The Claremont Colleges Ballroom Dance Company

Auditions for the Claremont Colleges Ballroom Dance Company will be held at 10pm, Wednesday February 6 in Edmunds Ballroom. If you are interested in trying out for the team, we will be asking you to dance a cha-cha! To practice your moves, the CCBDC will hold a Cha-Cha Review session at 10pm Monday, February 4 in Edmunds. The CCBDC is interested in dancers of all levels, including aspiring dancers who've never hit the floor! This is a great opportunity and a lot of fun, so we encourage you to put on your dancing shoes and groove to your hearts content.

If you're interested in auditioning, please read the information for students interested in auditioning. For more information about the Claremont Colleges Ballroom Dance Company, its performances, events, and what the team is all about, please contact our Senior President, Kelly Hewitt <president@claremontballroom.org> or our Director, Paul Roach <director@claremontballroom.org>. You can also approach any current team member to hear all about the times we share, and the dances we love.

After a long winter break, the Claremont Colleges Ballroom Dance Company is pleased to invite you to our first Salsa and Social Dance Party of the semester in Edmunds Ballroom, on Friday, February 1st from 8 to midnight. This event will be a twist on our weekly salsa parties with some fun social dance mashups and games. Don't know how to dance? Have no fear! There are dancers of all levels involved and plenty of them to go around. There's also a lesson from 8-9 to start off the night! Visit our Facebook event.

The first CCBDC Performance of 2008!

This Saturday, the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery hosts its 64th Ceramic Annual- the longest running ceramic exhibit in the U.S.- and the CCBDC is performing! The reception includes free appetizers and drinks, some amazing art, and performances of Salsa, Swing, and Cha Cha by yours truly.

Don't miss our first performance featuring all new routines--yes, all new--this Saturday.

Date: Saturday, January 26, 2008
Time: 8:00-8:30pm
Location: Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery, Scripps College, at 11th and Columbia (#22 on the Scripps college map)

Register on the Facebook event.

Claremont Dance Festival
Thank you to all who participated and helped plan the first annual Claremont Dance Festival this past month. It was a huge success, drawing students from numerous Southern California colleges, Claremont Community members, and staff, faculty, and administrators of the Claremont Colleges for three days of classes and social dance parties.

Website Changes
Numerous exciting changes are coming to this website in the month of January. Check back next year for new features, information and much more.

Spring Company Auditions
Auditions for new members will be held in late January 2008. Please check back here for more information, or contact Director Paul Roach at director@claremontballroom.org for more information.

Dates Announced for Concert 2008!
In addition to numerous community performances, the spring semester will include the annual CCBDC Concert. This full length concert features a cast of 80, full costumes and over a dozen different dance styles. Concert will run May 2-4 at Big Bridges theater at Pomona College. Check back here in the spring for more information including ticket sales.

New Alumni Facebook Group
Are you a former of the Claremont Colleges Ballroom Dance Company? A new Facebook group is quickly growing and building connections between the hundreds of alumni. Visit the Facebook Alumni group for more information.

Spring Semester Begins Late January. Students and weekly events will resume in late January 2008. See you on the dance floor!

In the midst of waiting for movies to rip and DVDs to burn, I put together a mailing list for people who are in the bay areas during the holidays. Want to go dancing or talk to people in the bay area? Subscribe :) At the very least, Sara and I will be doing a lot of dancing...

Subscribe to bayareadancers

Email:

Visit this group

This weekend, the Claremont Colleges attended the National Collegiate Dancesport Championships in Columbus, Ohio and performed a Harry Potter themed Standard Medley to thunderous applause and a standing ovation. The results of their 1600+ hours of intense rehearsal and dedication and garnered praise from competitors and spectators alike, and the members of the CCBDC's nationals routine were exuberant when their 1st place victory was announced.

"This has been the longest week ever," commented Ben Jencks (Harvey Mudd '09), "but it was definitely worth it." And what a long week it was - CCBDC nationals routine members took early Friday morning flights to make it to the competition in Columbus, and spent two long days individually competing and watching the professionals at the Ohio Star Ball before taking the floor Sunday morning to win their sixth national championship.

Among the individual highlights of the weekend was the 2nd Place finish by Rob Donnelly and Kelly Hewitt in the Open Polka event. Kelly commented that she "was really inspired by my experience with the Dancing with the Claremont Stars Program - the wife of my star dances Polka with her family," and that "all the weeks of training really paid off." And coming off the Lab competition last week, Kelly also wanted to say that "no one Polkas like the CCBDC." And with a 2nd place finish in the nation, who can argue with that?

The Claremont Colleges Ballroom Company also had the joy of competing against some of its rivals on the West Coast for the first time. With UCSD's School of Rock Medley taking second place, there were mutually supportive shouts of "West Coast!" heard around the ballroom as both teams accepted their awards.

In addition to the numerous applications for information about the Claremont Colleges and the Claremont Colleges Ballroom Dance Company from prospective students and dancers alike, many spectators showed interest in the CCBDC's costuming. A first effort by new director Paul Roach, the costumes were entirely produced by the CCBDC company. Starting from undecorated tailsuits and leotards, Paul and members of his company added decoration and ornaments to produce some of the most elegant costumes seen all weekend. "I am so glad that the costumes turned out so perfectly," Paul said, "they did a great job of accenting the stunning dancing of our dancers."

Alumni from the surrounding area also came out to support the CCBDC's competitive side. Carey McDonald, Pomona '07, commented that the routine was "really great," and even took the time to provide some refreshments from his mother, for which the company is extremely grateful. "It covered nearly half our meals!" exclaimed one appreciative team member.

Asked what they were going to do next, the members of the CCBDC nationals routine responded with laughter and broke out into a latin dance number before posing for pictures. "They're a phenomenal group of people," director Paul Roach commented as he watched his students celebrate their national victory, "and I'm really going to miss sharing so much of my life with them."

Costuming Credit: Paul Roach, Lauren Wann (Scripps '10), Jane Wann, Zane Kealey (Harvey Mudd '08), Rebecca Stillwell, Ellyn Brady (Scripps '10), Mercedes Teixido (Pomona) and all the members of the CCBDC who were extra sets of hands.

Music/Choreography Credit: Paul Roach

The CCBDC would like to thank the entire Claremont Colleges community for all their support, both financially and morally, and looks forward to success in future endeavors.

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!

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