Frequently Asked Questions
Interested in our club or have a pressing question on your mind? Check out our FAQ’s for all of our most important information!
1. When and where are Oregon Ballroom Dance Club’s dances?
We host dances eight Friday nights every term in UO’s Gerlinger 220! Our lessons run from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm and are always followed by an hour and a half social dance from 7:30 pm to 9 pm! Please check our Lesson Schedule page for our current lessons schedule and our Location page for information about parking!
2. Do OBDC’s dances cost money?
No! Though our long time dancers may recall that we used to charge for our lessons, we have since started hosting our dances for free.
3. Do I need any prior dancing experience to attend an OBDC dance?
Nope! We’re super beginner friendly! All of our lessons are beginner level and all our Officers are more than willing to help teach you some moves during our social dance as well! If you wanna learn how to ballroom dance, this is the club for you!
4. Do I need to bring a partner to attend an OBDC dance?
No! All of our lessons are designed in a way that has everyone changing partners throughout the lesson, so you’ll never be without a partner! Of course, if you would like to only dance with a partner you brought, that’s perfectly okay as well!
5. Do I have to wear ballroom dance shoes to attend an OBDC dance?
No! We do not enforce a dress code at any of our dances! Most attendees come in tennis shoes and leisure wear! Ballroom dance shoes typically have suede or leather soles, which make the intricate spins in ballroom dance a lot easier due to less friction. We recommend investing in a pair if you become a lot more serious about ballroom dance, but they are not required to attend our events!
6. Do I have to wear formal wear to attend an ODBC dance?
No! We do not enforce a dress code at any of our dances! Most attendees come in tennis shoes and leisure wear! We do, however, strongly encourage wearing formal wear to our one-a-term formal dances, as it makes the night feel that much more special! We do not enforce a dress code at any of our formal dances either, however.
7. Do I have to become an OBDC Officer to attend an OBDC dance?
No! Though we are always looking for new members, our job as Officers is to put on dances for the general public, so if you only want to learn how to dance and are not interested in becoming an Officer, that’s perfectly okay! Come to one dance or come to all our dances, but you won’t become an Officer unless you tell a current Officer that you want to!
8. How do I become an Officer of OBDC?
Come to our weekly meetings! We hold meetings an hour before our lessons every week from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm in Gerlinger 220! If you’re interested in becoming an Officer, tell a current Officer and join us at our next meeting and we’ll be sure to find a job for you! We look for new Officers year-round, so don’t be afraid to come talk to us!
9. How do I keep updated on what’s happening?
Follow our social media pages @obdcballroom and/or join our email list. We post weekly updates on what dance style will be taught this week as well as who will be teaching. We hope you’ll come join us!