Murad Mahmoud, a Wartburg College engineering professor, has started a weekly swing dance club on campus and is inviting the community to join the free weekly lessons.
The club meets from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays and Sundays in the Carl and Peggy Bluedorn Instrumental Music Hall, Bachman Fine Arts Center 100. Lessons are offered from 7 to 8 p.m. with the additional time available for practice and socialization. Each week, Mahmoud will teach the group new moves, starting with simple dances and working up to more complex ones. Sundays will be a repeat of the Tuesday lesson, and dancers are welcome to attend one or both nights.
“Dancing is a great way to socialize, meet new people, learn a new skill and get some exercise,” Mahmoud said. “I have geared the dances for complete beginners, with no expectation of prior experience. The lessons are structured so that we learn a few new moves each week and review some of the earlier moves, too. My goal is to spread the joy of dance to the Wartburg and Waverly communities.”
Mahmoud began dancing more than 10 years ago while earning his doctorate at Utah State University.
“A friend suggested I try it, and I kept saying no since I thought I had no talent for dancing or coordination or rhythm,” he said. “Eventually, I went just to get him to stop nagging me, and I loved it from the first time and have been doing it ever since. I even signed up for a class for credit at USU, where I learned a lot of what I know.”
In Iowa, Mahmoud joined the University of Northern Iowa Swing and Ballroom Club, where he has continued to learn new moves as well as teach others new to the activity. He hopes to grow the Wartburg club into something similar and create a place where students, faculty, staff and the community can learn together while getting to know others with similar interests.
Wartburg’s Swing Dance Club can be found on Instagram at Wartburg Swing Club. Community members can request to be added to the club’s email list at https://bit.ly/SwingDanceEmail.
Share
