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TCU 360

TCU 360

All TCU. All the time.

TCU 360

Students discuss religious topics in a small group. (Photo courtesy of tcuwesley.org)
Wednesday nights at TCU’s Methodist campus ministry provide religious exploration and fellowship
By Boots Giblin, Staff Writer
Published Mar 27, 2024
Students at the Wesley said they found community on Wednesday nights.

Student belly dancers to start club by spring semester

A group of students is hoping to add belly dancing to the university’s recreational activities for a fun workout and an interesting cultural experience.

The TCU Belly Dancing Club will try to be up and running by the spring semester, club creator and junior middle school education major Farhin Hasan wrote in an e-mail.

So far the club has two advisers from the music department, administrative assistant in the School of Music Sue Ott and Web services coordinator Kristi Kolpanen, who are belly dancing enthusiasts, Hasan wrote.

“We also have a professional belly dance instructor named Tania McKinney, who currently teaches a belly dance class in the TCU Extended Education program,” she wrote.

Alyssa Posey, sophomore international communications major, said anybody is welcome to join the group and that there is no experience required.

“Most of us, I think, have no idea what we are doing,” Posey said. “We just kind of wanted to do this for fun.”

It has not been decided if the group will be performing for an audience in addition to learning the basics of belly dancing, she said.

“The great thing about belly dancing is that it is a dance, but it is also a workout, so you could look at it either way,” Posey said.

Kolpanen said she thinks joining the club is a good idea because it is another way for students to be creative.

Because the group is still in the developing phases, members are not certain where the class will meet, but possibly in the Rickel Academic Wing in the University Recreation Center, Kolpanen said.

There is a fee to join because the group has to pay the instructor, but students will be able to attend an orientation first to see if they like it, Hasan wrote.

“Orientation day is where they will get an idea of what will happen in the club,” she wrote. “The next week they will have to pay their dues of $50 per semester, which includes 10 dance sessions and a field trip to a well-known Lebanese buffet restaurant to enjoy a new cultural experience.”

Posey said the club’s Facebook group has more than 50 members and there are about 20 people planning to join so far.

“More and more people are coming up to me with concern about, ‘What do I do to join?'” she said. “It is a growing group.”

Hasan wrote that the club is waiting to get its constitution approved by Campus Life, but as soon as it is approved, an announcement will be made via TCU Announce, and fliers will be put up on campus.

“We will welcome up to 50 or 60 students the first semester,” Hasan wrote. “As the club meetings will mostly be dance lessons, we want to make sure everyone gets enough time and attention from the instructor.”

Students who want to join the group can contact Farhin Hasan at [email protected].

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