“People get into it really quickly—they don’t necessarily pick up on breakdancing quickly, but they get our whole vibe fast,” he said.

The steps are demanding, but taking the plunge to pass from observer to dancer only comes with time, Lim said.

“There wasn’t so much teaching, but more me watching and joining in,” he said. “We all developed our own personal styles. Anyone can do it.”

Basic steps are taught, but it is the laid-back atmosphere at the practice sessions which leads to breakthroughs in dancing style, according to McFarland.

“There are no formal drills. We never say, ‘Do a headstand,’ ‘Do 10 pushups,’” he said. “There are no requirements, you just have to do it. It’s just about having fun.”

Though the sessions are marked by mutual support, a spirit of competition is what keeps them fueled.

“I liked the competition and battle aspect,” McFarland said of his first impressons of breakdancing. Now, he tries to ensure that members are always working for up-coming competitions against other dancers.

In break-dancing competitions, members of different teams come forward in a rotation to demonstrate their skills, as a background of hip hop music plays nonstop.

“Everyone knows intuitively who’s won,” Lim said.

Do a Little Dance

As breakdancing tries to reestablish itself firmly at Harvard this summer, ballroom dance seems to have a more certain future at the college.

“It’s been going on always and forever,” said Mildred M. Yuan ’04, who is the Harvard Ballroom team president, and is teaching a swing class this summer.

Salsa and Merengue, Social Latin—Cha-cha and Rumba, and Waltz and Tango are the other three classes being offered. They all take place weekly at Lowell Lecture Hall, where anyone—even those not affiliated with Harvard—may pay a $30 to join for the summer.

They have been popular so far, bringing in from 30 to 60 students each. Yuan, who is also a Crimson editor, said these numbers are “pretty comparable” to those brought in during school year classes.

“The summer classes are just an extension of the classes we teach during the year,” she said.