The Claremont Colleges Ballroom Dance Company

Following on the heels of a very successful performance Saturday at the LA Live art gallery opening, the Claremont Colleges Ballroom Dance Company invites you to join us this Friday, November 2 for a Halloween Masquerade Ball (free admission)!

The event will begin with a (free!) dance lesson from 8-9 by director Paul Roach and will continue through the night with a variety of music to cover everyone's favorite dances. Then, at 10:30pm, get ready for an improved reprise of the awesome performances from Saturday evening! The sultry tango and sexy samba make their return to the ballroom in true style; we hope you enjoy the show!

Come in costume, makeup, mask (this is a masquerade after all) and whatever other unique Halloween attire you can muster. Expect exciting food, refreshments, Halloween style decor, and DJing. Really, what better way to end the Halloween season than conjuring some of those all-hallows spirits with music and spectacular dance moves.

Register online at Facebook.

Come enjoy 2 hours of refreshments, live latin music, and a performance by the Claremont Colleges Ballroom Dance Company at the opening of LA Live: Contemporary Art in Los Angeles.

The opening is taking place at the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery at Scripps College, right off the corner of 11th and Columbia (#22 on the Scripps college map).

Real, non-alcoholic refreshments will accompany the sounds of Sombra Quieta, and the art installation is quite interesting as well. Come! Enjoy!

The Claremont Colleges Ballroom Dance Company will be performing at 8pm on the courtyard outside - a sultry tango and an sexy samba! Come see our first performance of the year and get a preview for the Masquerade Ball next week :)

(first performance of new director Paul Roach's choreography!)

Register on the Facebook Event.

There’s a new sheriff in town. Or, at least, a new teacher in the ballroom.

With the start of the new school year, Paul Roach has stepped into the position of Ballroom Director. Having risen from the post of CCBDC President he held last spring, Paul had some definite ideas about what he wanted to accomplish in the ballroom and beyond it.

Paul:

Coming in I knew that we had a phenomenal program--I’ve never encountered a program that so many people have such a passion for, and I think that if we direct that enthusiasm in the right direction, we will accomplish some amazing things. Not only will we continue to be a world-class performance and competitive ensemble, but we can use that to give back to and improve the community in ways that have not previously been explored. Whether it’s helping start dance programs at other colleges, teaching young children to dance, giving Claremont Colleges students places to dance, or providing Claremont Colleges students with financial and social access to social and competitive dancing, I know this program has a lot to offer. And that’s just off the top of my head.

This week we introduce a new feature to the Claremont Ballroom Webspace - the Dancer of the Week feature. Each week we'll feature a different dancer, and hopefully get around most of the company by year end. This week we're meeting Kelly Hewitt, a senior at Scripps College and the 2007-2008 Senior President.

“So, Kelly, when did you start dancing with Claremont Colleges Ballroom Dance Company (CCBDC)?” I ask her as we step out of the ballroom after our rigorous two-hour rehearsal on Friday morning. She looks impressively pulled together and energetic, but, then again, she’s a pro—“I started classes first semester of my freshman year, and then joined Campus team the next semester,” she replies modestly.

Since then, Kelly has moved her way up in the company contributing exstensive amounts of time, effort, quality dancing, and stellar ideas. She joined Tour team in her sophomore year, and her junior year became not only Secretary and Dancing with the Claremont Stars Coordinator, but also performed in the legendary Bond medley, helping CCBDC cement its 5th National Collegiate Formation Championship.

All of her accomplishments and dedication are added to the fact that now, in her senior year, Kelly has taken on the role of Senior President of CCBDC. But while her dancing accomplishments have been vital to her success, perhaps even more crucial to Presidential role is her personable attitude and cheery sense of humor – she’s never without a smile or a friendly word.
Which is why it is easy to say that the company missed Kelly dearly this past semester while she studied abroad in Seville, Spain. A dancer at heart, she added some Flamenco to her repertoire of Tap, Jazz, Hip Hop, and Ballet during her time there. With all of her experience, it’s no wonder that, along with her dual major of Politics and Public Policy at Scripps, she is also a Dance minor.

