Students shuffled across the dance floor to the beat of the music. Some were swinging. Some were waltzing. But all were learning how to become more comfortable with dancing outside of the classroom.
Last Friday, students from the social dance workshop, an advanced social dance class taught by Phillip Martin, organized the bi-annual Social Dance Party in the University Student Union Ballroom.
“The importance of the dance social is to make it a habit for the students to get used to going out to dance and to keep dancing for life,” Martin said.
Students in the class are required to organize the party as part of their grade.
Martin started teaching dance classes at Cal State Long Beach in 1971. Some of his past students have been known to improve their grades in other courses during and after the class.
“Over the years, I have noticed that dancing has a very positive effect on people,” Martin said. “Dancing has socialization, music and exercise. Put those three things together and it has a positive effect on people’s ability to study.”
There are many types of dances that can be classified as social dance. Martin said social dance is a broad term for ballroom dancing, but can also include dances such as samba, waltz, salsa, swing and polka.
Senior psychology major Daniel Orozco has been taking Martin’s social dance class for two semesters.
“His teaching style is very clear, there’s a lot of variety in his class,” Orozco said. “You also get to meet a lot of people.”
Senior psychology major Diana Parmar has taken classes such as salsa, social dance and the social dance workshop with Martin.
“[Martin’s] classes are really fun and he is a great instructor,” Parmar said. “He goes through all the steps in detail, which is especially good for beginners. His class is also great for intermediate dancers because it allows them to practice.”
Martin has conducted personal research on the benefits of dancing. He has produced many DVDs and videos on his findings, along with dance lessons. Some of his films won awards from the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD). His films were also among the American finalists of the AAHPERD.
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