Mad, hot ballroom steams up MAC

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Accompanied by the dazzle of gowns and the pounding of their own hearts, some of the very best collegiate and amateur dancers in the United States whirled around the Malkin Athletic Center at the recent Hanlon-Ford Winter Ball. To the sweeping strains of a 21-piece orchestra, hoofers – both experienced and neophyte – took their turns round the floor on March 11 in a stunning evening of grace and skill. The ball is a follow-up to the Harvard Invitational Ballroom Competition and it features the final rounds of the advanced levels, professional performances and exhibitions, and social dancing as well. Both spectacular events are sponsored by the Harvard University Ballroom Dance Team, a student organization and club sport that has more than 120 members. Team members both compete and perform frequently throughout the Greater Boston area.

– Alexander Paul