Attendees share love for Mt.A Swing Dance Society at their 2026 monster masquerade dance
On Friday, Oct. 30, the Mt.A Swing Dance Society held their Monster Masquerade. Like their weekly sessions, this event was open to all students regardless of their skill set. The difference with this event was that costumes were encouraged!
Mt.A student and the society’s outreach coordinator, Rowan Brosha, dressed up as the Goblin King from the 1986 film Labyrinth, and attendee and Mt.A student Oscar Rigby dressed up as the Grinch.
The event started shortly after 5:30 p.m. executive members of the Swing Dance Society walked attendees through basic swing dance moves, including rock steps and spin-ups. They went through each move step-by-step, giving instructions for both the leads and the follows. Soon enough, everyone in the room was dancing, twirling, and swinging!
“Hopefully it gets a couple of new people interested because it’s a great chance to meet the people in the club, and learn the very basics in a very low-pressure situation.”
Many of the attendees of Friday’s masquerade had recently joined the society and had little-to-no experience with the dance form. Attendee and Mt.A student Ace Belaire said they were encouraged to join the society by a friend who had been swing dancing for a while. The friend convinced Belaire to join a few weeks prior. “And I’ve been coming to the sessions ever since,” Belaire said. “And I thought [I] might as well come again today [for] Halloween. [I] thought it could be fun!”
Rigby had also joined recently after receiving motivation from friends. “It’s a kind of dancing I had never done before,” Rigby said. However, Rigby added: “I’m very glad I joined this club. It’s one of my favourites now.”
Attendees and executive members alike encourage people to join the Swing Dance Society, even if they may lack experience with the form of dance. Lilly Richard, another executive member of the society and a Mt.A student, “would just encourage people to give it a try, to try something new.”
Brosha emphasized the accessible nature of their society, stating “it’s very much a low-barrier-of-entry style of dancing.” Brosha added that “at least at the level that we’re doing it, we’re not competing with each other…It’s much more relaxed.”
The Swing Dance society has become a place of community and excitement for many attendees. When considering why they like swing dance, and what the society means to them, attendee and Mt.A student Spencer Powell said to The Argosy that it is “ very free, it’s kind of like punk rock in a way. Like, embracing yourself…It’s also just a great sense of community. So, that’s what swing dancing means to me.”
Rigby stated, “to me, it just means, you know, socially dancing with other people. I guess it’s a way of communication, since I’m someone who’s shy about meeting new people, I think maybe dancing with someone is easier for me than small talk.”
This sense of love, community, and friendship was clear at the masquerade ball. Attendees had excitedly split off to try the dances, switching often between leads and follows. Many of the attendees also switched partners throughout the event! As the night went on, attendees added fun spins, twirls, and moves to what they had been taught. It was evident that the society had become a space of self-expression and letting loose amongst new and old friends.
Next time you are looking for a break and want to try something new, perhaps consider the Swing Dance Society – you may just have a swingin’ great time!