The UW-La Crosse Ballroom Dance Team will be hosting the second annual Dancing with the Stars event on Sunday, Nov. 16. Join the ballroom dance members, staff, faculty and other prominent campus stars in Valhalla, Cartwright Center from 3 to 6 p.m. for an evening of fierce competition. Six dancing pairs will perform two routines in hopes of claiming the title of UW-L’s best Ballroom Dancer. Each pair will execute one smooth and one rhythm routine that best showcases their ability.
This year’s line-up is quite impressive. Co-captain, Katy Pence will be partnered with Building Manager at UW-L REC Sports and President of NRHH, Alex Joers. The Ballroom Dance Team’s other co-captain, Bethany Schur, has been teamed up with Nick Thuot, the Office of Residence Life Graduate Assistant and co-advisor of NRHH. Drake Hall Director, Jude Legiste, will be dancing with last year’s champion, Gwen Rosenbush. Jenni McCool, an associate professor of mathematics, joins the team’s junior Captain, Alex Perronne. UW-L’s Women’s Assistant Track and Field/Cross Country Coach, Katie Wagner, will compete with German all-star, Fabian Heinen.  Last but not least, Michelle Pinzl, associate lecturer of Modern Languages, will dance with dance wonder, Derek Schmidke.
Schmike says he and Pinzl have been working on the cha-cha and foxtrot. The cha-cha gets its origin from Cuba and involves complex rhythms with a steady beat. The foxtrot is a smooth dance that uses long, continuous, flowing movements as the dancers glide across the stage. Pinzl said that although she is unfamiliar with both dances, it has been fun preparing.
She commented, “[Derek] has been very patient and a great teacher thus-far.”
They are both looking forward to dancing in the event on Sunday!
Other dances that will be performed include tango, waltz, swing, salsa and rumba. There are many styles of tango that originated in Uruguay and Argentina. Salsa dancing also has Latin American influence but is more similar to the cha-cha and also incorporates elements of swing dancing, which developed along with jazz music in the 1920s. Rumba is the slowest of the Latin dances and takes its form from Cuban rhythm.
How does it work? Each pair will perform the dances they have been practicing all semester. Just like the real Dancing with the Stars, audience members will be able to cast their votes at the end of the show! The favorite couple will be named the champions and receive a medal for their hard work.
Tickets to the event are available at the Information Counter in Cartwright Center and are on sale now! Tickets are $3 for students and $5 for faculty and community members. All ticket prices will increase $2 the day of the show.