as I packing up to leave, a Salsa troupe would come into the studio and rent out one of our studio rooms. I'd watch them as they warmed up, enchanted by their hip movements and the way their skirts swayed to the beat. This was my first introduction to Latin dance. When I eventually went to my first ballroom dance competition in college, I remember seeing one dance couple that blew me away with their bouncy Samba hips, rapid Jive kicks, and sensual Rumba movements. I saw my Ideal Self, or "who I would like to be in the future" in that couple and immediately decided that they would become my ultimate dance goal (Babin, 124)

I think part of the reason that I was so fascinated by Latin dancing is that Latin emits a certain kind of personality that resonates with my own. Just like different people or brands can have personalities, so can different kinds of dances. According the brand personality appeal, a product's ability to appeal to consumers is based on the human characteristics associated with it (Babin, 120). Similarly, certain dances appeal to different people because of the human characteristics associated with each dance:

Latin:

Cha-Cha - flirty, cheeky, sharp
Rumba - slow, sensual, romantic
Samba - literal meaning is "carnival," bouncy, upbeat, lively
Jive - fast, energetic, playful, spirited

Standard:

Waltz - elegant, graceful, poised
Foxtrot - jazzy, swanky, smooth
Quickstep - fast-moving, powerful
Tango - fierce, dramatic


You can see what kind of ballroom dance fits your own personality in this Ballroom Personality Quiz!

When I took the quiz, my results read: "Cha Cha! You are incredibly free and fun! You love excitement and are very flirtatious. Your sense of rhythm is impeccable and your hips have a mind of their own. To you, dancing is not a hobby, but just another easy expression of you!! Shake it, baby!"

While Cha-Cha is one of my favorite dances, I actually see bits of my personalities in each of the 4 Latin dances. I am a naturally upbeat person and enjoy how Latin dancing allows me to be energetic, feel sexy, and have fun when I dance.

My ballroom partner, similarly, enjoys Latin dance more than Standard: "I prefer Latin because I like to think quickly and move at a fast pace. Standard can be fun too but every lesson I find myself waiting for us to start Latin." (Sutherland)

On the other hand, some people favor Standard's personality over Latin's: "I like Standard better than Latin because Latin is so flashy and I guess that's not really my personality. I prefer the flow and beauty of Standard." (Goldenkoff).

Social Side of Latin Dance

Something unique about Latin dance is that it's inherently integrated within Hispanic culture. There is a competitive aspect of Latin dancing, but there is also a social one too. Some of the more social dances that Hispanic communities participate in are: Bachata, Hustle, Salsa, Merengue, and Polka. 

Alex Escobar, a member of the Michigan Ballroom Team, spoke to me a little about how Latin dancing has been a significant part of his Colombian culture: "I've been listening to Latin music and dancing to it ever since I can remember. Every family gathering, whether it was for a birthday or holiday had dancing. From 6 year olds to 60 year olds, everyone danced because it was just what we did. It wasn't necessarily anything fancy, just fun. I never questioned and I've always loved it." (Escobar). Through socialization, or learning culture through everyday experience, Escobar grew to accept and love his family tradition of social Latin dancing (Babin, 178). 

Interestingly enough, our team has also adopted these social dances within our team dynamic. While we practice and compete in certain dances at competitions, our members dance Bachata, Hustle, and Salsa at team parties. In fact, our so-called "ballroom house" (a house that 11 people on our team live in) has a special Bachata room in the basement solely for ballroom parties! These dances are great way to connect with our teammates in a social setting, while removing the competitive aspect of dance. I actually met some of my best friends on the team by dancing Bachata and Hustle with them freshman year!

I hope I've been able to give you a sense of what the Latin aspect of ballroom is like, both within the context of our team and Hispanic culture. Stay tuned for my next blog in where I'll relate what our team is doing in preparations for the biggest competition of the year: The Ohio Star Ball!

Babin, B., & Harris, E. (n.d.). CB: Consumer Behavior : Student edition 7

(2017). In Which Style of Ballroom Dance Are You??. Retrieved from http://www.youthink.com/quiz.cfm?obj_id=128245

(B. Sutherland Interview, October 26, 2017).

(E. Goldenkoff Interview, October 26, 2017).

(A. Escobar Interview, October 26, 2017).

