“I get to dance for a credit? Awesome!” That was senior exercise science major Shea VanScoter’s reaction when she signed up for International Folk Dance. 

International Folk Dance has been offered at Goshen College  for over 40 years, although it was originally called International Folk Games, according to Val Hershberger, associate professor of kinesiology and the current instructor. When professor emeritus of physical education Sue Roth retired in 1999, Hershberger was charged with the instruction of International Folk Dance. With no background in dance, Hershberger began the journey of learning and teaching basic steps of popular dances from around the world. Since then, Hershberger has taught the class almost every single year.

Currently, there are eight participating students, some of who signed up simply because they needed one more credit, others were drawn by the uniqueness of the class offering. 

Teresa Ross Richer, a senior psychology major, said that the class has “definitely been pretty relaxed and just kind of goofy. Everyone kind of messes around and has a fun time. Val is pretty fun!” 

During the class, Hershberger first teaches the basic steps of a dance by looking at her flashcards that she has compiled over the years. In order to learn the dances herself, Hershberger ordered VHS tapes of Phyllis Weikart, a popular international folk dance instructor, and “would hand write out every single dance.” 

Hershberger noted that nowadays, all of the recordings she needs can be found on YouTube and AI can generate call lines and dance descriptions. Hershberger follows Weikhart’s basic, four step method to teaching dances: say the steps, do the steps, say and do the steps, and finally, think and do the steps. 

Typically, the students learn two to three dances every class period. The group is also planning on going contra line dancing at a Methodist church in downtown Goshen as well as learn salsa from Julian Gonzalez in the upcoming week. 

While most of the dances that Hershberger teaches are pretty simple (although there have been some more challenging steps) Kyla Foster, a senior sports management major, has been able to see the value in the dancing footwork, saying it “especially … helps in basketball.” 

There is no homework for the class, but as the final project each student has to teach a unique dance to the class. VanScoter and her classmate have toyed with the idea of teaching a dance from Highschool Musical and Camp Rock. Ross Richer would like to teach “something simple” to the class, and Foster is between a couple of ideas because she “wanted to see Val do a couple of different moves.” 

With music blaring in the Ruth Gunden Gymnasium, Hershberger and her students danced. During one class period, they demonstrated the Sicilian Tarantella from Italy, Alunelul from Romania, D’Hammerschmiedsgselln (The Blacksmith’s Apprentice) from Germany,  Tipsy and Good Ol’ Days from the USA and Erkso Kolo from Yugoslavia. There were at least two people smiling or laughing at any given moment (it was often the whole group) for the entirety of the class. 

When he came over for a water break, I looked at Irving Matute, a senior exercise science major, and told him “it looks like you’re having fun” and with a flushed face and a big grin he simply replied, “Yes.” 

VanScoter said that she looks forward to the class because “I know I’m going to laugh every single day in that class. I know I’m going to be happy at some point in that day at least and it’s typically in that class.” 

She also offered some words of encouragement for those on the fence about dancing in school: “It is truly so much fun and you get out of it what you make of it … When this class is offered, take it!” Hershberger feels “pretty fortunate that I get to do something this fun and it’s my job.”