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Standing along the side of the room, Kenneth Owens watches as the instructor in the strappy black high heels and leopard-print skirt dances across the floor. She moves with ease, showing the men how to lead the East Coast Swing. When the music starts, Owens takes the instructor's hand and waist, aligns his frame with hers, looks her in the eyes and takes the lead.
Owens, Lawrence junior, has wanted to dance since he was 12 years old, but didn't think dancing was as acceptable for males as it was for females. That was until he discovered partner dancing at the University. He decided to stop caring about what others might think. "The only things in people's way are themselves," he says.
Although traditional partner dancing, including dances like the Tango, Waltz and
Swing, may never be as popular at a club on a Friday night, the partner dancing communities on campus and throughout Lawrence treasure the art of moving in stride with another individual. Such communities include KU Ballroom Dance Club and KU Swing Society, which are campus organizations, and Lawrence Tango, a community organization.
Before joining KU Ballroom Dance Club three years ago, Brigitta Wade, the current president of the club, had no experience with partner dancing. Her grandmother had taught her the basic box step when she was a kid, but that's it.
Wade, a Raytown, Mo. graduate student, didn't know anyone in the club, but that didn't matter. She says she wanted to join because ballroom dancing was something new and different for her, especially as a master's student
Photo illustration Jerry Wang Shall we dance? Though traditional box steps and tango moves have been replaced by bumping and grinding at bars, organizations on campus and in the Lawrence community still favor partner dances. Beginners can learn how to make the moves on the dance floor, and in some cases, their partner.
in architectural engineering.
In addition to learning the dance steps, Wade says she enjoys partner dancing because it is a pleasant way to socialize. "Ballroom dancing is an old-fashioned, chivalrous type of thing," she says.
Partner dancing used to be part of mainstream culture, and was a social event where people interacted with one another. But such dancing is not an activity reserved for your grandparents' generation. Wade says a lot of the music the class dances to is varied and current, including songs by Metallica and Madonna.
Just as music has helped make partner dancing modern, so has the reality TV show Dancing with the Stars, which is a dancing competition that pairs professional dancers with celebrities.
Christie Curtis, one of the dance instructors for the KU Ballroom Dance Club, says the show has inspired young people to learn how to partner dance, just like Saturday Night Fever inspired her to learn how to Disco. But Curtis soon dropped Disco and developed an interest in ballroom dancing. In addition to teaching lessons, she also competes as a ballroom dancer on the International Standard level and has been dancing competitively for almost 30 years.
But most people who partner dance in the Lawrence community have much less experience than Curtis. They show up not only to learn how to dance, but also to socialize. Doug Nickel, creator of the Lawrence Tango organization, says his dance lessons are a great place for men and women to interact and have tactile contact with one another, but in an appropriate way. Tango dancing also allows a person to get to know someone by the way he or she moves, without any verbal communication. Tango, like most other partner dances, requires no choreography, but flourishes on improvisation. As a result, each person develops his or her own dancing style.
Although partner dancing lessons provide an ideal environment for men and women to interact, Shawnee senior Alix Augustine, KU Swing Society president, says men often hide behind the misconception that guys don't dance. "Girls like guys who dance," she says. By舞, Augustine means more than the "high-school sway" and what she calls "freak dancing" or grinding.
As Kenneth Owens leads Christie Curtis, the instructor wearing the strappy black heels, around the room, he makes some mistakes. He's only been dancing since the beginning of the semester. Sure, he may step on a few toes every now and then, but he says he's having the time of his life. "I was already confident [before dancing]." Owens says. "I just didn't know how to show it." JP
Brad Anderson, Overland Park senior, joined KU Swing Society in January 2009. He says he had very little experience with swing, but he committed himself to learning, worked hard and by the end of that semester he finally felt confident with the dances. He says from then on swing dancing has been like riding a bike. He also found a girl in the club, Maureen Mulvihill, Perry junior, who has been his girlfriend for more than a year. He now encourages his other single friends who are looking for a relationship to attend the lessons. "Look at this proven success," he says.
Tie on those dancing shoes and check out the following dance organizations. Lessons are open to all members of the Lawrence community and you don't have to come with a partner to participate.
KU BALLROOM DANCE CLUB
DANCES: Rumba, Cha-Cha, Samba, Jive, Tango,
Waltz, Foxtrot, Quickstep, Salsa, Merengue, Swing.
