BYU NewsNet - BYU campus gets a small taste of Spain

Vivir, cantar, bailar! Clicking castanets and curly crimson costumes will welcome in the Spanish-themed feature medley for this year’s ballroom concert.

BYU’s celebrated Ballroom Dance Company, comprising over 150 performers, will light up the Marriott Center with their annual concert today and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 for evening shows and $10 for the Saturday matinee at 2 p.m., available via the Marriott Center Ticket Office, online at byutickets.com or over the phone at (801)422-BYU1 or 1-800- 322-BYU1.

This year’s show, titled “Viva España,” will highlight a Spanish medley of the same name. After this weekend’s performance, the medley will be retired, having originated as a competition piece the touring team took to Blackpool, England, two years ago.

This touring team has been acclaimed by The Washington Post’s George Jackson for their excellence “not just in formation maneuvers but in unison step-work that’s smooth as honey.” Jackson also called their partnering for swings and lifts “seamless.”

Jesse Green, a junior from Draper, will be touring with the team for the first time this year and hopes audiences will enjoy the program this weekend.

“I’m excited for this year’s setup,” Green said, “The finale will have a Spanish theme, but people will still be getting a variety of different numbers throughout the whole show.”

Variety is perhaps one of the most distinct qualities of ballroom dance. From the smooth foxtrot to the robust paso doble, dancers must be able to present many different styles and inject their own personalities into the dance.

“That’s one of the most important aspects of it,” said Kaelynne Hill, a School of Family Life major who is working toward a minor in ballroom dance and is in her second year on the company’s touring team. “Everyone brings a unique spirit to the dance. You’ve got to adopt an overall attitude of unity … and recognize the correlation between art and life.”