Mark Chan '01 and Amy Wang '01, both members of the Harvard-Radcliffe Ballroom Dance Team, practice before a weekend competition here at Harvard. Then next week they waltz north to Canada for the Classique du Quebec competition.

Take your formal gown out of mothballs, polish up your patent leather shoes --the eighth annual Hanlon-Ford Winter Ball and Invitational Dance Competition will take place this weekend at Wonderland Ballroom in Revere.

The event is sponsored by the Harvard-Radcliffe Ballroom Dance Club and Team, a force to be reckoned with on the collegiate dance circuit. The Harvard team is ranked number two in the United States, a mere dip and a twirl behind the nation's number-one-ranked Brigham Young University, which offers a bachelor's degree in the subject.

Beginning at 8 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 6, couples will be strutting their stuff on the dance floor, trying to survive a series of grueling heats in such events as cha-cha, samba, tango, foxtrot, Viennese waltz, quickstep, and passo doble. More than 400 competitors are expected, representing 24 colleges and universities.

"It's artistic, but it's also really athletic," said Samantha Chaifetz '00, who will be dancing with her partner Michal Bortnik '00. Bortnik is co-captain of the team along with Eyal Kimchi '00.

"You realize how physically demanding it is when you enter a competition. You have to dance one heat after another, so it's not just who's the best dancer, but it's who's the best prepared, endurance-wise."

The International Olympic Committee recognizes ballroom's physically demanding character as well. Renamed "DanceSport," ballroom will be featured on an exhibition basis in the 2000 Olympics, and later added to the Games as a competitive event.

In the meantime, a number of collegiate and amateur organizations foster competitive dance throughout the country. Harvard's annual event is recognized as the most prestigious collegiate competition on the east coast. The ultimate amateur competition is the Ohio Star Ball in Columbus, Ohio. It is this event that is featured on Public Broadcasting's Championship Ballroom Dancing.

Aida Moreno, for 18 years the executive producer of this television broadcast, will be honored for her efforts at the Hanlon- Ford Winter Ball. At a special ceremony, she will be inducted into the World's Dancing Hall of Fame.

There will also be a performance by Jonathan Wilkins and Katusha Demidova, current North American Professional Standard Champions, as well as a special Rising Star Amateur Latin Showcase.

Marguerite Hanlon, Radcliffe '42, and her dance partner John Ford, the couple for whom the Ball is named, are expected to put in an appearance. Hanlon has been a longtime supporter of the Harvard Ballroom Dance Team, donating funds to pay for the costly ball gowns that are de rigueur for any serious competition.

Harvard dancers have been extremely fortunate in attracting people like Hanlon and others who have helped the team reach its current position, Chaifetz said. Another indispensable mentor is Julius Kaiser, one of the best known ballroom dance coaches in the country, whose studio happens to be across the river in Brighton.

"Having Julius nearby has been a wonderful stroke of geographical luck," Chaifetz said.

The team's top dancers have been training hard under Kaiser's direction, hoping to maintain the standards set by Harvard's phenomenal dancing Fungs. Jennifer Fung '97 and her brother Alex '98 became U.S. National Amateur10- dance champions in 1996 and 1997. Their siblings, Victor and Tiffany, performed at the Winter Ball two years ago and are the current U.S. Amateur Standard champs.

For the Fun of It

Although ballroom competition can be fierce, the majority of devotees stick with it because it's fun.

"What attracted me originally was the fact that it was a couples sport, but at the same time a team sport, with a lot of camaraderie and support and commitment," said Chaifetz.

The team expresses its commitment not only through competition but also by offering free dance classes and participating in a variety of community outreach activities.

A sociology concentrator and a former competitive figure skater, Chaifetz started ballroom as a freshman. She said that one of the great things about the activity is that you can start as a rank beginner and over the course of a college career work your way up to serious competitive levels.

One of the greatest challenges, especially in the standard categories (i.e., waltz, foxtrot, quickstep, etc.) is making difficult steps look effortless.

"In the Viennese waltz, for example, you're going really fast, and you're turning constantly so it's easy to get dizzy. Sometimes, you're just thinking to yourself, 'When is this music going to end?' "

The sport's glamorous aspects also held an appeal, but Chaifetz soon realized that it was necessary to keep that side of things in perspective.

"When you go to one of the big competitions, everyone's a sort of dark orange color because they've been sprayed with Pro Tan [an artificial tanning product originally used by bodybuilders]. They're even darker for the Latin events because the costumes show more skin. And of course all the women have fake eyelashes and nails. It's basically fun, though. If you think of it as anything but a glorified dress-up game, you're in trouble."

The Invitational Competition will be held at the Wonderland Ballroom, 1290 North Shore Road (Route 1A), Revere, on Feb. 6 and 7 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Spectators are welcome free of charge.

The Hanlon-Ford Winter Ball will be held at 8 p.m., Saturday night. Admission is $20 ($12 for students). For information, call (617) 493-7570. For tickets, call (617) 496-2222. Tickets will also be available at the door.