South Effingham High School students in Nathalie Starling’s sociology class gave salsa dancing a spin as part of their study of different cultures and traditions.

Dance instructor Mike Yarbrough made two visits to the SEHS campus to teach salsa steps to the 35 sociology students. Crystal Starling, the sociology teacher's daughter, assisted Yarbrough with the lessons.

Starling’s previous sociology students have studied different dances of the world, she said, but this was the first time the class took actual lessons. The students selected salsa because of its American origins, and they will vote on another dance to learn before the end of the school year.

Sociology is offered as an elective at SEHS. “It’s about life,” Starling said. “It has gotten a lot of kids excited about going to college and taking sociology.”

Ballroom-style dancing is making a comeback in the U.S., Starling added, “because of the fitness and fun” of it.