UCT Ballroom and Latin Dancing Society Takes Gold!

a U! a U! a UCT!!!!!!! THE WINNING TEAM!

Intervarsity (the annual South African National Student Ballroom and Latin-American Dance Competition - ooh, how fancy it sounds!) is always the biggest event of the year for UCT Ballroom and Latin Dancing Society. This year, the competition was hosted by Tuks on Saturday 11 August. After six months of training (and only six months of dancing for the beginners), the team of 70 dancers hopped onto an Intercape Sleepliner (aah comfy!), singing cheers, eating junk food and watching dancing movies. After over twenty hours of bus games and bonding, we collapsed onto our beds in Pretoria on Friday night for an hour or two before the social.

Dominic Nunes and Wendy Stephenson waltz
 to victory in the Silver Ballroom Section

Tuks' theme for Intervarsity was "The Phantom of the Opera" and their 'black and white' social was in keeping with the theme when each dancer was given a mask. These masks were used as an ice breaker game - "ladies ask a man from a different university, with a mask that is a different colour from yours, for a jive", although peripheral vision is somewhat skewed when wearing a mask, as we learnt, and so is finding people...The social was thoroughly enjoyable and served as a way for the dancers from the different universities to meet, assess the competition and to get in some last minute practise.

Angela Boroughs and Vaughan Moss
doing a 'surprise Tango'

When Saturday morning arrived, despite our fatigue, we were ready to dance our hearts out to maintain our title as the winning university (15 out of 21 competitions!). UCT competed in 23 sections, including Beginners’ to Novice-level Ballroom and Latin, Viennese Waltz, Sokkie, Paso Doblé, Mambo, Boogie, Same-Sex Cha-cha (oh the outfits!) and a 'surprise Tango' in which the gentlemen were blindfolded. UCT also competed in the Formation and Team Dance Sections. The Formation Dance is a choreographed group dance, while the Team Dance is an event in which each university enters eight couples who each perform a different dance, but are scored as a team. This year's UCT formation dance was a Paso Doblé-based Latin combination dance to the music of Georges Bizet's Carmen. UCT came third for Formation with Maties taking second place and Tuks in well-deserved first.

UCT's Formation Group Dance - A Paso Doblé

Despite the fierce competition from Stellenbosch, Tuks, NMMU, NWU, Rhodes and Wits, UCT won 21 medals – 9 Gold, 7 Silver and 5 Bronze. UCT also waltzed off with the Team Dance Shield, the Spirit Trophy and the Overall Trophy, winning the competition with 140 points, with Maties achieving second place (108 points) and Tuks coming in third (81 points).

The winning snowman!

Our friends from Maties ended the day on a high when they flocked towards us as the awards ceremony came to a close, chanting "a U! a U! a U, C, T!" and we chanted back with "Maties jou lekker ding!" We knew that the day had been worth all of the sweat, excitement and nerves.

After all of the dancing and cheering, we then piled ourselves, our medals and our trophies back onto the bus (with far less energy) and (most of us) slept our way back to Cape Town, with a bit of snow along the way.

Intervarsity is by far the biggest bonding and learning experience, and probably the most memorable event of the UCT Ballroom and Latin Dancing Society calendar. We would like to say a huge thank you to Tuks for organizing such a fantastic competition, our competitors for being such great sports, our committee for organizing such a smooth Intervarsity and our Intervarsity Team for succeeding in their first profession - win, win, win, win!

The winning Team Dance
From L-R: Francisco Agostinho and Nomusa Mavimbela (Jive), Richard Parry and Thandeka Cochrane (Rumba), Tebo Cochrane and Priscilla Chauke (Cha-cha), Chris Garrard and Clare Garrard (Samba), William Wu and Zulfa Martin (Quickstep), Irenee Kaminuza and Ncediwe Mdlulwa (Rhythm Foxtrot), Jared Baboo and Gibwa Cole (Tango) and Nathanael Sargeant and Maxine Van Der Schyff (Waltz).

Photos by Arran Graham and Nick Heins

Medal Tests 2012 Beginners

Stefano and Lauren prepare for their Waltz

Julie and Neil strike a pose

Our Beginners did so brilliantly in the recent Medal Tests, where the danced the Waltz, Rhythm Foxtrot, Cha Cha, Jive and Boogie! They all received glowing comments from the very impressed adjudicators and walked away with a brightly-coloured polka dot certificate!


