May I have this dance?

Finishing up the Veterans Day events as part of Veterans Week on campus, the Iowa State Cardinal Swing Dance Society (CSS) is hosting a social dance event from 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union.

The Veteran’s Day Swing Dance is in honor of those who have served in the military.

CSS is an Iowa State club run by students. It is open to anybody with an interest in or desire to learn swing dancing.

The club teaches free dance lessons beginning at 7 p.m. Tuesdays and 5:30 p.m. Thursdays at State Gym. The classes are taught in 30 minute intervals depending on the participants’ skill levels. 

The social dance event is a way for CSS to honor and celebrate veterans and give people the chance to bond with veterans and the rest of the community, said Ashley Correa, CSS club secretary and junior in management.

Veterans and Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) members gain admittance for free, while general public admission is $7 and CSS members’ admission is $3. A live band will play while members of the club teach participants how to dance.

Lessons during the event will occur from 7:30 to 8 p.m. for anyone who needs help getting down the basics before the main dance to follow.

This event has been happening for several years and typically includes a live band whose members are veterans, but that was not able to happen this year.

“[The event] honors and celebrates veterans,” Correa said. “It’s one of the bigger dances, so it’s a good way to bond with the Iowa State and Ames community, get to know people, see veterans face to face, learn something new and have fun through dancing. If you have the time, you should come by.”