Swapping syllabi for the stage, Brown faculty and students build connections through dance

"The biggest thing we want to see from these performers is that they're excited to be there, and that they're giving it their all on stage," said sophomore Ian Chow, co-captain of the Ballroom Dance Team.

Now in its eighth iteration, the competition returned revamped last year after a pandemic-era pause. With most of the student body encountering the event for the first time, Chow said the team aims to establish the event as a campus tradition because it offers something rare - a unique kind of student-faculty connection.

"We connect in the classroom, but a lot of the time, you don't know much about professors' lives outside of their academic work," said Chow, who competed with Associate Professor of Engineering Kareen Coulombe. "Through this, you experience relationships that I don't think you can get in any other setting."

The path to performance perfection begins nearly a year before the showcase. During the spring semester, the ballroom team meets to identify the student dancers who would like to take on the challenge. Over the summer, organizers reach out to hundreds of faculty members across departments, ultimately selecting a small group based on interest, availability and, perhaps most crucially, pairing dynamics.

"Compared to other dance styles, the fact that ballroom is partner-based is very important, because it teaches you a lot of really crucial communication skills that aren't verbal," Chow said. "It's very subtle, but you and your partner have to really be on the same wavelength."

Once the fall semester begins, Brown professors take on a new assignment. Working with their "pros," they attend introductory dance lessons and begin rehearsing with their partners, typically meeting for about an hour each week throughout the academic year. By spring, each pair has developed a routine, selected music and refined choreography. While student dancers guide technique and structure, the creative process is often collaborative. The result is a program of performances that range widely in tone and style.

At the showcase, some routines leaned into humor and playfulness, while others emphasized precision and musicality. Costumes varied just as much, with some participants pulling from the team's costume closet and others crafting their own looks to match the mood of their dance.

"I think each year is very dynamic," Chow said. "The personalities of the professors are able to shine through these performances, and they really show what the event is about."