When the majority of people hear anything about ballroom dancing, they think of "Dancing with the Stars." But, the Ball State club Cardinal Ballroom displays the reality of collegiate ballroom dancing.
“'Dancing with the Stars' is just not a realistic view of what collegiate ballroom is like," said club president Luba McCutchan. "Cardinal Ballroom is like 'Dancing with the Stars,' only there is a syllabus with certain moves you can do along with 60-plus people on the floor at once.”
Although McCutchan is not a huge fan of "Dancing with the Stars," she occasionally watches the show to get ideas for showpieces.
Cardinal Ballroom competes in the collegiate circuit, which includes schools such as Valparaiso, Purdue, Notre Dame and Michigan.
“I like Cardinal Ballroom because of our camaraderie and just going to competitions, staying together and cheering each other on,” McCutchan said.
The club focuses on the four competitive ballroom styles of standard, smooth, rhythm and Latin.
“My favorite part of Cardinal Ballroom is learning all the different dances, and it’s a good way to just socialize and meet people. I look forward to attending it every week,” said club member Catherine Limiac.
Members of Cardinal Ballroom come together to share their passion for dancing.
“[The club] is great for being able to share the love of dance with others," said the club's vice president Brian Bordner. "I love taking my love for dance and teaching it to people who are new. I love being able to help people with the goal to learn ballroom dancing.”
Both McCutchan and Bordner emphasized starting ballroom dancing while in college.
“Now is the best time to do ballroom because whenever you’re older, it gets so expensive. So [take] advantage now of free clubs like Cardinal Ballroom as a life skill before you have to pay enormous amounts of money later,” McCutchan said.
Participating in competitions costs a fee, but showing up to social hour and learning the dances is free.
“There is no partner required or no prior experience needed,” Bordner said. “I had no dancing experience when I started, but my partner and I are doing very well in competitions. I would encourage everyone to come out. Even if you have two left feet and no rhythm, still come out and we will teach you.”
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