#1: Why You Should Consider Collegiate Ballroom Dancing

When you think of ballroom dancing, you probably envision long, cascading ballroom dresses, men in black-tie suits, and spectators sipping on expensive, aged wine that no one's ever heard of. Well... you're not totally wrong. I was attracted to ballroom dancing, not only because I loved the hedonic pleasure it gave me, but also because of ballroom dancing's inherent essence of high culture (Babin, 29). It's seen as being "classy" and "elegant" while also being technically difficult and physically challenging. 

I was a dancer for 7 years before entering college, primarily studying ballet/pointe and modern. However, ballroom was always something I've always wanted to try. When I was 13, "learn how to ballroom dance" was even on my bucket list! During my senior year of high school, I visited my sister who was a freshman here at Michigan. While walking around campus, I saw a poster for the Michigan Ballroom Dance Team. Even though my sister didn't seem to know much about the team, I made sure to check them out when I started school my freshman year. Three years later, here I am, still infatuated with my love for both dancing and the team!

                      

The Michigan Ballroom Dance Team has become a second family to me and I couldn't recommend it more. Whether you're looking for new hobby, a new way to stay active, or even a new way to make friends, joining a collegiate ballroom team can bring value to your life! Let's see how!

#1: Functional Value

The different features of a product (Gupta, 5)

Whether you've had dance experience in the past, or are fresh to the scene, you're guaranteed to learn technique, moves, and style from experienced professionals when dancing on a collegiate team. Our coaches used to be Blackpool 10-dance finalists (Blackpool being the Olympics of ballroom dancing!) and now serve as both NDCA Certified Judges and coaches to both professional/novice ballroom dancers in addition to Olympic ice dancers. Our team is broken up into 5 smaller teams: A, B, C, Pre-C, and Newcomer, allowing dancers of all levels to learn at their appropriate level. "The process of learning ballroom dancing has been taught me a lot about efficient and accurate muscle control, positioning, and placement. I've learned how to utilize technical elements while also adjusting appropriately with respect to both my partner and my relative position on the floor" (Sutherland). 

Check out an article from the Michigan Daily written about us that goes into more detail about the structure of our team: https://www.michigandaily.com/content/ballroom-dance

#2: Social Value

The social interactions we gain through a networked society (Gupta, 45)

Most people on the team will tell you that the best relationships they've made in college were through ballroom. Personally, most of the people I'm closest to, including my best friend, my dance partner, and my boyfriend are all on the team. "I met the people I'm closest to now through ballroom freshman year. We would go to lessons together and then all of us who lived on the Hill would walk back together. It was nice having a group of friends to grow with through the years -- both in our college and dancing lives!" (Huizinga). The team helps foster these social relationships through parties, social events, and dance competitions. And I may be biased, but ballroom parties are the best because everyone actually knows how to dance :) 

#3: Experiential Value  

Intangible psychological & emotional value that can be derived from brands/great service (Gupta, 5)

With Michigan's rigorous education, most students could use some stress-relief. Ballroom dancing is a way for students to re-focus their energy on something that's both fun and pleasurable. "Ballroom has given me the opportunity to learn an amazing skill while also giving me a creative outlet from the stress of school! Sometimes dance is all I look forward to in a day, because I know that once I'm in the studio, I can just actually relax" (Mathew). 

Ballroom dancing is also valuable because it is a productive use of energy. "The biggest thing I've learned is patience... not only with your partner but with yourself, especially when things are going wrong" (Rector). For me personally, I've gained confidence in my performance skills through showcases and competitions. It just goes to show how ballroom, while being fun, can also aid in your personal growth.

Well there you have it! I hope you found this blog post to be insightful about the collegiate ballroom world. I've spoken mostly about ballroom dance today, but stayed tuned for next time where I dive into the other style of dance our team competes in -- Latin!!

(Sources)

Babin, B., & Harris, E. (n.d.). CB: Consumer Behavior : Student edition 7

Gupta, S. (2014). Creating Customer Value. Retrieved October 4, 2017.

(B. Sutherland Interview, October 4, 2017).

(J. Huizinga, Interview, October 4, 2017). 

(J. Mathew, Interview, October 4, 2017). 

(D. Rector, Interview, October 4, 2017).

Klarecki, C. (2010, March 14). Ballroom blitz: 'U' Ballroom Team turns inexperienced dancers into international champions. The Michigan Daily. Retrieved October 4, 2017.