Dance Sport at BYU

I went to the Dance Sport Competition at BYU this evening. I had never been to this event before. I've been to the BYU Ballroom Concert twice and have loved it each time. The competition wasn't what I expected it to be like. I thought that one couple would dance a 2 minute song and then a new couple would go. What happened was that about 10 to 12 couples were on the dance floor at that same time, dancing to a short song. Three different groups of the about the same size danced to the same song. There were three heats (three different songs) for all of the couples to dance to. The music was waltz, tango, and the quick step. I loved the music.

It was interesting to see how so many dancers could dance on the floor at the same time. There were occasions where one couple would run into another because either one of them weren't paying attention to where they were going. All of the couples wanted to do their own thing, but at the same time, had to be cautious of the other dancers on the floor.

The dancers seemed to glide both horizontally and vertically. That would bounce a little here and there, but were mainly closer to the ground with their knees bent. It did make the dancers look a little heavy, but the up and down movement made it actually seem lighter. The use of gravity in the dances were very evident as we discussed is class two weeks ago.

The costumes were also both elegant and free. The womens' dress were very vibrant (bright colors) while most of the men wore black tuxes. I liked the contrast between the black and the colors of the dresses.

Overall, I enjoyed the experience. I like watching ballroom dance and listening to the music that accompanies it. I paid $10 dollars for a ticket. Not too bad, but too much for how long I stayed. I only stayed for about 45 minutes. The atmosphere was relaxed and enjoyable. I'll give the experience a 7.