Lessons
Our club offers free lessons to Undergraduate Rhode Island Colleges. Graduate students may also participate if they pay the student activities fee. Our lessons are offered weekly throughout the semester. They are offered as levels as Newcomer, Bronze and Silver. We have lessons that will teach the American and Standard division. These dances include: Rumba, ChaCha, Swing, Mambo, Salsa, Hustle, Merengue, Foxtrot, Waltz, Tango, Viennese Waltz, and Quickstep
Instructors
The Dancin’ Feelin’ Studio is a dance studio that sponsors our club. The instructors that teach our club are Randy Deats, Kathy St. Jean, and David Endicott.
David Endicott has been teaching for over 15 years. He has been with the The Dancin’ Feelin’ for many years and he also teaches in New York City. During this time he has studied and continues to study with top coaches from around the world. He is a member of the prestigious dance organization the Imperial Society Teachers of Dance.
David along with his wife, Nina, successfully competed in the International Standard. They competed not only in the United States but also at Blackpool. He continues to compete with Pro/Am with his students. David recently received a Top Teacher Award at the Constitution State Challenge. David has appeared on National TV (Good Morning America, Ginny Jones and more). He was also a guest instructor for the USABDA National Competition held in RI. David has be on staff of the American Ballroom Company
which provides ballroom instruction to New York City school children. He can be seen in the movie “Mad Hot Ballroom” which features this NYC dance program. David is truly a gifted teacher who shares his love for dance with all of his students.
The studio has dances at their studio as well as the Dillion Council Hall. If you would like more information about their studio please visit their site.
Advisor
The club advisor is Dr. Mary Lucas. She is a professor at Rhode Island College in the History Department.
Competition
We compete every semester typically at least two competitions. The competitions we attend are Brown University, Yale University and Holy Cross University.
Click here for an extensive list of competition results.
Trips
In the past we have traveled to some awesome places!
We have traveled to Daytona in Florida for a conference. It was back in 2006. This was a ton of fun where lessons from professionals. There was dancing on the beach. Competitions were evening events. It was just pure fun. Check it out in our video section.
We have also attended the New Year’s Day Ball Ballroom Conference 2008 and 2009, which was more opportunities to learn from more world champ instructors.
A trip to Poconos in Pennsylavania was another trip that our club has also attended. This is where the club got to learn more about various dances that we do not focus on for competitions. For those who went they had a great time that was full of awesome dances with costumes and learned some Polka!
We have traveled to New York City to take a lesson with Eddy Simon who is an instructor from Dance New York. He is United States American Ballroom Champion. With a lesson with him our group learned some really neat tricks, which came in handy for the showcase. Then we also had a day to enjoy the city. We are planning another trip for 2009.
Dances
Every semester we put on three dances on average. We always start off the school year with a Back to School Dance in September. This is usually a huge turnout from all the surrounding colleges. We have had many theme dances from Disney to Pirates dances. Our dances are always tastefully decorated and full of not only dancing but also games! We are known for our Tiki Line Dance! You must come to our dances to join in on the fun! On our photo page you can see all the different dances we have put on.
Dancing in the Residence Halls
This event we have been putting on during the semester in one of the halls. This we collaborate with the RAs to allow us to hold this event. We will teach a club dance and serve free food. Last time we have had ice cream!
Community Events
We do not only do things with the school or the studio we also go to local events. We have attended the Ballroom Waterfires! They are a lot of fun of dancing in the street of Providence to a live band! There are performances by local groups such as the Brown University Team and Providence Swings. We also will coordinate events to go to the local clubs such as Platforms & Black Rep Salsa Clubs. We have even attended the Boston Ryles Club. We will go to the local college dances such as URI, Johnson & Wales, Roger Williams, MIT and WPI.
International Institute
We have done a formation dance with Johnson and Wales University for two years. It is a great dancing opportunity for the Spring Festival at the International Institute.
Showcase
We have an annual Showcase at the end of the spring semester typically at the end of May or beginning of June. This is a great opportunity for our dancers to show off what they have been learning. Everyone finds their own partner, chooses their own song and are responsible to choreograph it. The more advanced dancers help out those who need help. This event has had great success and is a great time for family to see our Club really show off some awesome moves that we can not do on the social dance floor such as lifts and dips for some of the performances. Light refreshments are always provided. Take a peek at our video of some of our previous showcases.
