When thinking of dance in South Dakota, square dancers, jazz dancers and maybe even a few ballerinas may come to mind.

Add belly dancers to that list.

South Dakota State University is home to a group, Dakota Harem, dedicated to the art of belly dancing. The group formed in April 2006 with seven students.

Senior visual arts and liberal studies Klaire Pearson leads the group, originally formed to perform for the SCA Medieval Fair held on campus last May. The event was a success, and the members decided to stick with it.

Dakota Harem has performed at various area events since April, including the Brookings Summer Arts Festival in July and most recently, the Volga Girl Scouts’ cultural night in August. They have put in an application to dance in the Hobo Day Parade and plan to audition for Cavorts. The group is also looking into performing in the residence halls later during the year.

Dakota Harem meets a minimum of once a week to practice routines and take additional lessons. Practices last for two hours, but can run much longer, especially before performances or auditions. Group members make their own costumes, play percussion instruments and travel to watch other belly-dancing groups.

Senior Maria Amarillas is a member of Dakota Harem.

“I originally wanted to study dance, and I still plan to do so in the future,” she said. “So I was thrilled to find a group that wanted to study such a unique type of dance.”

Amarillas said the best part about Dakota Harem is “the dancing and friendship that has come from this.”

To learn more about joining Dakota Harem, contact Pearson at dakotaharem@yahoo.com.

#1.884284:2368819783.jpg:Belly03.jpg:From left to right: Katherine Puetz, Klaire Pearson, Maria Amarillas, Laurie Anderson, and Lindsay Anderson practice their belly dancing at a club meeting held Thursday night.:Erin Lester

Some of the hottest bands on the underground scene are coming to SDSU in support of a campus organization.

The SDSU Journalism Club is sponsoring a Battle of the Bands, Sept. 21 in the Volstorff Ballroom, located in The Union. The event will feature six alternative rock groups, including The Glass Atlantic, Post Moritz, Of Kings and Presidents, Damn Strait, The Poppets and Pub Radio.

The event will help the club raise money to take various trips to conferences and visit different media outlets across the country.

Jena Rabenhorst, vice-president of the Journalism Club, said the event is a really cheap way to check out some local music.

The club was able to use personal networking to create a jam-packed lineup. TJ Wethington, bass player for The Glass Atlantic, said that he’s heard all of the bands playing perform and all are “phenomenal.”

Many students are already excited about the Battle of the Bands. Lacey Kraemer, a sophomore consumer affairs major, and Angi Napier, a sophomore accounting and business major, both saw The Glass Atlantic last year at the Main Street Pub and are very excited to see them again.

The opportunity to see live music is some students’ incentive to attend the event.

“I haven’t heard of any of the six bands performing, but I plan to go and have a good time anyway,” said Chelsey Meyerink, a sophomore health promotions major.

The doors open at 6:30 p.m., with the bands hitting the stage at 7 p.m. The cost is only $5. Along with the live performances, door prizes and band merchandise will be available.