Ballroom Before Ballroom Was Cool
The Harvard Ballroom Dance Team and Harvard-Radcliffe Ballroom Dance Club were founded ten years ago by two couples, Quan Vu and Jennifer Gonzalez and Chris Brengel and Beth Mitchell, who sought to find a creative outlet for their love of dance.
Within three years, the team quickly established itself as one of the premier dancesport teams in the country, posting major victories over Yale and Catholic University.
By 1994, the team had taken its show overseas and attended the International Intercontinental Dancesport Festival in England, defeating not only the top American teams, but British powerhouses Oxford and Imperial College as well.
The team boasted an undefeated record the next year, and Alex and Jennifer Fung '97 won the first of two National 10-dance Championships.
But it was the 1996-97 season that defined Harvard Ballroom in many ways. By this time, the recent resurgence of swing had taken its hold on the country. Bands like the Brian Setzer Orchestra, Squirrel Nut Zipper, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and the Cherry Poppin' Daddies led the rise of the oldtime blend of jazz and blues.
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