This year has been a special year so far, particularly due to the enthusiasm and dedication of the beginners, who have blown us away with their performances at the Medal Tests and who continue to come to every practice and every social. On the 5th August, a warm and lazy Friday afternoon, we set off for an even bigger adventure. A total of 74 dancers made the short journey to Stellenbosch, to take part in the Student Nationals Competition (fondly known as Intervarsity), set to take place in the DF Malan Hall the following day.
After an hour-long bus ride, with Dominic leading cheers to keep spirits up, we settled into the iKhaya Backpackers in the heart of Stellenbosch. The formation team made a quick dash to the competition hall to do a final run-through, while the rest got ready for the social, taking place in the Neelsie at 6pm. UCT lit up the room with our dancefloor antics and were the last to leave. I wouldn’t have expected anything less from our team!
The next day was sheer madness. After a late start, a really sweet rendition of the National Anthem and a drawn-out breakfast, Stellenbosch decided to make up for lost time and paced through the rest of the day at breakneck speed. Many of the UCT dancers had entered into a wide variety of sections, and didn’t stop dancing until lunch time. More than one couple was seen making a wild dash to the marshalling area, changing partner numbers in mid-flight.
Despite the rush, UCT were all over the floor like a swarm of ants, having entered at least one couple (usually more!) into most sections. Our beginners were there in full force and even tried their hands (or feet) at the more advanced dances, such as Viennese Waltz and Paso Doble. Our passion and performances were put to the test – and when the time to hear the results, we weren’t disappointed!
In the sectional dances, UCT came first in Beginner Ballroom, Beginner Latin, Intermediate Latin, Advanced Ballroom, Advanced Latin, Pre-Bronze Ballroom, Bronze Ballroom, Bronze Latin and Gold Latin. We also had top couples in Mambo, Paso and Viennese Waltz. In fact, a UCT couple placed in the top 6 in every section we entered.
We also got the Team Dance trophy. UCT has never been very competitive in this section, as it is the belief of the coach that lower-level dancers, like those in beginner and intermediate, deserve a place in the Team Dance as much as those in higher levels. Nonetheless, winning this trophy is special and we are always glad when the performances of our team show us in such a good light.
The last item on the list was the Formation dance. Being part of the formation team requires a lot of hard work and many, many hours of practice. But the team is a special place to be, especially when you are all dressed up and waiting in line to make UCT proud. And it’s even more special when you win – just like our formation team did this year (for the 2nd year in row). Those hours of practising really paid off.
At the end of the day, a tired but proud UCT team came first overall, with a total of 199 points. Second place went to Stellenbosch with 114 points and third place to Tuks with 64 points. We even walked home with the quite large and awkward-looking Spirit Trophy for all the cheering we did throughout the day.
It has been one of the best years that UCT has had for a very long time, thanks to the spirit shown by our dancers, all of whom have been committed and hard-working members of the team. Congratulations to all! We are looking forward to making our way to Tuks next year for Intervarsity 2012.
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