Team

Ballroom Dance Team

The Yale Ballroom Dance Team is for individuals and couples who are interested in competitive dancing. The lessons are designed for motivated people who want to move in a fast pace. You need not come with a partner, and no prior experience is required. There are lessons for all levels of dancers.

There are team dues for the semester for weekly lessons, daily practice space, professional coaching, and 2 or 3 fully sponsored competitions. If you are interested in joining us, or have any further questions, please e-mail our Captains.

Beginners

For beginners, fall lessons are twice a week (usually Monday and Thursday, 7:00 - 8:00 pm). These lessons are taught by the Newbie Captains who are among the more advanced dancers of our team. It is also highly recommended for all beginners to attend the Sunday club lessons as well. Partners are assigned by the Newbie Captains early in the fall, so couples can also practice on their own.

In the spring, lessons are generally taught once per week by the Newbie Captains and once per week by one of our professional coaches.

Advanced / Returning Dancers

For returning dancers, there are weekly lessons taught by our professional coaches (alternating between Standard and Latin). Our current coaches are Wendi Davies (Standard) and Vlad Astafiev (Latin). We also welcomed David Wright as a coach in 2015 and are working with team alumni. Private lessons with all of our coaches are available and encouraged. In addition, there are weekly practices, led by the Advanced Dancer Seminar Directors, which focus on technique, style, and drills. If you do not have a partner, talk to our captain to be connected with someone: there are generally other dancers also looking for partners.

Competitions

The team fully sponsors 2 competitions per semester (registration and transportation). Other competitions will be sponsored every now and then, if there's a lot of interest from the team.

Practice

Scheduled practice space for team members is available on a regular basis. There are recurring team practices every week for all team members, both beginners and advanced dancers.

Shows

We have three major performances on campus: the Icebreaker recruitment show early in the fall, Winter Ball, early in the second semester, and Spring Show, toward the end of second semester. All team members are encouraged to choreograph and perform in our shows to share our passion with the wider community. Take a look at our shows page for more information. Also look out for spontaneous pop-up events around campus throughout the year!