Dance Society held their Christmas Showcase on Sunday 3 December, and it celebrated everything they’ve achieved this term with a festive twist. All of the society’s classes had the opportunity to perform at the showcase – ranging from ballet to tap to lyrical, there were plenty of Christmas-themed routines to get the audience into the festive spirit. One particularly exciting number was the 1st year dance, which was a mix of different dances with a Christmas soundtrack (and a wonderful Mean Girls reference!). The huge variety of classes with different levels of difficulty meant that even complete beginners were able to join in. I was lucky enough to take part this year, despite having not done dance for nearly 15 years. Whether you were a seasoned dancer or had never danced before, there was something for everyone.
The showcase also allowed the society to show off their competitive dance teams, who just a week earlier went to Kings College London for their first competition of the year. The competitive wildcard team, who performed a burlesque-style number, won first place in their category. This was a huge achievement for the society, and this routine was one of the many competitive numbers performed at the showcase. From the beautifully dark contemporary number to the lively and exciting jazz routine, each team was able to show off how hard they had worked this term. As well as many group performances, there were a number of solo, duet and trio numbers. These dances were beautifully choreographed, and showed the talent of the dancers. All of the dances were mesmerising to watch, and the atmosphere was made even better by a completely full house. The huge number of family members and friends who came to watch meant that the showcase was extremely successful – thanks to the careful planning of the society’s events coordinator Marie de Rooy.
From the beautifully dark contemporary number to the lively and exciting jazz routine, each team was able to show off how hard they had worked this term.
As well as taking the opportunity to show off their incredible dancers, the society also used the showcase to raise money for an incredible cause. Over the last few weeks, the choreographers asked their dancers to bring either a monetary donation or a non-perishable food item, which would be donated to a local food bank. This was also done on the night of the showcase, where the committee encouraged the audience to also donate money. This money went to two different charities – the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and Mind, the mental health charity.
The society’s competitive teams have another competition this weekend at UCL, where they are hoping to repeat their previous successes. If you want to find out more about Dance Society and what they do, check out their page on the SU website or their Facebook page.