Southern Utah University students gathered in the Sharwan Smith Student Center Living Room on Thursday, Feb. 9, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. for an evening of the popular video game “Just Dance.” The event was hosted by SUU’s Michael O. Leavitt Center for Politics and Public Service.
Just Dance is a game that tracks the movements of players as they attempt to follow various dance tutorials to popular songs. It is typically played as a multiplayer game that judges and ranks the accuracy of the competitor’s dance moves.
Though the Leavitt Center did not provide an actual gaming console and motion-tracking controls, they played different dances on the large screen television in the living room for students to follow along for the love of dancing.
The dances played that evening followed songs like One Direction’s “What Makes You Beautiful,” Katy Perry’s “Last Friday Night” and Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble” — all fan-favorite dances.
Students were also given the option to sign up for a competition, which started a few songs into the evening. While everyone was still encouraged to dance, four students stood in front of the crowd for each song and competed to be the best dancer.
“We have one of our executive counselors plan a Thursday event every week,” said Jo Wiscombe, the Leavitt Center’s head of marketing, “and [Nikita Posvolskii’s] is Dance and Politics.”
Wiscombe also clarified the connection between the art of dance and the science of politics.
“People use dance to express emotions. They can use that to make political statements,” she added. “Everything kind of applies to politics in one way or another.”
For those looking to get further involved in politics at SUU, the center holds another weekly event called Pizza and Politics, where students engage in political debate while enjoying free pizza. The center is also currently hiring new employees.
More information on how to get involved with the Leavitt Center can be found on their website, on their Instagram or by talking with an employee in the Leavitt Center, which is located in Room 112 of the Student Center.
Author: Heather Turner
Photos: Chloe Copeland
Editor: Nick Stein
life@suunews.net
