Walking through the hallways of SAIC I came across a poster for The Latin Dance Club. I decided to give it a try, and now I’m addicted.

This club took off with a new teacher, Richard E. Falls, in the Spring semester of 2013 and it is expected to continue next fall. With the help of Falls, SAIC students have learned dance styles like salsa, samba and swing.  Falls works for the company May I Have This Dance? and is convinced of the advantages of social dance, whether you are good at it or not. “Social dance does this special thing for people — they loosen up, not just physically but psychologically.” The leader of the dance group and SAIC student Kiah Rogers explains, “The beginning is hard but is worth it. I would still do it even if there were only one or two people. It’s something that the school needs.”

Members of the club joined for a variety of reasons — some of us danced before and wanted to continue, others wanted to learn from the beginning, some joined  as a way to work out and have fun, and two of us are Latin and appreciate the chance to continue to practice Latin dance. There was even a student that “came in to learn dancing and stayed for another person.” You may fall in love with dancing or with a dancer, you may just love it because is a way to take a break and have fun, but no matter how we started, we all found a reason to stay.

Once you know the basics, there are many places in Chicago where you can go to show off your new skills. May I Have This Dance? provides not only dance classes, but also dance parties and contests every weekend.  Lalo’s, a Mexican restaurant by UIC, offers salsa nights and Latin music. Alhambra Palace offers belly dancing, Latin salsa and tango dancing every Tuesday and Sunday.

You can check out the latest pictures of the club on the Facebook page and keep an eye out for future events around campus. SAIC never stops its feet — we need to be part of its dance, don’t we?