Hi Team!
Happy Sunday! Today we had a wonderful lesson on the International Waltz and International Cha Cha from Steve and Susan! If you missed it or need a refresher, be sure to come to DTS or the review lesson this week! MichComp is right around the corner, so make sure you’re practicing and asking our upper level team members all of your pressing questions. Keep scrolling for all of our MichComp announcements, fun activities, and the Meet the C Team.
Announcements for Everyone:
- Michcomp Hosting: We are still looking for extra housing spots to offer visiting teams for MichComp! Please fill out this form to help host our friends on other teams AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
- Michcomp Registration: Registration for MichComp 2025 is open! Come compete with us at our home competition on April 5th. More information, along with registration, can be found in the email Nate will send out or on our website right here. If you are still looking for a partner, remember to check the TBA spreadsheet here.
- Shoutouts: We will be having shoutouts in our program at MichComp! This is a great way to support your friends on the team! It consists of a message and an optional photo. You can/should also send this to your parents if they’d be interested. The cost is $20 per shoutout. If you’re interested, fill out this form. The due date is 3/29.
- Laser Tag: We will be going to Best in Games this Saturday 3/29 around 3PM. If you’re interested in going, check out the different options here and fill out this form to get/give a ride by Wednesday 3/26 to go. Contact Johny with any questions.
- SAPAC: Stay tuned for an email from Anna if you did not do SAPAC last semester (or if you weren’t on the team then). This is a MANDATORY part of being on the team, the deadline for completing this semester’s form is next Monday, 3/31!
- Elections: Ballroom board elections are coming up! Elections for the new board will be held at our EOS party on April 19th. Nominations are due on April 5th at 11:59 pm and platforms will be distributed to the team on the 6th. If you are interested in running for the board, be sure to read the overview of each board position and the election information.
- Ice Skating: We will be going to ice skating at Yost Sunday 3/30 from 1:30-2:50 before the newcomer lesson, when it definitely won’t get canceled again. We hope to see you there!
- Themed DTS: Themed DTS every Wednesday. This Wednesday’s theme is pajama day! Wear your pajama pants, sweatpants, oversized t-shirts, etc.
- Partner Search: If you want to find a partner to practice and/or compete with, please look at this partner search sheet for you to find a partner on.
- W25 Approved Teachers: We recommend only asking for help regarding dance moves and technique from a list of couples approved by Steve and Susan. See the list here.
- W25 Competition Schedule: Check here for the dates of the competitions we’ll be attending this semester.
- Feedback Form: Do you have any questions, comments, or concerns about the team? We want to hear from you! Let us know by talking to a board member or by using the team’s anonymous feedback form on our website. Anything you report to us is 100% confidential.
- Other Practice Spaces: IMSB room schedule here. The Ballroom Dance Club lesson/open dance schedule here.
This Week’s Schedule…
Monday 3/24
9:30-11:30 pm: Open Practice at DTS
Tuesday 3/25
9:30-11:30 pm: Open Practice at DTS
Wednesday 3/26
10 pm-12 am: Open Practice at DTS, wear your PJs!
Thursday 3/27
9-11 pm: Newcomer lesson and guided practice at the IMSB
9:30-11:30 pm: Open Practice at DTS
Friday 3/28
Take a rest day!
Saturday 3/29
3 pm: Laser Tag at B.I.G.
Sunday 3/30
1:30 – 2:50 pm: Ice Skating at Yost!
3-5 pm: Newcomer Lesson in the IMSB
6-9 pm: Ballroom Club in the Union Ballroom
Meet the C Team
Allen and Lex
Allen is a senior majoring in Computer Science, and this is his fourth semester on the team. His favorite dance is Merengue. Not so fun fact: he gets extremely nervous when talking to people! Lex is a senior studying Mechanical Engineering, and this is her fifth semester on the team. She enjoys Samba and Quickstep. Fun fact: she loves mini chocolate chip cookies from Costco and will love you if you give her some!
Shimon and Zeynep
Shimon is a graduate student in Southeast Asian Studies, and this is his sixth semester on the team. His favorite dance is Jive. Fun fact: while researching in Cambodia, he was bitten by a monkey, got into a minor motorcycle accident, and was asked for a bribe at the Thailand border! Zeynep is new to the team, studying Political Science. She once accidentally started an international debate on Twitter over the best way to eat a mango. Her tweet got 50,000 likes, and people are still arguing about it!
Jeremy and Ala
Jeremy is a graduate student pursuing a Master’s in Electrical and Computer Engineering, and this is his fifth semester on the team. His favorite dance is Samba. Fun fact: his dad is Jewish, his mom is atheist, and he went to Catholic school for six years! Ala is a graduate student in Biomedical Engineering, and she has been on the team since Winter 2023. Her favorite dance is Quickstep. Fun fact: she has never had an energy drink in her life!
Ethan and Maddie
Ethan is a junior majoring in Computer Science, and this is his fourth semester on the team. He once “accidentally” deleted his entire class’s final project code while trying to “optimize” it, miraculously, his own backup was the only one that survived! Maddie is a junior studying Environmental Science, and she is in her third semester on the team. Their favorite dance is still up for debate! Fun fact: Maddie once spent a summer tracking sea turtles in Costa Rica!
Freddy and Liliana
Freddy is a senior majoring in Statistics, and this is his sixth semester on the team. His favorite dance is Samba. Fun fact: his parents are named William and Kate, just like the British royals! Liliana is a junior double majoring in Social Theory & Practice and Latina/o Studies on a pre-law track. This is her third semester on the team. Her favorite dance is International Cha Cha. She once tried to teach her Roomba how to dance by playing salsa music and guiding it around the room, now it only cleans in perfect rhythm.
Grant and Carmen
Grant is a senior majoring in Spanish, and this is his third semester on the team. His favorite dance is Quickstep. He sleepwalks so much that his roommates once found him in the hallway, mid-sentence, trying to explain the plot of a telenovela to a coat rack. Carmen is a sophomore majoring in Political Science, and this is her third semester on the team. Her favorite dance is American Foxtrot. Fun fact: she built a treehouse with her dad when she was 10!
Jo and Marie
Jo is a graduate student pursuing a Master’s in Robotics, and this is his second semester on the team. His favorite dance is Latin. Fun fact: he enjoys traveling and backpacking on his motorcycle! Marie is a junior majoring in Art and Design, and this is her sixth semester on the team. Her favorite dance is Smooth Waltz. Fun fact: she teaches art and creative writing lessons to kids on Saturdays!
I said it during lesson today, but I wanted to include a thank you to those who were not present: I appreciate all of the fantastic work this team has been doing to help us prepare for MichComp. Those who helped us with advertising and who have been working on committee are doing such a fantastic job and I couldn’t be more grateful. We really couldn’t do it without you guys, so thank you. I also want to extend a special thanks to Johny, Anna, and Nate for taking on so much of the MichComp planning with the committee, and Marie for her wonderful work with the poster and program design. As always, please let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you this week!
Love,
Nicolette
MBDT President