Behind the Scenes of the Swing Dance Club

By: Honor Tamminga

Photographed by: Zinash Ekey

Mark Berglin wasn’t planning on being president of the Swing Dance Club. However, when the club’s previous president graduated and the club was on the verge of ending, Berglin stepped up to the plate. It has certainly paid off, as the club remains one of the largest on campus.

Berglin and his fellow officers of George Fox University’s Swing Dance Club have a lot to do. Every Saturday, they have the job of organizing and leading approximately 40 people as they learn how to dance, sometimes for the first time ever.

President Mark Berglin and Vice President Abigail Reeves photographed by Zinash Ekey.

The Swing Dance cabinet—a team of about six people who work together on teaching, budgeting, and organizing—is responsible for everything, from reserving spaces to planning lessons. In order to keep the Swing Dance Club running smoothly, Berglin said, “there’s a lot of delegation.” This year, the club continues to offer lessons to both beginner and intermediate dancers, as well as opportunities for the very best to show off their skills. And Berglin said that the club plans on collaborating with Student Activities over the course of the year.

With all their plans, the officers have to master coordinating with others. Berglin says he does a lot of emailing and communicating with various parties to make sure that a space is reserved for the club to meet, someone is going to provide water, any tables needed are reserved, etc.

Apart from the logistics of organizing the club, one of the challenges that club leaders face on a weekly basis is teaching the new learners.

Caleb Wood, who helps teach lessons, said that when he is teaching someone new, he has to start small. “Once they can get the basic step down, and can do it without looking at their feet, it goes really well,” Wood said. “And then at that point it gets really easy to teach them almost anything.”

“It’s kind of fun seeing people start from the very beginning and then they make progress,” Berglin agreed.

With so many moving parts, the task of pulling off even one night of dancing is immense. Planning an entire year for the Swing Dance Club is an even more arduous task. Yet, Mark and the rest of the team know how important the club is. They have learned how to work effectively and execute the weekly club meetings, while maintaining an inclusive environment that encourages trying new things, learning, and ultimately, having fun.