Dancesport was reborn at NMSU after a few students decided to transform a ceasing dance department class into a student-run club. Since its creation last year, Dancesport has evolved into a passionate group of students who gather simply for the love of dance.
Founded on the idea of creating lasting passion in the community of dancers at NMSU, the group fosters collaboration to produce choreographed shows under the university’s dance program.
The sheer amount of enthusiasm the group holds can be seen with practice times scheduled before the typical student’s day starts.
“It’s not easy to get college students’ schedules to line up, and Dancesport manages [it] because we’re all in love enough with dancing that we’re willing to organize and plan with each other,” Thahec Arreola, a Dancesport member, said. “[In] that way, it’s collaborative, it’s worth something to us, and we want to make it feel like a community, so that we can all derive what we need from it, which is a place to dance.”
Focusing mainly on Latin dance styles such as bachata, salsa, and mambo, Dancesport draws inspiration from and represents different parts of the world through movement. Provoking emotion onstage through music and costume, group leaders choreograph their own dances while also collaborating with outside troupes to perform pre-choreographed dances.
For their upcoming show, the club has worked with a Cuban group to create a mambo piece and blend campus talent with wider dance communities.
“[I love] the process of teaching everybody the choreography, [and] seeing how everybody learns it, and the process and the blood, sweat, and tears that it takes to get there and the technique, and then just seeing the final outcome, how everybody kind of interprets it in their own way,” Hannah Valdez, club co-founder, said.
Embedding a story into their dances while including emotion is a big priority in Dancesport’s choreography. Most of their pieces have a clear narrative, taking a more community-centered and celebratory energy, like with their salsa piece this year, and using varying moods for others.
“Our [bachata] piece is more romantic, more intimate than compared to the salsa,” Sebastian Rodriguez co-club founder, said. “And that was like, [it] could be lovey dovey or you could tell a story. [We] approached it, [and] wanted to have a story.”
Without being officially recognized by NMSU, and being entirely student-governed, funding issues have arisen. Certain expenses have to be paid out of dancers’ pockets. For example, all shoes, costumes, and music editing services have to be self-provided by the club. Although they have held fundraisers, funds still fall short, especially with the cost of materials for said fundraisers having to be provided by the club as well.
Although it’s still in it’s early stages, Dancesport has achieved many milestones this year, such as an increased number of male participants, a feat that has long been an issue in the entire dance community.
“A lot of new members are wanting to come and enjoy, [and] we have a lot of people just wanting to come and dance,” Valdez said.
Even outside of practice, the group is still close-knit. Team bonding activities, like Secret Santa during the holidays, weekly get-togethers and movie nights, make their club feel even more like a family, and solidify friendships for the future of Dancesport at NMSU.
Dancesport will be participating in the “Fusión De Frontera” dance concert, held April 23-25 at NMSU’s Rentfrow Hall Studio Theater, and will perform at Las Cruces’s “Mira Las Cruces” downtown event on April 24.
Club updates and additional information can be found here.
![Group leaders [left to right] Jacarthie Brazil, Kira Baum, Carter-Elise Keating, and Abby Watkins pose for a picture after a successful interview. April 21, 2026.](https://nmsuroundup.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/01_AnnaB_Health-Club_LowRes.jpg)
