ITMO Student
Dancing at ITMO
Dancing. What is it? For someone it is modern street hip-hop, for others it is classics from the 19th century, and for somebody, the first thing that comes to mind is an unusual contemporary style. But, undoubtedly, all agree on one thing. Dancing is magnificent!
Of course, ITMO students love dancing in all its various forms. There are many student clubs dedicated to completely different types of dance, sport teams and clubs, as well as large-scale events, all in one way or another dedicated to dancing. Below we will tell you more about each of them.
Firstly, of course, Megabattle. A huge gala concert that gathers hundreds of participants and thousands of viewers. Why "battle"? The concert involves the 4 Schools + 1 Faculty of ITMO University — School of Translational Information Technologies, Computer Technologies and Control, Biotechnology and Cryogenic Systems, Physics and Engineering, and the Faculty of Technological Management and Innovations. Each of them prepares their performance using all their imagination and creativity! An unusual dance of magical octopuses, the mesmerizing movements of spies in neon and even a terrifying dance of skeletons. Everything that you can and even cannot imagine!
You might ask — how do you get into the Megabattle? How do you participate in this concert? Is it necessary to be able to do something unreal? It is not like that at all. Firstly, the Megabattle is held every semester, so you will always have the opportunity to participate in it. The concert in the autumn semester is especially different — everyone can take part in its preparation, but only first-year students can perform on stage. Why is that? To make it very easy for those who just came to the university to join the team of all years and faculties. And secondly, the Megabattle is a family. Huge, and always open to everyone who wants to take part in the life of the university, bring victory to their School, and just have a great time meeting many wonderful people!
Secondly, let us pretend that you have already performed at the Megabattle and you really enjoyed it! What will you do to keep dancing? Any ITMO student firstly will think about the Flame dance studio.
Hip-hop, contemporary, house, locking and all kinds of modern dance imaginable — you can find all of them at this studio. Flame is divided into several groups from beginners to advanced dancers. Don’t be afraid to come to dance classes for the first time in your life. Flame’s teachers will show you the basic moves and styles, tell what kind of dance is right for you, and help join a team of beginners like you! If you have already danced before, then after passing the selection you will be given the opportunity to join the main Flame group, which performs at large venues in St. Petersburg such as the Singer House, the Eliseev House of Merchants, etc. We invite you to enjoy Flame studio’s most recent performance in this video.
Do you like dancing, but a little more unusual than the kinds Flame offers? In this case, perhaps, ITMO’s sports dance clubs are suitable for you. First is the cheerleading section. Its participants are multiple prize-winners of various national and citywide competitions. ITMO cheerleaders support all KronBars teams at important games and perform at major events such as ITMO.GO and Introduction Day!
The second club is the ballroom dancing club. Yes, there is such a thing at our university, too! Here you can learn to dance all from the European program, such as waltz or tango, quickstep or foxtrot, as well as from the Latin American program — samba or cha-cha-cha, rumba or jive. For several years in a row, ballroom dancers have won prizes at the St. Petersburg Championship among students, and participate in national rating tournaments. The best trainers and advanced dancers will always help beginners with tips on how to stand in pairs or perform difficult steps. And within 1−2 years after the start of classes, you will dance at the championship in a beautiful ball gown, receiving your well-deserved awards.
Because constant training in this club requires a lot of time and physical fitness, the ballroom dancing club holds open master-classes in ballroom and social dancing for everyone. You can come either with your girlfriend/boyfriend or on your own to meet other students. Master-classes are held in a friendly and open atmosphere. And at the end of it, you will be able to dance the basics of a waltz or salsa, and also enjoy a lot of pleasant emotions.
Of course, you can get a physical education credit at any dance club at ITMO. But the main point of dancing is not the points. Just imagine the emotions that the dance evokes. Remember — everyone can dance! Do not be afraid to try yourself at different types of dance, with different coaches and teams. One day you will find the dance that will be perfect for you! And ITMO can undoubtedly help with this.
The author of the article would like to thank the trainer and one dancer from the ballroom dance club.