I Am...Fierce

Last Wednesday evening, in Harvard’s Malkin Athletic Center, all the ladies—and not just the single ones—channeled their inner Beyoncé, learning the first minute of the dance to her acclaimed song, “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It).” At 7:15 p.m., the mezzanine area reached capacity as 40 women of all ages shook their hips, pointed to their ring fingers, and shouted, in the words of the world-renowned artist, “’Cause if you liked it then you should have put a ring on it.”

The class’s peppy blonde instructor, Cristina Hoff, sported a fanny pack and fuschia headset, and began by teaching the group how to execute one of the dance’s signature moves: the iconic hand flip. Balanced on the balls of their feet, with heads tilted down, students punched the air in unison and, after only a few minutes, had let loose. The “Sasha ferocity” was palpable, with one participant even donning the black long-sleeved leotard and black tights seen in the music video.

After several minutes of laughter and missteps, Hoff split the class into three groups, and while each group performed what they had learned, shrieks of encouragement and “Go girl!” resounded throughout the room. For most participants, it didn’t matter whether he “put a ring on it” because, by the workshop’s end, everyone in the room was dancing like a diva.

Hoff, who danced professionally and specializes in jazz and hip-hop, drew energy from the room’s enthusiasm. “The event was a huge success and I attribute that to the positive energy of the class participants,” she said.

“We absolutely loved it!” confirmed Sofia Vallila, a Ph.D. student and one of the workshop’s attendees. Amongst participants, if you were a single lady, you were proud to be one, and if you weren’t, you were still proud to be a lady. Last week’s workshop—not simply a dance class, but a welcome confidence-booster for Harvard’s women—proved that maybe everybody needs a “Single Ladies” dance party every once in a while.