Show Down at the Hoe Down – Beginners Barn Dance Social

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaaaw!

Over 120 cowboys, cowgirls and a couple of village idiots…er…what…cantered into Jameson Hall for UCT Ballroom and Latin Dancing Society’s Beginners Social – A Barn Dance! The dancing was run by the well-known barn dance caller, Caroline Blundell, who had us all dosey-doeing like pros!

With a heel and toe and away we go…and away we went indeed – kicks here, promenades there and a few gallops everywhere. We were rock-tap-turning and having an absolute blast! 

Everyone dressed up for the occasion in their denims and checks with boots and cowboy hats too (which were thrown into the air accompanied by an enthusiastic “yeehaw!” at the end of each dance). The hall was decorated to theme too, with plenty of hay bales, lassos, drapes and flashing lights.

After spinning our partners around the room, it was great to relax with a free bottle of vitaminwater – our Plaza Week sponsors whom we would like to thank for their generous support.

The Barn Dance was a great start to the dancing year and we would like to extend a warm welcome to all of our beginners. We hope that you had a fantastic time at the social and that the time you spend with UCT Ballroom and Latin Dancing Society will be just as much fun – the dances you learn and the friends you make. Welcome!

Photos: Anton Moisey and Jennifer Marshall

PLAZA WEEK 2012

Monday 7, Tuesday 8, Wednesday 9 February Jammie Plaza 9am-3pm and Med School on Wednesday 9 February 12pm-3pm

Plaza Week 2012 is nearly upon us! The 2012 Committee has been working tirelessly to make UCT Ballroom and Latin Dancing society bigger, better and bolder!

Look out for us on Jammie Plaza (just to the right of Jameson Hall is you are facing the city) – we’ll be wearing our bright turquoise t-shirts, handing out flyers which tell you all you need to know about signing-up, dancing around plaza (so that you can see what we’re all about) and dancing on the stage in front of Jameson Hall at 12:45 on Tuesday. We’ll also have a photo display playing on a screen for you to see what UCT Ballroom and Latin Dancing Society has been up to as well as our PROMO VIDEO which you can see on our Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150542555420888

When you sign up with UCT Ballroom and Latin Dancing Society this year, you will receive:

·         A year’s pass to all of the beginners classes (that’s 2 beginners classes per week as well as access the extra class on a Thursday where you’ll get to learn the Viennese Waltz, paso doble, salsa, sokkie, rock ‘n roll and Argentine Tango to name a few!), free entrance to our socials, the opportunity to enter Medal tests and to represent UCT at the National Intervarsity Ballroom and Latin Dancing Championships!

·         Freebies when you sign up (our very own magazine, On the Ball, with articles written by your dancing friends) and a FREE bottle of vitaminwater!

·         Instant friends!!!!!!!!! You will automatically become part of the UCT Ballroom and Latin Dancing Society family – a group of like-minded people from different walks of life who all share the same passion for dancing! And if you find us on Facebook, we’ll send you invitations to our extra-curricular activities (including salsa and sokkie parties!)

So look for us on Jammie Plaza and sign up!

See you at the first class on Valentine’s Day (Tuesday 14 February)!


Photos from Plaza Week 2012: (by Nick Heins and Lara Milne)

Neann and Simon strike a pose

Liesbeth and Mokhine break it down

Claire teaches the Ikey Tiger some moves!

Plaza Week 2011

Plaza Week, during the first week of the University calendar, is the best opportunity for us to recruit you! Did we succeed? I think so. It was certainly fun, encapsulating the atmosphere of dancing which we try to maintain throughout the dancing year; even during those oh-so-serious moments of medal tests and intervarsity.

That is what dancing at UCT Ballroom and Latin Dancing Society is all about, fun! As clichéd as it sounds, if you stop having fun, stop meeting people and stop enjoying the social aspect of dancing, then you need to reassess why you are dancing in the first place.

Getting involved is usually all it takes, just like the plaza week volunteers realised. If you were there you would have seen some (rather tired) but smiley-happy up-beat people, who are there to promote the thing that they love and believe in. You may have seen Nic and Mirada spinning in circles around the plaza, or the sweet and steadfast Leigh behind the desk. I hope you got a chance to meet some of the committee, because we are here to serve you.



If you signed up with us, thank you. We hope to make dancing mean to you, what it does to us. Dancing is many things and UCT Ballroom will give all of these to you, if you open your mind and allow your feet to follow the process.

Dancing means meeting new people all the time
Dancing means learning a life-long skill
Dancing means learning floor craft and spatial awareness
Dancing is good exercise
Dancing increases your enjoyment and your confidence in all kinds of dancing
Dancing means having fun

I want to thank all the people that came to help during plaza week:
Mirada, Nic, Rudi, Leigh, Neann, Kamla, Thandeka, Alicia, MJ, Michelle and all the Catherines and Katherines

Thanks too to the committee who made themselves available to do demos, hand out flyers and keep the spirit upbeat and happy.