The Charleston. Swing. Foxtrot. Waltz. Rhumba. Cha Cha. Boogie Woogie. It’s not a flashback to the 1920s, or even the 1950s. Many current UofL students are learning the dances their grandparents loved. Although the music is often modern, the dance moves are anything but.

“We’ve seen an amazing interest in ballroom, swing and Latin dancing by students,” says Steven Knight, a student dance instructor with Dancing with the Cards. Knight graduated in December with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Speed School.

Part of students’ interest in dance may be because of such television shows as Dancing with the Stars—which inspired the name of the UofL dance organization.

Dancing with the Cards is a registered student organization (RSO) that formed in 2006 by students Allison Chesser and Boris Yelin. Lessons are held twice a week in the Student Activities Center Building.

“Boris and I were both very active in the Louisville ballroom community, and we noticed that there were not many people our age who were dancing,” says Chesser, who is majoring in Spanish.

“Taking classes at dance studios can be very expensive. We wanted to offer a way for UofL students who couldn’t afford the studios to learn how to dance,” she says.

For just $1 a lesson or $20 for the year, UofL students learn the basics and beyond of ballroom, swing and Latin dances. Typically the lessons attract more women than men, but this past fall, the ratio of men to women was 2 to 1, notes Chesser.

But Dancing with the Cards isn’t just about teaching the mechanics of dancing. It’s about enjoying the dance floor, says Knight.

The group hosts a dance party at the Red Barn each fall. Last year’s party was a Buccanear’s Ball. Pirate-costumed students danced the foxtrot, waltz, cha-cha and rhumba in the Red Barn, which was decked out with gold treasures and pirate punch.