INTERMEDIATE LESSONS: Mondays, 8 p.m.-10 p.m.
at ECM (Ecumenical Christian Ministries)
BEGINNER LESSONS: Wednesdays, 7 p.m.-9 p.m. in
the Gridiron Room of the Burge Union
SALSA LESSONS: Fridays, 7 p.m.-9 p.m. at Hash-
inger Hall Dance Studio
KU SWING SOCIETY
DANIES: Lindy Hop, Balboa, Blues, Collegiate Shag
LESSONS: Tuesdays, 8 p.m. at the Kansas Room of
the Kansas Union
LAWRENCE TANGO
**DANCE:** Argentine Tango
**LESSONS:** Mondays, 8 p.m.-10 p.m. at Signs of Life,
722 Massachusetts St.
ESEARCH LIBRARY
SPENCER RESEARCH LIBRARY
lica of Naismith's rules hanging on the wall at Amyx Barber Shop, 842 1/2 Massachusetts St.
He said the copy has been there
-Edited by Alex Tretbar
SUSTAINABILITY
KU EcoHawks convert donated car to electric
BY KELLY STRODA kstroda@kansan.com
Kansas Libraries will use the car to deliver on-campus mail
Josh Petty always liked tinkering with machines when he was
The full conversion is estimated to cost $55,000.
younger. He
work on his
mom's broken
awn mower
until it was
finally running
smoothly.
right now — no tires, a battered back fender and a missing front end. The EcoHawks removed the Jimmy's engine last week.
Now he has a bigger project. Petty, a senior from Olathe, s team leader at the KU!
Student Senate passed a bill which gave the EcoHawks $2,500 to use for the conversion project.
EcoHawks' GMC Jimmy project. The group is working to convert the car into a fully-electric vehicle. Petty said the group hopes to save the project completed by the end of spring.
Wires and tubes are exposed that some people will never see in their entire lives. Blue painting tape marks the wires and tubes
Instead of a gas engine, the Jimmy will be powered by a main electric motor and two auxiliary motors, Petty said. The motors
Other funding for the project is coming from the EcoHawks' budget and sponsors.
— the gas pedal line here, air bag wires there.
"It's that hands-on learning that makes them the best engineers."
CHRIS DEPCIK EcoHawks advisor
But for now, the conversion is a work in progress.
The 1997 GMC Jimmy, a small sport utility vehicle, sits propped up on car jacks in the KU EcoHawks' garage on West Campus. It's a definite change of scene from the police impound at where the Jimmy sat for two years before being donated to the EcoHawks.
The car looks a bit dilapidated
will run using more than 1,000 rechargeable batteries. The batteries — similar to those that cordless drills use — are about the size of AA batteries.
Jon Kalinowski, a senior from Wichita, is focused on power steering. He said he enjoys the freedom and hands-on learning that the project provides.
Just as each system in the car's engine has to work in unison, Petty said the group members have to work together as well. The 12 students working on the project have a different area of focus.
"I love the fact that we aren't just doing theory," he said. "We're not just sitting in a lab. We're not just on the Internet or reading books."
The students have to research.
There shouldn't be any worry that the Jimmy won't be noticed. Petty said the EcoHawks hope to paint the frame lime green and the body white.
Edited by Lisa Curran
Petty said the electric vehicle would be able to travel 80 to 90 miles before a recharge.
After the car is finished, KU Libraries will use the car to deliver on-campus mail. The campus mail route includes main and West Campus buildings in addition to continuing education buildings on Kasold Drive. On a typical day, the KU Libraries mail vehicle travels about 22 miles.
theorize and then put their work into practice.
"It will almost be a billboard for the idea of sustainability," Lars said.
Lars Leon, associate librarian for KU Libraries, said the libraries encourage sustainability. The electric vehicle is another step in that direction.
"It's that hands-on learning that makes them the best engineers," said Chris Depcik, EcoHawks advisor and assistant professor of mechanical engineering.
New biking club proposes local BMX racetrack
LARRI-BMX seeks the city's approval of a plan to construct a course to fulfill Lawrence's BMX interest.
LAWRENCE | 3A
out
makes sense in historical context
Columnist Luke Brinker explains that the apparent jump in 18-to 24-year-old voters in 2008 actually wasn't all that dramatic. By comparison, Baby Boomers were driven to the polls by factors such as the draft.
Classifieds...9A
Crossword...4A
Cryptoquips...4A
Opinion...5A
Sports...10A
Sudoku...4A
INSIDE
Find extra football coverage in The Wave
Check out The Wave for up-to-date stories on Kansas football, including the scoop on new redshirt freshman Erick McGriff and commentary on fan attendance this season.
INDEX
WEATHER
TODAY
54 26
Sunny
SATURDAY
65 40
Sunny
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SUNDAY
71 45
Sunny/Windy
weather.com
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