About

Bates Ballroom Dance was first established in 1994 at Bates College. Since that time, many dancers have come and gone, but the team remains committed to teaching ballroom dance to anyone who is willing and interested in learning. Our website is geared towards the collegiate dancer, but we hope many more in the ballroom community will find this knowledge useful.

Bates Ballroom offers a beginner’s class on Mondays at 7PM in Merrill 91. Bates P.E. credit can be earned if all classes of the semester are attended. The focus during these classes is on social dances — swing, waltz, foxtrot, rumba, and cha-cha. Anyone who wants to learn at a faster pace is invited to attend the team practices.

Team practice takes place Mondays at 8:30-10:00PM in Merrill 91 and Wednesdays from 9PM-10PM in the large dance studio during the school year. We also offer American silver practices on Wednesdays from 7PM-8PM followed by a standard class from 8PM-9PM. Interested team members may attend ballroom competitions. We generally compete at inter-collegiate competitions in the Boston area.

For more information on what ballroom is about and specific dances, see So You Want to Know About Ballroom.