My Brief Stint on the USU Ballroom Dance Team

After not making Equestrian Team callbacks, I thought I'd go out for the USU Ballroom Dance Team.


Tryouts were TOUGH, for women. (Not that women are inferior to men by any standard; it's just that there were tons of excellent girl dancers who tried out and only a few of us guys.) I'm pretty sure all the guys who stumbled through the tryout-routine without making complete fools of themselves were extended an invitation to join the team. Despite not having danced in over 2 years, I still felt pretty cocky confident going into the tryout. Sure enough...

Congratulations! You have been selected to be a member of the USU Ballroom Team for 2009/2010. We are excited to have you participate on our team. Please meet at the HPER in room 215 on Wednesday next week from 3:30-6:30pm for the first day of team. Be ready to dance. We will see you on Wednesday.

Thanks,
Adam and Jeanne Shelton

The first week of practice was amazing! I was thrilled to be a part of a dance company again.  I was impressed by the high degree of dedication and practice the coaches and team members invested in the team...a little too impressed.

After the first week, our coaches [married, retired-BYU Tour Team members] had worked us 12-hours, with the promise of even more demanding weeks to come. "Wait a second.  Where is my time going? I haven't even found a job yet," I thought nervously to myself. "If I stay on this team, I won't have any time to make an income." In that moment, I decided that I would quit the team. But I needed to find the right opportunity to tactfully break it to the coaches.

The next Monday, minutes before practice, I met one of the coaches, serendipitously, in the middle of a crosswalk while I was walking away from the dance building. "uh, hi.  I have something to tell you," I said. Before I knew what was coming out of my mouth, I blurted, "I need to quit. Sorry."

He looked at me. Nodded. And said, "k. I understand." And walked off.
That was it.
I felt pukey.

I hate quitting things. Being cut is one thing. But committing to undertake a responsibility and then subsequently dismissing it is another. I don't feel like the culpa completely rested on my shoulders, however.  In my defense, we weren't made aware of the time commitment before trying out. After the awkward cross-walk encounter, I wrote the coaches a followup email to help assuage the situation:

Adam and Jeanne, I didn't want my cross-walk conversation with Adam to be my last with you regarding my resignation from the Ballroom Club Team.

I needed to thank you for the week we shared and let you know what a great program you have going here at USU.  I can only imagine how much work must go into it every year to keep the program growing. You are doing a terrific job; I can't think of anyone better suited for the position than you two.

Unfortunately, even after dropping some credits, I still can't afford the time commitment that is required by team members.   For future reference, I suppose if I had known the schedule before Sept. 4th, I never would have tried out.   I did try to compromise and move around my schedule for a week, but realized that I wouldn't be able to keep it up.

What I am really looking for is a 3-hour/week technique class. If everything goes well, I hope to sign up for one next year (or whenever it will be offered).

Surely, I'm missing out on a great opportunity. Being part of any performance team leads to great personal satisfaction and friendships that last a lifetime.

Thanks for understanding. Please let me know if I can help you find either additional male or female dancers.

Bryan

p.s. Feel free to forward this email to the rest of the team if you feel it is appropriate.

I hope to never forget the wonderful technique and rhythm that I picked up during my ballroom days. I just pray nothing like this will ever happen to me at the music store: