Most people think pretzels are food. They are, but they can be much more. Pretzels are also salsa moves where dancers twist and tangle their bodies together without letting go of each other's hands. It's similar to the game Twister, only sexier.
"It's difficult, but it can be a lot of fun," Sarah Mangelsdorf, director of dance at Ball State University, said.
The growing popularity of social dancing has prompted the Department of Theatre and Dance to sponsor a salsa dance workshop open to all students Saturday.
"A lot of students have indicated an interest in learning how to do salsa dancing," Mangelsdorf said. "If students would like to try it, [the workshop] is fun and inexpensive and a comfortable setting [to learn]."
Social, or ballroom, dancing has enjoyed a renewed public interest with the help of television dance competition shows, such as "Dancing with the Stars" and "So You Think You Can Dance," she said. Indianapolis nightclubs have embraced the trend by declaring salsa, hip-hop and swing dance nights, Mangelsdorf said.
On March 3, Late Nite brought a popular Latin band from Chicago to play music while students learned how to salsa dance.
"[Salsa dancing] is fun, it's lively and it also gives students a taste of another culture," Mangelsdorf said.
Junior Brandaun Allen said he first learned about the salsa workshop through mass university e-mails. He said he planned to attend Saturday's classes.
"I like to dance, and salsa dancing is fun," Allen said. "I haven't really learned professionally, but I was in show choir, and we learned a little bit of salsa dancing there."
Master dance teacher Dawn Dyson and professional salsa instructor Tony Platero will teach a beginning class from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. in Ball Gym Room 213, also known as the Korsgaard Dance Studio, Mangelsdorf said. Then, they will instruct a more advanced continuation of the beginning class from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the same location.
Students will learn salsa moves together in front of mirrors on the studio walls, she said. They are not required to bring a dance partner, but students are advised to wear comfortable clothes that they can move well in, Mangelsdorf said. Female students might want to wear full skirts, she said.
The price of one class is $10, and the price of both is $15, Mangelsdorf said. Students can register and pay at the workshops or Mangelsdorf's office, Ball Gym Room 203.
Dyson, a Ball State alumna, moved to Los Angeles after graduation to pursue a career in dance, Mangelsdorf said. Dyson worked with a professional folk dance ensemble for 10 years before teaching dance at a public elementary school where she became a master dance teacher and dance education specialist, Mangelsdorf said.
Platero, who also lives in Los Angeles, has been involved in the salsa dancing scene for the past 15 years, Mangelsdorf said. He was a featured dancer in the Showtime original series "Resurrection Blvd." and a finalist in amateur and professional levels of Mayan salsa competitions, she said.
"Their main goal in teaching is to give students confidence and to make sure they have fun," Mangelsdorf said.
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