To an onlooker, soft folk music and a handful of smiling dancers can make for an inviting atmosphere, one that welcomes you into the room.

What visitors may not realize is that dance at the International Dance Class, normally held in room 126 of the Oakland Center on Thursday evenings, “is not a spectator sport,” Anne Zeilstra said.

Zeilstra is a helping hand for the organization recently founded by Amy Koza, an OU undergraduate student.

The group introduces dance from countries in the Balkans region, including Serbia, Romania and Greece, the Middle East, including Israel and Lebanon and more.

“You can put as much or as little energy into it as you want to,” Zeilstra said. Some members choose to go through the motions if they are having an off day, while others add the extra energy to obtain a workout to push oneself to sweat.

“I like the workout,” Zeilstra said.

The class, sponsored by the International Dance Club, previously known as the OU Folk Dance Club, is free and open to all OU students and staff.

On any given Thursday, Koza said the group will run through roughly six or seven routines that includes a slow walk through of the dance steps and breaking it down into a very basic form for newcomers.

From there, the group will typically practice the dance twice, and then move on to another dance.

Often, Zeilstra said, the person leading the walk-through will use online videos as examples, to help perfect the routine.

The class strives to be as much a social outing, as it is an exercise class and is open to dancers of any level, according to Koza.

Many of the dances practiced required participants to hold hands or even pinky fingers, resulting in a unique way for students to interact.

The group is diverse, Zeilstra said. By having a diverse group of participants, it is helpful because different members bring a variety of traditions to the class. There can be several styles to any given dance, he said, describing it as “grandpa did it this way while Uncle Albert did it this way.”

Koza said the group has had anywhere from zero to 11 visitors participate and hopes to have more students get involved once fall semester begins.

Gregory Patterson, the dance program director at OU, said the class would be great for anyone interested in learning about other cultures through movement.

The group plans to host several guest teachers throughout the year as well.

Zeilstra said he hopes to encourage more students to join the group or drop in on Thursday evenings so that eventually they can fill positions such as a president, treasurer or secretary, for the group.

“You need those people,” he said.

The group will meet in September to discuss funding; Zeilstra hopes to receive funding to include more teachers for the class. Koza also plans to connect with OU’s current Lebanese Club on campus as a way to expand awareness of the class.

“But we don’t need all that much (money),” he said. There are no necessities involved, such as uniforms, rather just ‘drop in and dance.’

For more information, contact Amy Koza at [email protected].