By Kate Nickelchok (Contributor) – Email
Print Edition: February 6, 2013
Walking into the U-House late on a Friday afternoon is like stumbling onto a surprise party.
Finally, that hidden, fun, campus society you’ve suspected existed somewhere at UFV, but never found, has come together in the UFV Dance Club and its partnerships. Though historically quiet on a Friday night (outside of the varsity games, of course), the Abbotsford campus is getting a much needed Latin infusion. Starting approximately at 4:30 p.m. every Friday, UFV Dance Club begins to hit its stride as the U-House’s vibe increasingly builds with salsa beats, laughter and the smell of fresh-out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookies (courtesy of International Education’s Tea Time). Although the club is still rather young, having only started last semester, it is already gathering a crowd of approximately 30 students each week. More recently, the dance club events have hosted events drawing in over 50, as was the case when I visited.
Perhaps it’s the newness of the club, which is still very much in the development stage, but the atmosphere is infinitely more relaxed than your typical “line up with a partner” community dance lessons. Because UFV Dance Club has teamed up with International Education’s Tea Time, a meet-and-greet service complete with complimentary drinks and snacks, there’s an inviting, casual mood to the whole thing. The pervading attitude is to dance as much or as little as you feel like dancing. There are experienced dancers there to show you a few optional moves, but you may also end up sharing some steps of your own.
For example, while I was being taught how to Portuguese polka, others learnt some samba before one student gathered everyone together for a classic hip hop circle. Most attendees alternate between a dance, a game of foosball, and simply mingling. Or (in special cases) a heart-pumping, laughterinducing, dance themed game on Nintendo Wii.
This beginner-friendly mix of socializing and dance lessons stems from the goals of club executive Usman Shahid, who dreamt up UFV Dance Club from his own desire to learn how to dance. “Before, I didn’t know how to dance at all,” explained Usman. He began to gather UFV friends, such as co-organizer Sam Khamkar, around the idea of creating a space to learn together from more experienced groups of international students they had watched dance at the Abbotsford Multicultural Festival in the fall. “At the time, my intention was to bring all the communities together and, at the same time, I wanted to learn dance as well. So that’s why I created this club.
“It was about providing a common platform for international students to hang out and have a good time. You know, just talk and learn about other cultures,” added Khamkar.
Along with Tea Time, the Dance Club has collaborated with the UFV Latin Club, Campus Buzz and International Students’ Association (ISA) with plans to expand to more partnerships outside UFV. “My future intention is to organize events that bring in other communities,” says Usman, “For instance other colleges and universities … We would like to start organizing more events but right now we don’t have anything structured. We’ve found some hip hop dancers, salsa and samba, but the core problem is organization and we don’t have a room every single week.”
Usman and Khamkar admit that the gym would be “more appropriate,” but have had difficulty booking any space outside the U-House. “We tried to have an event at the gym, but they gave us the gym at 10 in the morning, which was really inconvenient. Most students aren’t going to wake up and take a bus to the gym at 10 in the morning. You know, it’s salsa, and in the morning it’s kind of difficult.”
“You’d need to have [hot] salsa and Tostitos to wake them up!” laughed Khamkar.
Despite location setbacks, UFV Dance Club is still growing as a place for students to get together, learn a few skills and shake off the school day with a bit of exercise. How much of a workout you’ll receive really depends on what dance is being taught (and how much you can resist the fresh chocolate chip cookies).
“It’s kind of a warm up for me,” laughed Khamkar, who routinely hits the UFV gym right after Dance Club. Usman explains that while salsa and samba are slower paced, hip hop can provide a real challenge. “If you really want a good workout you should come and join!”
