By Davi Jacobs

One of the largest sports clubs at UMD, Ballroom at Maryland, or BAM, offers an elegant and sophisticated social and physical opportunity for all to take up, including faculty, alumni and people from other universities.

According to the club’s vice president of daily operations and junior bioengineering major Georgia Hammond, ballroom dance is accessible to both beginners and seasoned competitors. 

Hammond explained that ballroom differs from certain sports, where players typically start from a young age to continue at the college level. 

“Ballroom is just something you can walk into brand new and you will be met with such acceptance to really help you get going,” Hammond said.

Hammond’s journey in BAM started during her freshman year. After being asked by a friend, she attended a ballroom social and has not looked back since. 

“It was intimidating at first but immediately everyone was super friendly and inviting to brand new people who had never danced before,” Hammond said. “I literally remember going home and being unable to fall asleep because I felt like I had found something that was so unique and just so much fun.” 

BAM specializes in 10 dance styles, five international standard dances (Waltz, Tango, Quickstep, Foxtrot and Viennese Waltz) and five Latin dances (Cha Cha, Rumba, Samba, Jive and Paso Doble).

These dances are taught through weekly classes in the School of Public Health’s volleyball gym. Additionally, many members participate in the Stamp Student Union’s Studio A dance classes taught by nationally-renowned ballroom dancer and judge Dan Calloway.

The learning process itself is collaborative according to Hammond. Especially for newcomers, partner rotations are emphasized for people to mingle and meet one another.  

One new member, freshman mathematics major Martina Jakubovas, said it can be awkward at first but you get used to it quickly. 

“It’s actually cool to have a partnership where you have to work together to do something and do it well,” Jakubovas said. 

The club uses a medal system (newcomer, bronze, silver, and gold) to correlate with experience level. The level of commitment in the club is scaled to the individual, who has the ability to move up through the different levels based on self-nomination.

Members are able to apply the instruction they receive in a non formal and/or competitive format. Multiple socials are held throughout the semester, including the pajama jam and the terp ball. These events commence with an intro lesson, which are followed by the opportunity to dance to a curated playlist. 

Competitions are structured by level, meaning that participants will dance with and compete against others at the same level as them. They are held either on campus (Bam Jam and the DC DanceSport Inferno) or in other states such as New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. 

Shoes and costumes are readily available to members so external investment is not necessary. During practice, typical athletic wear is recommended and newcomers typically just wear socks. 

Regarding fees, newcomers do not pay dues during their first semester except for travel fees for travel competitions. After that, members pay $50 to $60 per semester for competition and supply costs. 

Hammond signed up for her first competition two weeks after joining BAM. 

“I didn’t get any callbacks, it did not go well, but it was just fun to have that excited nervousness,” she said. “The great thing about competing is that it can seem really intimidating but you have a partner there with you so you’re both nervous together.” 

Members praised the close knit community fostered by BAM.  

“Ballroom was like my family while I was at UMD,” BAM alumni Léa Feuillet said. “We always call it the BAM-ly and all of those corny things but it’s true. If I didn’t have BAM when I was in undergrad, I don’t even know what I would’ve done.”

Feuillet turned the nickname into reality. She met her future husband at the info session when she was a freshman. They were in the same West Coast Swing class. He had gotten involved a semester prior, so during practice she would come up to him and ask for help on a move. 

Léa Feuillet and her dance partner Chris dance the standard Tango at DCDI 2023. Photo by Ray Azucena

They partnered together in competitions for a year after the pandemic when their previous partners left. They are now married. 

Jakubovas encouraged community members to give BAM a try, even if they aren’t familiar with it. 

“When it comes to dance, a lot of people think that they can’t dance because they don’t have any prior experience,” Jakubovas said. “But I’m telling you the majority of people that come as newcomers do not have prior dance experience and are doing just fine.”

For those interested in joining BAM, all classes will restart the following semester. You can learn more about the club and its meeting times and locations here. 

Featured Image: New and returning BAM members take part in an introductory Cha Cha lesson this past fall. Photo by Georgia Hammond.