For Silverado Ranch resident Eileen Hug, responsibilities in the field of education don't stop with the end of the business day. Hug, who has been the vice president of business and finance at University of Southern Nevada for the past three years, also teaches folk dancing.
Hug handles all accounting functions for the university and occasionally teaches folk dancing with the Ethnic Express, a group that meets at the Charleston Heights Cultural Center.
Hug first got involved with folk dance groups in 1972 while she was in college at Northern Arizona University. Classmates had started a group, and Hug was looking for something fun to do while her husband was out of town.
Since then, both Hug and her husband have continued to participate in dance groups and have gone on cruises where participants dance on the ships and in the towns along the way.
Hug said the dances her groups learn are primarily from Europe and Israel along with some American novelty dances.
"Romanian and Israeli dances are my favorite," she said. "Israeli dances seem to have the most variety and I really like the style in Romanian dance -- there's a lot of stamping and quick moves."
Hug said when the Ethnic Express meets, group members generally teach steps to new dances for the first 30 to 45 minutes, then work on other dances by request.
She said up to 20 people regularly attend the classes.
When she moved to Las Vegas from Arizona in 1991, Hug worked in the hotel industry.
"I got tired of the casino industry and decided to look for something else," she said. "I applied to lots of jobs, and then saw that USN -- at the time it was still the Nevada College of Pharmacy -- was advertising the position and I was thrilled to get the position. It was a new thing to do, even though it's still in accounting."
Hug said her involvement with folk dancing has helped to broaden her horizons.
"I like learning different dances from different countries," she said. "There's a different style with each country, and it's something active."
The Ethnic Express meets Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. at the Charleston Heights Cultural Center, 800 S. Brush St.
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