Having been a part of UCT Ballroom and Latin Dancing Society for only a few months, our Beginners showed just what they were made of when they were brave enough to step onto the floor of Jammie Hall to show off their newly-learnt skills in front of their friends, family and adjudicators - eek!

Jade and Allister ready to dance!

Eden and Joshua do a New Yorker

After hours of classes, extra Sunday practises and a Polka Dot-themed social the night before to calm those pre-Medal Test jitters, they were ready! They proved that a bit of practise, a lot of love and a tremendous amount of fun can turn a test into a pleasant experience, and, they've proved that they are more than ready for this year's National Student Ballroom and Latin Dance Championships (aka Intervarsity)!

To all of our Beginners who were brave enough to do their Medal Tests, a huge well done! You all have fantastic potential and we are sure that you will do brilliantly at Intervarsity. Go UCT!

If you haven't signed up for Intervarsity yet, tomorrow is your last chance! 

Check out the photos from Medal Tests on our Facebook page - Photos by Nick Heins

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!

Medal Tests – the most fun you’ll have doing a test

The coffee and the hot chocolate flowed, and so did good feelings, last Saturday the 7th May. Finally, it was the much anticipated day of the Medal Tests. Jammie Hall was transformed by Bryce and his helpers for the Black & White Medal Tests social the night before. Everyone had adopted this spirit for the social and it felt like I had stepped into an old black and white movie when I walked into the hall.


From the very first warm-up dance, until the last couple left the floor, the day was filled with non-stop action. Everyone was eager and helpful and the day seemed to fly. The spectators spectated, the dancers danced and the examiners examined , and by the end of the day everyone had had a chance to show off their new or improved dancing skills and get a few useful pointers.


Whether you are Beginner or a Bronze, Silver or Gold medallist, Medal Tests is sure to have improved your technique and your confidence on the dance floor. Just in time for Intervarsity too! For those of you who didn’t, or couldn’t, make it this year, there’s just no way to describe it, you have to experience it for yourself....










Now that you have done your Medal Test, here are a few pointers for how to interpret your results and make the best of your comments:

- First and foremost you need to realise that you are marked according to your level. You don’t need to worry about looking as good as a Gold medallist if you are only a Beginner, you only need to show that you have mastered the level that you are dancing at.

- There are four possible marks you could have recieved for your Medal Test, Pass (65-74%), Commended (75-84%), Highly commended (85-89%) and Honours (90-100%). If you got Honours you can be rightly proud, they are not just handed out and require a lot of work and just a bit of luck. If your marks do not seem to add up (if you seem to be marked up), remember that the examiners can use their discretion. Anyone can make a mistake on the dance floor or have one bad dance, while at other times you can seem brilliant. The judges will look at the way you dance overall to determine your final mark.


- You will see that, along with your shiny certificate, came a comment sheet full of handy pointers; use this! If you have any trouble interpreting what they mean by something like “replace weight on the fall-away rock”, then simply ask one of the more advanced dancers or Iliana to help you interpret it. Beginners, this is especially handy for you; now is the perfect time to nip bad habits in the bud.









- If there is one thing that I have learned over the years of Medal Testing, it is to ENJOY YOURSELF! I know it’s difficult when you’re nervous and you want to do your best. But, if you show others that you are having fun, it makes them enjoy watching you. In this way you can be sure to get a better mark. Psychological trickery, perhaps, but it works.

- Best of all, there is a good chance there are photos or even a video of you dancing! Check out Facebook (some people will upload here), or speak to us. We have photos from some of the more prolific photographers(thanks Nicholas) and Iliana’s many, many videos. This is the absolute best way to see where you make mistakes and where you can improve. Not sure what Iliana meant by saying look up and keep your shoulders back? Take one look at a video or photo where your eyes are on the floor or your shoulders are slouched, and you will realise at once why it doesn’t look good at all.

Now you know you can do it, you’ve worked hard, you’ve conquered the butterflies, and you’ve danced your heart out on the floor. You can only get better and better…see you all at Intervarsity!
Bernie

*photos by Nicholas Heins.