Scene and Heard: Gettin’ Jiggy Without Juice

The SOCH was bouncin’ last Thursday night with a juice bar, platters loaded with b.good sliders, and a dance floor full of freshmen eager to learn some new moves for the Snowball, the freshman winter formal held the next day in the Boston Park Plaza Hotel. The fun was, of course, completely dry. After all, this was “How To Dance Sober,” an event hosted by DAPA, whose funds are used to support safe, alcohol-free social events across campus.

The event featured three of Harvard’s dance groups: Harvard Ballroom, Harvard Breakers, and Expressions. Representatives from each taught attendees how to get down and dirty (the sober, non-messy way).

“In DAPA, we’ve been floating around this idea for a couple of years,” explained event mastermind Lindsay M. Liles ’10. “We tried this as a trial run to see how students liked it.”

Melanie J. Comeau ’13 made her way over to the event with two of her friends, ready to break it down in a tank top and sweatpants. “We’re learning how to bust a move in style!” Comeau said, and added that she would definitely be using her new dance move repertoire at the formal. “The kids won’t even know what’s coming.”

Samuel Q. Singer ’13, a member of Harvard Ballroom, wasn’t teaching steps, but he decided to come and check out the moves that his teammates were sharing. “We’ve been taught a few steps of the one-step swing,” Singer said as he hung around the tables, catching a breath before going out again to learn from the Harvard Breakers.

The event was attended by roughly 40 freshmen. “It was a pretty good turn out, considering it’s snowing outside,” Liles said. For future semesters, she plans on expanding the program and presenting the idea to upperclassmen for their dances as well.