Members of the St. Thomas German Club don’t just practice the intricacies of the language — their activities now also include weekly ballroom dancing lessons in preparation for a Viennese ball at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.
The students hope to eventually create a ballroom dancing club on campus. While they are in the process of getting the club approved, the group organizes through the German Club to promote ballroom dancing on campus and to hold classes every Sunday night at 7:30 p.m.
The students are currently learning the Viennese waltz to prepare for the ball on April 9. About 10 students will attend the ball, but lessons are open to all who want to learn ballroom dancing. Senior and German Club Officer Julia Troschka said ballroom dancing is part of German culture, and that students can benefit in a variety of ways from learning how to dance.
“It’s not only dancing because you learn how to move, stand up, have some etiquette,” Troschka said. “We are learning German and also the culture. We thought bringing some culture and etiquette to the students was a very nice idea.”
Susanne Wagner, German Club adviser and professor, was able to get professional ballroom dancers from the St. Paul studio Cinema Ballroom to teach the classes. Wagner takes ballroom classes at the studio and said the teachers were very excited to help out, especially owners Eric and Michelle Hudson, both St. Thomas alumni.
The group hopes to continue the lessons after the ball to provide a fun way for students to be active and learn something new. Sophomore and German Club member Morgan Kaardal hopes ballroom dancing becomes popular on campus.
“I think there is potential for this to be a big thing,” Kaardal said. “People are skeptical at the beginning, but then they get here and it’s a lot of fun, and they realize that it’s not that serious.”
The students spread awareness by talking to all German classes and handing out fliers. They are also hoping to interact with other dance groups on campus, such as the Swing Dancing Club. If the lessons are a success, Wagner said a long-term goal would be to have classes of varying difficulty levels.
Junior and German Club Officer Rachel Weiss encourages students to try ballroom dancing because they will likely encounter formal dancing in the future.
“I think dancing, especially this kind of dancing, is a skill that everybody will run into eventually. You might as well learn when you have the chance to take free classes, because it’s not as easy when you’re older,” Weiss said.
Claire Noack can be reached at noac8702@stthomas.edu.