The stylish, twirling and dancing students have all joined together to share their passion for swing dance and friends by forming a club under the wing of last year’s teacher of the year winner, physics teacher Jeff Wolfe. The club consists of both juniors and seniors who meet every Monday for practices in Wolfe’s room.

Most members heard about the club through friends and some of them saw the dancers practicing and became curious.

“I walked by one day and saw everyone dancing,” senior Preston Moore said. “They just called me in. I’ve always wanted to learn how to dance.”

Moore is partners with the club’s founder, Holly Borque. The two lead the class by co-teaching new members the basic and more intermediate moves. A year ago, Borque started teaching her friends how to dance as a hobby. The group realized how much they enjoyed learning how to dance together and decided to form a club.

“Our meetings are really fun because they’re super comfortable and casual, but still structured enough that everyone is learning,” junior Feriha Ahmed said. “Mostly we just learn moves, practice them and sometimes just mess around. Those of us who learned a while ago and know more of the moves teach the new recruits.”  

The club focuses on country swing, which includes a lot of tricks and aerials, but there are multiple other moves that are less complicated and do not require as much strength.

“You’re kind of forced to become comfortable with people and you really have to get comfortable with yourself too,” Ahmed said. “Everyone messes up so it teaches you to just laugh at yourself and enjoy the process rather than getting frustrated. It’s nice because we’re so used to the fact that everyone messes up that we all just find it funny and no one really gets embarrassed.”

Swing dancing incorporates several different combinations of pairings, where each gender has an equal opportunity to lead. Size is also not a factor when determining a partner. Dancers of different heights and weights have a better opportunity to display their dancing abilities to a full extent by being allowed to disregard guidelines when choosing a partner.   

“Holly and I have entered in a few couples competitions,” Moore said. “I’ve also danced for friends, family and even small crowds.”

Few group members made a debut during Mr. West this spring and hope to begin performing during pep rallies while in the meantime building more recognition for the organization.

“I feel more comfortable dancing and it’s just a fun talent to pull out from time to time,”Ahmed said. “Its also a nice gateway into dance in general. If you’re like me and have no dance background, it’s a good place to start in terms of just learning how to follow steps, dance with the music and dance with a partner.”

Making friends is a key proponent of the club, as many friendships have been developed through the practices and meetings. The club welcomes members that share different backgrounds of dance and skill levels. “For me swing dancing has given me the opportunity to learn a new skill,” Ahmed said. “And it’s brought me so much closer to the people I love.”