It’s just a jump to the left . . .

‘ ‘ ‘ Holly Forsberg and Chelsea Holmes led a warm-up from the front of the room. While heavy… ‘ ‘ ‘ Holly Forsberg and Chelsea Holmes led a warm-up from the front of the room. While heavy bass blasted from the back of Trees Hall’s second-floor ballet studio, the two made wide circles with their hips as seven rows of students followed their lead. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Don’t hold yourself so stiffly!’ Forsberg shouted over her shoulder. ‘Get loose, roll your hips!’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Her ponytail swished in counterpoint to her hips, while the class members did their best to imitate her relaxed stance, laughing good-naturedly at their reflections. ‘ ‘ ‘ Welcome to Party Dance, maybe the most unique class at Pitt. ‘ ‘ ‘ Created several years ago by Susan Gillis Kruman, the head of Pitt’s dance department, Party Dance is meant to boost the waning dance courage of our generation. ‘ ‘ ‘ According to Courseweb, ‘The class will focus on generic dance movements that you can use in social dance situations. Hip-hop, line dances like the Electric Slide and Achey-Breaky and free form styles will be highlighted. Understanding rhythm and moving rhythmically will also be included. Learn how to learn dance so you can feel confident at weddings, house parties and clubs. This is strictly for non-dancers that want to become dance confident.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ The class was broken down into distinct segments ‘mdash; after a general dance warm-up that included neck rolls, pelvic thrusts and lunges, the class moved to crunches and stretching. Finally, the class of 40 grouped itself into five lines on one side of the room. Forsberg took the floor. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘We’re going to get started with some simple stuff. What you’re going to do is step, jump, step, jump, step, jump.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ As she said it, she demonstrated the move ‘mdash; starting with her feet together she took a sprightly step to her right, bringing her left foot over and adding a small jump to finish with both feet together. Her arms opened to the side and closed in front for the jump, adding a distinctly early ’90s feel to her rhythm. She repeated the move, this time starting with her left foot so that she moved energetically across the floor in a zig-zag pattern. ‘ ‘ ‘ There were mumbles of disbelief from the rows, someone snorted and giggled. Small knots of people crossed their arms and followed the pattern of Forsberg’s feet with a determined look on their faces. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Are you kidding me,’ a girl asked incredulously. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘I’m screwed,’ someone laughed. ‘ ‘ ‘ The point of the exercises is to build basic rhythm, to break dancing down into logical, cohesive chunks. But that is not an easy task. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘It’s hard to break down a dance to teach it ‘mdash; it takes a while to introduce something completely new,’ said Forsberg. ‘But I think that they now have a respect for how hard dancing really is. It often looks really easy but then …’ she trailed off. ‘It’s hard.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Forsberg worked her way back to the group. ‘Step, jump, step, jump, step, jump, OK?’ she faced the class. ‘And if I see anyone just jumping, I will point you out and laugh, so get it right,’ she said, garnering a happy ‘boo’ from the class members, some bouncing their hips while Holmes turned on the music. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘First group, go!’ Forsberg yelled. The first line made its way across the floor, buoyed by chatter coming from the lines waiting their turn, friends egging them on. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Yeah, Amy!’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘C’mon, Krista!’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘Look at Steven,’ a couple of guys laughed, ‘he looks so excited.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ There were few faces that didn’t look excited. Beyond self-deprecation and some voiced self-doubt, the half-boy, half-girl demographic appeared equally glad to be step-jumping across the studio, some improvising a bit of hip gyration as they went, clowning for their friends. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘The goal is to get people comfortable ‘mdash; to be comfortable moving their hips and to be comfortable dancing. And I think most of them really want to do it,’ said Forsberg. ‘We’re always at capacity, not that I want to play it up, but the people who take this class want to be here.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Waiting her turn to cross the floor, junior Krista Helsel explained that Party Dance was a break from the norm. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘With all my other classes, this one keeps me sane ‘mdash; it’s just fun. No one judges you because no one can dance,’ she laughed. Her friends nodded. ‘ ‘ ‘ This is the appeal of Party Dance. It is made quite clear that one’s company will be made up entirely of ‘non-dancers’ who would like to be able to dance. Pulling toward that common goal accompanied by such classic standards as ‘The Hustle,’ ‘Thriller’ and even ‘Single Ladies’ makes the weekly class a refreshing change from the normal grind of homework ‘mdash; here, the material is directly applicable to one’s social life. ‘ ‘ ‘ ”The Hustle’ came on at a party I was at last weekend, and I legitimately started doing it,’ said junior Lorraine Fowler. ‘I don’t take dance too seriously, and I’m horrible, but I love this class.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘When it’s time to get up and walk up the hill, I always think, ‘I could just skip it,” said junior Carly Werner. ‘But once I get up here and we get into lines, it puts me in such a good mood.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ That the class is taught by two fellow students only serves to increase the class’s appeal. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘I think it’s better with student teachers,’ said senior Amy Wierzchowski. ‘It’s structured but it’s not strict, it’s really laid back.’ ‘ ‘ ‘ Senior Colin Gorman nodded. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘We were just looking to have fun and take a dance class. I love it ‘mdash; it’s so chill,’ he said. ‘ ‘ ‘ An enjoyable class is just what Forsberg and Holmes want to create. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘We want to have as much fun as they do,’ said Forsberg. ‘ ‘ ‘ The two welcome as many people who want to come. Though the official cap is 40 people, when Forsberg and Holmes taught Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller,’ 52 people showed up. While it sounds like pandemonium in the making, ‘We tell them the rules and then keep the class flexible,’ said Forsberg. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘It makes people more comfortable if we’re having a good time, too,’ said Holmes. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘The more goofy we are and the more fun we’re having, the better the atmosphere is. People feel like they can break loose and dance,’ added Forsberg. ‘ ‘ ‘ She and Holmes sat on the studio’s bleachers after class, both red-faced after teaching a hip-hop dance. Covering styles that range from Latin to West Coast swing to Bhangra and modern, Party Dance introduces a new style every week, making use of community instructors or fellow dance minors to add a different flair. ‘ ‘ ‘ Though people have their favorite nights, ‘Thriller’ and ‘Wedding Dances’ ranking as top choices, Party Dance’s lessons can often be seen in use in the bars on Thursday and Friday nights. Keep your eyes peeled. And your hips shaking.