Like clockwork, a couple of times each week, you’ll find me swapping out textbooks and problem sets for dance shoes and heading over to Dillon Gym. My journey into Ballroom Dancing started in my very first semester at Princeton, sparked by a surprisingly fun Argentine tango lesson I’d taken before college. Being honest, grace isn’t exactly my forte, and I anticipated a clumsy struggle. Yet, to my delight, I grasped the steps, and discovered that dancing could be genuinely easy and, more importantly, incredibly fun.
Ballroom dancing at Princeton turned out to be even more captivating, and yes, more challenging, than I initially imagined. I soon learned that the tango we danced with the ballroom team was quite different from my previous tango experience. Our team specializes in International Style, a structured set of ten dances – Waltz, Tango, Viennese Waltz, Foxtrot, Quickstep, Samba, Cha-cha, Rumba, Paso Doble, and Jive. This style was refined in Britain in the early 20th century and represents a globally recognized form of ballroom dance.
When people mention “Argentine tango,” they typically refer to an elegant and sensual dance characterized by a deep connection and interplay between partners. In contrast, the International Tango is more intense, often described as a dynamic battle between the dancers. It seems to echo the bravery and combativeness found in Argentine tango, but perhaps with less of its nostalgic and sentimental undertones, as some have observed in discussions comparing the two styles.
However, the descriptions “intense” and “battle-like” couldn’t be further from my actual relationship with my ballroom dance partner. Like most of the team, I primarily dance and practice with one partner. After trying out different partnerships in my freshman year, I found Brian in my sophomore year. He’s a chemistry major, a year behind me, and we’ve been dancing together ever since.
You sometimes hear dancers joke that a dance partnership can be more demanding than a romantic relationship. It’s true – you face similar challenges in coordinating schedules and working together, but without the romantic aspect to smooth things over! While some might find this to be true, Brian and I have managed to navigate these challenges smoothly. In fact, the friendship I’ve built with him, and with other members of the ballroom dance team, has become one of the most rewarding parts of my experience.