To say that Kelly Hewitt is very involved at the Claremont Colleges would be an understatement—she is not only the President of CCBDC, but also the Head Manager of the Scripps Store, a student member of the Board of Trustees, the student coordinator for Campus Communities United for Justice, and staff for the Scripps College Summer Academy.

Somehow, with all of her responsibilities, she still finds time to be wholeheartedly enthusiastic about ballroom dance. “I’m most excited for the Claremont Dance Festival,” coming up in late November, “because it will be a great opportunity to meet other teams—and it will be just like a four-day dance party!”

And despite her already overwhelming commitment to the CCBDC, Kelly’s eagerness to dance for an entire four days is one of the reasons the CCBDC is so glad to have her back as President. And as she dashes off to conduct another meeting, the certain purpose in her step makes it seem obvious that she’s the right dancer for the job.

The Claremont Colleges Ballroom Dance Company is pleased to announce the first annual Claremont Dance Festival. Commencing Thursday, November 28th, and lasting until Sunday, December 2nd, the Claremont Dance Festival will be a celebration of all forms of partner dancing, including ballroom, latin, social, salsa, swing, and argentine tango.

With two full days of dance workshops (Friday and Saturday), anyone can learn to dance during the festival and the events at night make the lessons well worth it! Dinner dances, a formal ball, Dancing with the Claremont Stars, and a Intercollegiate Night will keep you dancing all weekend long, and performances by your five-time undefeated national collegiate formation champions the Claremont Colleges Ballroom Dance Company will give you a chance to rest your feet and watch some world class formation dancesport.

Keep checking back for more information, including a chance to buy discounted tickets in advance. If you would like more information, please contact Rob Donnelly (PO '09), the Chair of the Event, or Paul Roach, the Director of the Claremont Colleges Ballroom Dance Company.

Auditions Wednesday night blew everyone away, both in terms of the sheer number of dancers auditioning (around 80 follows and 30 leads), and by the huge amount of talent exhibited -- often from people who started ballroom dancing only 2 weeks ago! Read more for the full results.

This Wednesday (9/19) the Claremont Colleges Ballroom Company will be hosting try-outs for students who are interested in joining the ballroom team. Tryouts will begin at 10pm in the Edmunds Ballroom, and students should be prepared to dance a cha-cha. Monday (9/17) there will be an optional cha-cha review session 10-11 in the ballroom for anyone who wants to practice dancing and get feedback from members of team.

Unlike past semesters, the team is looking to take on a large number of new members – perhaps as many as 30 or 40 new people. There are spaces for members with all levels of commitment. So if you have any interest in joining team PLEASE come out, we need you!

On Friday, September 14th, Claremont McKenna’s McKenna Auditorium was hot and crowded with dancing students and booming music. Though from the outside this sounded like any typical party night, inside a whole different set of moves were in progress. Red cups attempted to camouflage the revolution in process, but thirsty students preferred cold H20, preferring to keep their senses about them as they moved to the hot and sultry latin sounds of the Claremont Colleges Ballroom Dance Company’s (CCBDC) opening Salsa and Social dance. Spins, twirls, and dips covered the floor as students put their new (or old) dance skills to use.

The Claremont Colleges Ballroom Dance Company Presents:

The Year-Opening Salsa and Social Dance Party [facebook].

Come to the Claremont McKenna Auditorium [map] for a fun night of free social dancing this Friday, September 14! There's a free salsa lesson by the new Ballroom Dance Director Paul Roach and his partner Sara Gaynor at 8:00 pm -- beginners are welcome, and there's no need to bring a partner. Following the lesson, general dancing ensues from 9:00 until midnight.

Fun games and snacks provided!!!

Come learn about the Ballroom Dance team and other social dancing opportunities on the Claremont Colleges. And make sure you don't miss team demonstrations by some of the CCBDC's top dancers, starting at 10:00!

For more information, email CCBDC Vice President Jay Daigle.

Want to meet new people from across the 5Cs? Or to move like on "Dancing with the Stars?" Join one of the 9 ballroom classes offered through the 5C PE program. Four beginning classes to choose from, and three great styles - social, standard and latin. Classes start the first week of school. Not yet registered? Show up the first day even if it's full. Girls bring a guy, and guys bring a friend!

All class times and locations listed in the 5C course list.

For more information: Paul.Roach@pomona.edu