The Collegian

Issue date: 9/10/09 Section: Opinion

Society changes over the decades, and the change that has occurred between the 1950s and today is pretty drastic. Once, young adults could either spend their evenings with their family at home, talking and reading aloud, or at a local dance club with friends, trying out new steps and enjoying each others company in a safe, friendly environment. Today, they either spend their evenings glued to a media device, or hanging around a movie theater or mall as though their social life depended upon it. Neither is a productive pursuit. Dance, like liberal arts, has seemingly succumbed to the pressures of this modern worldview, which derides both dance and liberal arts as "old fashioned" and unnecessary. I disagree. Ballroom dance, while not as critical to healthy growth in men and women as the liberal arts, is nevertheless a part of American culture. As a part of our culture, it is our duty to preserve it just as we fight to preserve the liberal arts.

Furthermore, ballroom dance is an invaluable method of exercising the mind and the body. When a couple starts to dance, the man must decide which steps to lead in quick succession, and the woman must figure out which step the man is leading and move accordingly. This run-around continues until the music stops, or until the man trips and trods on his partner's foot, whichever comes first. Even then, the couple is usually excited for another chance to get out on the dance floor and take a whack at the next song. And guys, don't think that it's unmanly to dance, that is the modern worldview of ballroom dance. Besides, remember the famous saying, "Chicks dig a guy who can dance."

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