Having a Ball

Allen Hall was transformed into a ballroom on Friday night for the twelfth annual Barnabas Ballroom and Buffet. The annual dance, put on by Canterbury House, gave students the opportunity to learn different types of dances, from the waltz and the swing to the samba.

Saul Cornell and Darlene Siciliano, dance instructors from Altamonte Springs, started the evening by demonstrating the techniques of the different types of ballroom dances, after which all the students came out onto the dance floor to go through the dances. "I really liked how they brought in people from outside of the school to teach us," said Dayna Etter, a first-year music major.

Sims Kline, the faculty associate for Canterbury House, said that Cornell, the past president of the Central Florida chapter of the USA dance association, has been participating in the dance, affiliated with the St. Barnabas Church, for many years. Cornell has been active in dance for years as well as in various music venues as both a luthier and a member of the Florida Symphony orchestra.

The first hour of the dance was the instruction, during which Cornell and Siciliano taught dances from. The beginning of the night focused on the technique of many dances, such as the waltz, swing, and meringue. As the evening went on, many new dances were learned that proved to be entertaining as well challenging, but nevertheless enjoyable. "It was a lot of fun learning new dances and the instructors were very entertaining," said first-year music performance major Allison Conkling. "It was nice to do something other than music." Plenty of refreshments and food were available for those who worked up an appetite while dancing.

Much of the dances focused more on the Latin side of dancing as opposed to more classical dances, such as the waltz. There was energy throughout the Latin dances that proved to be quite palpable as students danced around the floor to the samba and the meringue. "I loved learning the Latin dances," said Sarah Anderson, a first-year music performance major, a sentiment that seemed to be quite popular with many others.

After the first hour, the lights were dimmed and "Club Barnabas" began, during which more contemporary music was played. ("Thriller" seemed to be particularly popular). Overall the experience of the Barnabas Ballroom and Buffet was an enjoyable combination of learning different types of new dances followed by the more contemporary music of Club Barnabas. "It was the first time the dance was held around Valentine's Day," said sophomore music education major and president of Canterbury House, Lauren Woodall. "It is usually held in October. But it went a lot better this year than in previous years." The Barnabas Ballroom and Buffet is a Canterbury House tradition that is sure to be an enjoyable experience for many years to come.