UVUSA put on a swinging jazz dance Jan. 19 in the Grande Ballroom. Local jazz performers from the Utah Swing Orchestra taught people to jitter and jive like it was 1939.
“It’s kinda like a date night and an opportunity for students and non-traditional students to come out and enjoy a fancier [event],” marketing junior and special event chair for UVUSA Kylee Keele said.
She believes that not a lot of millennials want to get involved in history and culture from the past. Keele wanted this event to be a learning experience where students could get a taste of the of their rich culture.
“We’ve really tried this year to venture out and listen to [the] student voice and do the activities they want to do,” vice president of activities and entrepreneurship senior Dustin Draper said.
The goal of UVUSA is to get people from a larger demographic into UVU activities. The council is trying to appeal to the student body while also incorporating diverse events. The idea for this event was from a poll conducted by UVUSA, and the students’ overall choice was learning to dance.
The band was dressed in white suits with vests mimicking the eras flamboyance. Attendees were dressed in everything from typical church garb, to flapper and dapper costumes and even plain T-shirts were in attendance.
With only a $5,000 budget it’s understandable the decor was lacking, and the food far from the eras decadence, but the band was the cookie cutter image of what is perceived as the 30s. A singer in the orchestra mimicked the classics like “Beyond the Sea,” by Bobby Darin or more recent singers like Frank Sinatra. The council nailed the most important part of this event.
According to Keele, from the 2,000 flyers sent out advertising the dance, nearly 120 students showed up.
“I heard there was a dance … from a flyer. I wanted to dance,” game design and animation major Spencer Anderson said.
