The sounds of stomping cowboy boots and blaring country classics echoed across the Union during Thursday’s weekly Cowboy Country Swing Club (CCSC) meeting. Their annual Valentine’s Day Dance drew in a large crowd excited to learn new skills and spend time with new and old friends.
The semi-formal event held in the third floor ballroom promised an evening of fun with games, snacks, a photo booth, and of course, lots of dancing. In the spirit of Valentine’s, the 8-9pm skills section of the night focused on teaching the group to waltz.
Senior instructor coordinator Lilly Marks has been with the club for many years, and is a huge fan of the waltz. In her last year with the club, she is committed to their continued goal of bringing the community together through dance.
“We welcome everyone to dance with us on campus. So we have adults here who have graduated, we’ve got some high schoolers, usually. We like to take our events out to places to bring the community together, because dancing in itself is a great way to connect to other people and to de-stress,” said Marks.
The Valentine’s Day Dance has become a staple on the UW social calendar, Marks emphasized. She noted many students who do not otherwise attend CCSC make a point to come to the Valentine’s event.
“It also allows people to just get a little fancy to have a partner here. You don’t need to know anyone to come on Valentine’s Day.” Marks continued.
“It’s really fun to come meet people in a social setting where there’s no expectation that you will go home with them. Just to have fun.”
Whether attending with a partner, rounding up a group of friends, or flying solo, the crowd was encouraged to make connections on the dance floor, both with their people and with perfect strangers.
Making a meaningful connection for the length of a song is a common occurrence in this dancing community. Many attendees attested to the momentary synchronicity that they felt on the floor with people whose names they may or may not have known.
A few confessed finding love in the community, where dance only strengthened an already established connection. Of these, Alexandria “AJ” Cleveland and Bryce Brimm are exploring country swing together.
“We are from Cheyenne, but we came down for this,” Cleveland said.
She has been dancing for a few years and prefers upbeat, fast paced swing. Boyfriend Brimm is new to the swing dancing scene, but spoke to the kind of dancing he likes.
“Country swing is getting to be a favorite, but it depends whether it’s with someone I’m involved with. I like to go slower,” he said.
CCSC President Brandon Bartush has been with the club since his freshman year. A senior set to graduate with a degree in Construction Management, Bartush quickly fell in love with the dance style after his first meeting, and understands where chemistry may come into play.
“I believe that you absolutely can[make a love connection]. I think there’s a lot of things that dancing brings out within people and you kind of get more of a soul connection.”
Fellow CCSC leader Marks agreed with Bartush. She has made many connections while dancing, but sees them in a different context.
“It’s not a romantic connection. When I say connection, I mean, two people in the same space doing the same thing, able to communicate without actually verbally communicating,” she said.
“And so one of the things that we do here is getting people to speak the same language. I’ve been dancing for four years. Usually, at least once or twice a night where I’m dancing with a stranger, all of a sudden it’s like WOW, we’re doing this together.”
