The Claremont Colleges Ballroom Dance Company

You may not have guessed it, but David Carrington (PO ’10), tour team member, English major and occasional foosball champion, got his start in dance all the way back in the first grade— as a member of a competitive square-dancing team.

"There was an annual talent show," David explained, "and our PE teachers back in the day got a group of eight of us and trained us in the art of square-dancing ... we didn’t win. And I sorta stopped dancing from there ... I guess my little first grade self was heartbroken at not being a champion." However, he didn’t let the early disappointment stand in his way for long: "I picked it back up the summer before my senior year ... and sort of haven’t stopped since."

That may be something of an understatement. David spends, by his reckoning, an average of fifteen hours a week in the ballroom—and that’s not counting the weeks leading up to competitions, such as Nationals in Ohio or the more recent San Luis Obispo, at which he and partner Kelly Hewitt cleaned up with first- and second-place wins in at least six events. He’s a regular at Friday night Salsa Club and teaches Latin technique on Sundays. David’s investment in the community of the Claremont Colleges Ballroom Dance Company stems, he says, from his love of dance as a social art.

"I do all the hardcore technique training and technique classes and everything so that I can be a really good social dancer. I do it to fully understand what leading and following is and ... be able to lead some really cool stuff. My roots are in social dancing and I will come back to that when I leave college."

Given his dedication to social dance, it’s probably unsurprising that one of the things David likes most about CCBDC is the sense of shared interests and common pursuits. "There’s so many people who understand what I love to do. There are seventy people on team who when I’m excited about a new dance move or when I’m excited about some new choreography or a new song that I’ve heard or whatever it is ... they get excited about it too." For David, this sense of cohesion within the Claremont dance community extends further than simply sharing a favorite dance (though for the record, his is the Rumba, hands down); he believes that CCBDC provides all its members with opportunities to learn from each other to improve their technique, their knowledge of other dance forms, and generally have a ball. Regardless of skill level or hours spent practicing, David maintains, "Everyone has something to share."

As a sophomore, David still has a multitude of opportunities to share what he knows with the Claremont community—through a technique class, a Friday night party, or just a discussion with friends and teammates. His thoughtfulness, talent, and dedication leave no doubt that he will continue to be an important and essential presence within CCBDC.

"The whole culture’s great,” David said, “and that’s what it is, a culture for me."