Campus Life - Letters from Ohio State University

Shall we dance?

By Akio Iijima

社交ダンスの練習風景

To start playing a new sport is always a hassle to me. I spend too much time shopping for a good class. The cost of the class and the new equipment does not always come cheap, and I may not like the sport or I may not be very good at it, and eventually I would get fed up with it and give up.

For a person like me, the physical education classes that the Ohio State University offers are perfect. My task is only to find a class that fits my schedule and register for it. Except for a couple of rare cases, there is no need to pay extra fees. One quarter, or 10 weeks of classes, is long enough to discover my talent or lack thereof, and short enough to enjoy the sport without losing interest. It solves all my problems in starting a new sport.

Classes vary from popular sports, such as tennis and racquetball, to minor ones, such as tai chi and yoga. I have taken boxing, tae kwon do, ping pong and social dance. Classes are relaxed yet fun, and I learn a lot. Because of boxing and tae kwon do, I am now confident enough to protect myself in situations where someone would try to pick a fight or quarrel with me. Ping pong used to be merely hitting a ball back and forth, but now, with the various spins I have learned, it has become a serious sport for me. Above all, I enjoyed social dance so much that dance became my favorite hobby.

ダンスの決めのポーズ、ディップ

I started social dance two years ago when a friend recommended it to me. It was winter quarter, we were snowed in, and I was looking for something to relieve the stress of studying. I initially meant to do it only until spring when I could play soccer outside, but I ended up taking an advanced dance class in the following quarter. By now, dance has become a part of my life, and this spring quarter, I am taking the most advanced dance class the university offers. We dance various types of dances, including the tango, waltz, cha-cha, rumba, foxtrot and the American favorite, swing.

Social dance fascinated me for a couple of reasons. First, dance requires highly sophisticated communication between the lead and his partner. The lead must communicate the next move to his partner using only the subtlest of signals, and his partner must react accordingly. Both technique and trust are essential. It is an amazing moment when the couple moves as one unit. I still remember a masterly salsa dancer at a Latino dance club. To me, he appeared the most attractive man in the club as he danced, although he was only a chubby, dull-looking, middle-aged man otherwise. I decided to try to lead like him someday.

Secondly, it changed the way I listen to music. I now feel music in my soul and I listen to it with my whole body rather than only processing a stream of sound in my brain. My body resonates with the rhythm of music, just as the rhythm of reggae has been ingrained into Jamaicans.

Thirdly, since we dance to various types of music, we develop a sense of rhythm which allows us to figure out how to dance to any piece of music. Also, some moves we learn in class are applicable to other dances, like salsa, which I am learning outside the social dance class. The other day, I found myself dancing well in a regular club with contemporary music.

Social dance gives me an opportunity to socialize as its name indicates. I made a lot of friends through dance. It is a great break from the wearisome studying too, especially in Ohio's winter when you cannot play sports outside. Social dance enriched my life physically, socially and culturally.

Shukan ST: May 23, 2003

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