Patrick TrautfieldTwo left feet? Not to worry. No experience and no partner? They’ve got you covered. Cal Poly has its very own dance clubs with weekly lessons for folks just like you.
The Cal Poly Swing Dance Club has two lessons every Sunday on campus for $1 each. Intermediate lessons are from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in the Architecture building, room 225, while beginning lessons are 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. in the same place.
Swing Club president and environmental horticultural science student Kimberly Daum wanted prospective swingers to know that the skills learned at lessons have plenty of opportunity to be put to use around town.
“There is a lot happening off campus, too. Every Sunday at Mother’s Tavern there’s a live swing band from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., and Madonna Inn has swing music from 8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. every Monday night,” Daum said. “Those are both free venues.”
The next Swing Club event will be a styling workshop held on Dec. 2. Additional information on lessons and upcoming events can be found at www.sloswing.com.
Cal Poly DanceSport Team
For something a little more along the lines of “Dancing With the Stars,” check out the Cal Poly DanceSport Team, a competitive ballroom dance team that represents the school at meets throughout the state. For more information on the DanceSport Team’s ballroom lessons, visit www.cpdancesport.org.
The Cal Poly Country Line Dancing Club (CLDC) has lessons Thursdays and Fridays. Members meet in the Architecture building, room 225, every Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. The club also has lessons at The Graduate every other Thursday night at 8 p.m.
The next hour-long lesson at The Graduate is slated for Nov. 30. Students at that lesson will learn the ten-step, the waltz and the drifter, which are all couples dances.
Though all the lessons are free, membership to the CLDC is based on a quarterly or yearly fee, which includes prepaid admission to all club events. Anyone interested in joining the club is asked to visit www.cldc.calpoly.edu for more information.
The Cal Poly Ballroom Dance Club holds lessons every Thursday in the Architecture building, room 225, for a fee of $3. The club will be teaching the nightclub two-step on Nov. 30 at 8 p.m. After class, there will be free dancing until 10 p.m. so people can practice what they’ve learned. More information is available on the club’s Web site at www.calpolyballroom.org.
The Cal Poly Salsa Club offers salsa lessons to beginning, intermediate and advanced students Friday nights. In the Architecture building, room 225 (the same place where the Swing and Ballroom clubs meet) the Salsa Club has a $5 lesson at 8 p.m. The lesson is followed by free dancing, which starts at 9:15 p.m.
“Salsa is the spice of life!” said Salsa Club President David Guerrant. “It will enrich your college life, your relationships and your coordination.”
The Salsa Club’s Web site, www.cpsalsa.com, has a list of off-campus salsa lessons as far south as Santa Maria and as far north as Paso Robles.
“Our classes are for everybody; it’s not really exclusive to students,” Salsa Club Vice President Chance Siri said. “Lots of people enjoy dancing – students, working professionals, retirees. It’s a great place to get together without the club atmosphere. It’s just a clean event for a Friday night.”