Mason Smith: Texas Tech Swing Dance Team

         Loud music, laughter and a sense of family as you walk into room C114 at the Texas Tech University Rec Center. That is what senior swing dance club leader Mason Smith wants his club members to feel as they walk into swing dance classes.

 

Started back in 2023 by Smith, the club began as a way to create a community for those that were into swing dancing. The club has since been featured on several different stories on local news and they have competed in dance competitions not only in Lubbock, but in different cities around Texas.

 

To truly begin the story of the Texas Tech Country Swing Club, we must look at where it all started. Smith took a liking to the country swing dance community with his brother back in high school as a joke.

 

“I did it with my brother and one of my friends as a joke,” Smith said, “we joined a prep class, they taught us some cool stunts and I really liked it, so I kept going.”

 

When Smith came to Lubbock, he knew he wanted to continue dancing but had no idea the doors that would open by dancing in west Texas.

 

“When I got to college, and I saw that what I had learned was the tip of the ice burg and so I got into country swing, two-step, and west coast swing,” Smith said.

 

From there, he knew he wanted to create a community for the dancers at Texas Tech, similar to the group he had back in Dallas.

 

         “I just wanted to create a community so that people could learn but mainly because I saw what it did for people in Dallas, and they did not have that in Lubbock,” Smith said, “so for instance, I would go to the bar and see ten groups of five people standing around too scared to ask each other to dance and bringing them country swing allowed them to converge all of the groups, allowed them to mingle and make friends and make connections.”

 

         Smith said that he did not really have an image for what the class and club would look like when he first started.

 

“There was no plan, none at all, I walked into the rec, and I talked to the head lady, and she was like “dude hell yes start a country swing class we just need to see you try out,” Smith said, “I was like perfect, I am ready to go.”

 

Smith would then approach Mari Grosenbacher on a car ride home about becoming the second dance instructor for the club.

 

Grosenbacher, the other lead instructor for the advanced class, said that she was approached by Mason about being the second lead instructor and agreed on the spot.

         Now, the club Smith envisioned has three different classes and four instructors that teach the beginners, advanced, and competition classes.

 

         “I think there’s a lot more new faces and people in it compared to last year,” Grosenbacher said, “also the community aspect has really grown a lot since it first started”

 

         Smith says that he goes out of his way to talk to everyone, shoots everyone with a nerf gun, and just make a point to create a very casual environment in the class. This allows the members to create one-on-one interactions with each other.

 

         Reagan Kenney, a club member in her second year, said that mason does a great job of making the beginners feel comfortable by involving them in class and making them feel welcome.

 

“I have made friends in there pretty quickly, Kenney said, “I would say it is a pretty welcoming environment.”

 

Kinley Grippe, a second-year dancer, said that since coming to college and getting involved with the TTU country swing group, dancing has given her an outlet to meet new people and make new friends. Grippe also said dancing has also given me an enjoyable way to stay active and live a healthier lifestyle.

 

 

Rhett Herman, a swing dance team member in his second year as well, said that dance helped him branch out and get a different perspective on something new to be a part of in college.

 

The club started with about 17 people and has grown to having two separate classes. Each class ranges from around 25 people in both advanced and beginner classes. The club has an Instagram account that has a growing following and the team practices every Tuesday and Thursday at the Texas Tech Rec Center.

 

The club that started as a vision for a dancer from Dallas has grown into a community. They have competed in tournaments and created a community similar to the one their founder had back home.

 

         For Smith, he says he owes a lot to the dance community. He said that dance has allowed him to grow and has allowed him to make relationships he treasures and create memories with people he would not have met if he had not joined the dancing community.

 

“It has taken money out of my wallet, hours out of my sleep schedule, and it has added a lot of friends and people I consider family into my life,” Smith said.