Pleasant Hill students hit the ballroom
PLEASANT HILL, Ore.--Four pairs of teeangers twirl across the floor. The girls are in high heels, the boys in soft soled shoes. A waltz booms out from a set of speakers.
It doesn't sound like a typical high school class. It's not. These aren't normal high school students either. They're ballroom dancers, enrolled in a ballroom dancing class at Pleasant Hill High School.
Noting that this type of class is rare, junior Matthew Pinella said, "I wish they would, because people who try it, love it."
Pinella and his classmates first tried ballroom dancing in junior high, when their teacher, Mary Stevenson, taught them a few moves for school dances.
Stevenson happened to be taking a job at the high school the same year the students were promoted to high school. The once weekly class was born. The students have also formed a competitive team.
"It's pretty awesome," said Lorianne Morris, a senior. "Some people have no idea what high school students can do."
Morris added jaws usually drop when they perform.
The students dance a variety of styles, including waltz, tango and swing (east and west coast versions).
"It's fun to see them grow and be more interested in the dance but it's also wonderful to see them blossom as human beings," said Stevenson.
Ballroom dancing's popularity has increased in recent years, following popular reality shows like Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance--but they've been dancing before. Stevenson said her inspiration is the 2005 documentary Mad, Hot Ballroom, which follows New York City elementary school students learning ballroom.
They're currently practicing for a fundraiser on Saturday, February 7, where they'll perform with their teachers.
The money will help pay for travel expenses to a dance competition in Los Angeles.
The fundraiser is at 7 p.m. at Pleasant Hill High School.
Pre-sale tickets are $5 children, $10 adults. Tickets are $15 at the door.
