FAQ
How do I join the team?
See the “Join Us” page for more details.
What benefits are there to being a member?
Read the membership information page for more details. A quick overview of the numerous benefits:
- Reduced class and workshop fees
- Access to office hours and coaching from advanced dancers
- Team sponsorship for competition entry fees
- The opportunity to travel to other states to compete for free (under the team’s travel and competition scholarship program)
- … and much much more!
Is previous dance experience necessary?
No. We welcome dancers at all levels to our team. No previous experience is required. In fact, we have dedicated rookie coordinators to support members who are just beginning to dance.
Do you have tryouts or auditions?
For Stanford students, no tryout or audition is necessary to join the team. For community members, we may require you to participate in a tryout depending on the ratio of student members to non-student members. As a Stanford student group, there are constraints on the proportion of non-student members we can accept. These constraints notwithstanding, we warmly welcome community members to join our team, and we will try our best to accept as many members as possible.
What do you compete in? What kind of dances do you do?
We compete primarily collegiate dancesport competitions, as well as other local and national competitions. As a competitive team, we focus mainly on dancesport styles. More specifically, our competitive training focuses on the International Standard and Latin styles. Of course, many of our team members also dance various other competitive and social styles as well, such as Salsa, Argentine Tango, Swing, Lindy Hop and more.
How is Stanford Ballroom different from other dance groups on campus?
We are primarily a competition-focused team, and as such the styles we dance are very different from other groups.
Are you affiliated with the Dance Department? Or the PE Department? Are you a Varsity sport? Can I get units for this?
Unfortunately, no. Stanford Ballroom is a Voluntary Student Organization (VSO)! In short, we’re a club, run by Stanford students alone. We receive funding from the the school and generous donors such as ASSU, GSC, and The Stanford Fund to run our team and our annual ballroom competition, Cardinal Classic.
I’m a non-student member. How do I get access to the practice facilities on campus?
There is a process by which we can obtain a pass for you which grants you access to practice facilities for free. Talk to our space coordinator for more details and to get the process started. In brief: you will need to fill out a short application form, provide us with a passport photo and pay a nominal fee.