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Shurmer Gym looked like the set of "Revenge of the Nerds" on Friday night. Students and Chico residents assembled to honor nerd icon Steve Urkel for the annual nerd-themed dance hosted by the Ballroom Dance Club.
Lights illuminated the gym, cascading onto the 50-some dancers as they grooved to beats by Madonna, Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson, among many others. Partners performed dances, such as the Waltz, and transformed the dance floor into a moving, spinning and dipping ocean of nerds as tunes like Seal's "Kiss From a Rose" played in the background.
Club officers Michelle Rose and Nikolais Linsteadt manned the front desk and greeted guests as they came in.
"It's a great community forum, and it's fun to bring people together," Linsteadt said.
Before the dance began, the club offered a $3 lesson on beginning and intermediate street hustle from 7:30 to 9 p.m. The dance cost $2 and started at 9 p.m. It was open to people who felt like breaking out those taped eyeglasses and strutting their stuff.
For attendees that participated in the lesson and the dance, admission was reduced to $4. For those people who showed their "inner nerd," admission was only $3 for both.
The Ballroom Dance Club donated a majority of the profits to Matthew's Café, a downtown business that was damaged by a fire last week. Matthew's Café used to host ballroom dancing every Saturday night and was a popular place for people passionate about dancing, said club officer Jessie Divine.
Sophomore Kelliemarie Sugia honored the dress code by wearing pigtails, suspenders, a black tie and glasses.
She was one of a few brave attendees who sported their best nerdy attire, but others chose to take a more elegant approach.
Chico residents and married couple David and Sarah Brimlow were formally dressed and excited about attending the event after enjoying an intimate dinner at downtown's Spice Creek Café.
"It is a great way to spend a night with a dinner and dancing afterwards," David Brimlow said.
Junior Ryan White is enrolled in a ballroom dance class and was nervous about showing up to his first event. But he said he became more at ease once he got on the dance floor with some "nerdy" women.
"Ballroom dancing is something I can always do for the rest of my life," he said. "And at my wedding, I don't want to look like an idiot, or anywhere else for that matter."
Amanda Ponte can be reached at aponte@theorion.com
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Read about the club's adviser:
- Ballroom instructor, club adviser keeps program spinning at Chico
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