The Memorial Union Ballroom was transported to a fantasy world last Saturday night when the URI Ballroom Dancing Club held their “Dance The Yellow Brick Road†event.
Members of the club all came together to have a great time doing what they love under the theme of one of the most beloved movies of all time. The URI Ballroom Dancing Club takes pride in being able to hold social dances like these, according to Treasurer Eisen Villaluna. Despite the fact that the club has been at the university for about 20 years, it is still fairly new.
Villaluna explained that 2015 has been a “big year†for the club. Â
“This is the first year we’ve ever had a competing team,†Villaluna said. “Usually we have only one or two couples that would go to a competition and now we have five or six that will be going to one at Yale.â€
Villaluna explained how close the members are, describing themselves as “more of a community than a club.†She said that many Rhode Island colleges come to their dances and they attend theirs as well. Throughout the year, the Ballroom Dance club usually has five of these social dances a year where their members are invited to dance and get to know one another. Since it’s a social event, no practicing is required and everybody’s dance moves come off the cuff.
As for the Wizard of Oz theme, Villaluna said that their event planner coordinated the whole event. She said that “togas are overdone,†and the members decided to try something different and unique.
Attendees of the event jumped at the chance to immerse themselves in the atmosphere of the classic movie, with many of them dressing up as characters including the munchkins and the Wicked Witch of the West. The Memorial Union Ballroom was decorated with memorable Oz-related items like tornadoes, Dorothy’s ruby slippers and Emerald City-themed baked goods, bringing the old-fashioned atmosphere to life. And don’t worry; all buckets of water were kept at a safe distance.