Inter-what? The lowdown on Intervarsity...

Intervaristy....the word on everybody's lips post Medal Tests...If you're feeling dazed and confused amongst all of the partner-grabbing and routine-planning, never fear, your blogging friend is here!

2011 Intervarsity Team

Inter-what?!?
Intervarsity - A competition (a friendly one) where we (UCT) compete against Stellenbosch, Wits, Rhodes, Tuks and NMMU. This year, the competition is being hosted by Tuks in Pretoria on Saturday 11 August.

What does it involve?

Liza and Richard get their Salsa on

We leave UCT on Thursday 9 August early in the morning. After traveling on the LUXURY bus for a while, singing songs, playing games and getting a good night's rest <ahem> we will arrive in Pretoria on Friday 10 August for the 'Black and White' Social where we get to meet the dancers from the other universities (the competition!). We will spend the night in one of Pretoria's lovely backpackers and be ready for the main event - the 2012 National Student Ballroom and Latin Dance Championships (aka Intervarsity). Then it's back on the bus (with our trophies and medals!).

There is also a very cool Broadway Social at UCT on Friday 3 August to prepare for Intervarsity and you'll get to see the Formation Team's dress rehearsal!

How much is it?
For the incredibly low price of just R900 you will receive:

• A super suave 2012 UCT Ballroom Intervarsity hoodie
• Accomodation in a Pretoria Backpacker's
• Transport to and from Pretoria on a luxury bus
• Extra dance class fees for the Sunday classes (so that your dancing becomes even more amazing)
• Competition entry fees

Tebo and Liesbeth jive into the Beginner Finals

Of course your R900 does not cover all of these costs, so, your friendly UCT Ballroom and Latin Dancing Society subsidies the rest so that you can enjoy Intervarsity on a student budget!

The Competition
The actual competition which starts at 10am on Saturday 11 August, is an entire day of dancing. That doesn't mean that you yourself will dance the entire day without stopping. The competition is divided into different sections and heats. The standard Ballroom and Latin dances (which you are taught in your class - Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced etc.) are divided into sections according to levels and the dances and steps that you know e.g.
Beginner Ballroom: Waltz and Rhythm Foxtrot
Beginner Latin: Cha Cha and Jive
The Ballroom and Latin sections are danced at different times (there may be a few heats and other sections in between them), so you can have one partner for Ballroom and a different partner for Latin!

Claire and Nick show off their spins

There are also Open Section dances. These are:

• Boogie
• Sokkie
• Mambo (Salsa)
• Viennese Waltz
• Paso Doble
• Same-Sex Cha Cha
• Surprise Tango (We won't know exactly what this entails until the day of the competition, but it is recommended that you do not enter this section unless you are familiar with the International Tango which is taught to Advanced dancers and up)

 These dances are 'open' because you do not need to dance with a partner at your level (e.g an Intermediate dancer can dance with a Beginner) and you will be competing against couples from all levels.

Alistair and Jeanne looking glamorous for Novice Ballroom

Each section will have heats depending on how many couples have entered that section. Once the judges have selected the couples that they want to see again, those couples progress to the Quarter Final, Semi Final and the FINAL where you collect the GOLD! The junior levels are usually earlier in the day as well as the initial rounds of the open dances. As the day progresses you will get to see the more advanced dancers in action! We get more points for Beginner couples who do well than more advanced couples who do well - Beginners, YOU ARE SUPER IMPORTANT so please come to Intervarsity!

We end the day off with the Team Dance event (where couples from various levels will be chosen by Iliana to do Waltz/Rhythm Foxtrot/Quickstep/Tango/Samba/Cha Cha/Rumba/Jive torepresent UCT in a tag-team style dance-off against the other universities), the Formation Dance (an 8-couple group dance which the formation team has been rehearsing) and the Prize Giving Ceremony! If (When) you get through all of the rounds and progress to the Final, you will receive a shiny certificate and a medal in the Prize Giving Ceremony.

Iliana, Maureen, Dom and Lara with the trophies!

At this ceremony, trophies are awarded for the best Team Dance, the best Formation Dance, the most SPIRIT (so get ready to do some shouting) and best overall University (the one with the most points). Last year we won every single trophy - this year we plan to do exactly the same thing, so bring your A-game!

But winning isn't everything (although it's lots of fun). The best thing about Intervarsity is that you truly get to bond with the other members of UCT Ballroom in a way that isn't possible in regular classes. We will be spending a lot of time on the bus (with lots of stops in between) so there will be plenty of time to make new friends - friends with dancers at different levels! Your dancing will also improve dramatically with the extra classes, the different partners that you dance with for the different sections and the experience of performing at such an amazing event.

Words cannot describe the Intervarsity experience (although I've tried really hard to). Just do it!