Oxford University Dancesport Club (OUDC) is the largest sports club at Oxford University and is the second largest club in the university after Oxford Union. Founded in 1968, it currently has an annual membership of about 800 members. It runs a class taught professionally in the following dance styles:
- Ballroom
- Latin America
- Salsa
- Argentine Tango
- Bachata
- Rock'n'Roll
- Zumba
Classes are open to all (including non-university members) and serve all levels of experience. The Club also runs occasional workshops and a weekly social dance on Sundays in full time and on some Sundays outside of the semester.
Video Oxford University Dancesport Club
History
Prior to the founding of the Oxford Ballroom Dancing Club (OBDC), (later OUBDC and later OUDC) students at the University of Oxford were not allowed to attend the popular Brett dance school in central Oxford, or attend public dance at the Carfax Meeting Room, Headington Hill Hall or Town Hall. Private dancing lessons are also not allowed. In an effort to provide students at universities with the opportunity to dance, a meeting was held on Wednesday 8 May 1968 at Iffley Road Stadium for all who were interested in forming a ballroom dance club. The first meeting was attended by more than 50 people.The Club's first coach was Anne O'Hagan, assisted by Lexa Duckett, with the club's first Senior Member, Dr. Acheson, and his wife helped where possible. The club received a University accreditation in 1969 and in 1971 had 143 members. Originally it was a pure social dance club - only then did he start his exams and medal competitions. The first competition at Oxford was held at Rhodes House on March 8, 1974. Competition against Cambridge and Oxford won the competition with 106.5 points to 106 points. The judges are Tanakas, a prominent ballroom dance partner representing Japan. Both teams have been rivals ever since.
Oxford won its first Inter Varsity Dance Competition in 1980, a year after Cambridge won their first competition. The club was awarded the Full Blue status for women in 1997 and the status of Discretionary Full Blue for men in 2003.
Maps Oxford University Dancesport Club
Team
The Club's Main Team is one of the most successful university dance teams in the country. The team, which usually consists of 24 couples, competes in a number of university dance competition competitions throughout the year, including the Inter Varsity Dance Competition (IVDC) and is the champion of the ruling Inter Varsity Dance. In 2004 and again in 2006 won the Intercontinental Dance Festival team competition, a title that is still valid because the competition has not been run since that date.
Each year the Team competes in the Varsity dance competition against Cambridge. It consists of A-Team matches, B-Team matches, Beginner team matches, and other open events. Oxford and Cambridge took turns organizing the event. Both A-Team (Varsity) and B-Team (Challenge Shield) matches are competed by 9 partners from each university. Each University divides nine pairs into three groups of three pairs. Each group of three couples then danced against each of the three groups of other universities in each of the four dances (waltz, quickstep, cha and jive). The results of each of the nine group-to-group games for each of the four dances are then added together to determine the winning team. The format of the Varsity and Challenge Shield match is very unusual because it requires dancers to be good in ballroom and Latin-style dance.
Beginner Team
The Club also has a Starter Team. It consists of dancers who have not received professional guidance in ballroom or Latin American dance before the Inter Varsity Dance Competition the previous year. There is a separate Beginner's event in all the University's dance circuit competitions and the Beginner Team has its own match at the annual Cambridge Dancesport Varsity Oxford competition. In 2010 the OUDC Beginner Team won the Starter Team competition in the Varsity game and 2nd at the Inter Varsity Dance Competition. In 2011, the Team won the Best Beginner team trophy at the Inter Varsity Dance Competition.
Coach
Bruce RichardsonBruce Richardson is the Head Coach of the Club. Thus he has primary responsibility for all coaching within the Club (including hiring other coaching staff) and for all trials and selection for Team and Team Beginners. Bruce, who was trained by ballroom dancer Guy Howard (author of IDTA's Technique Ballroom), has been a club ballroom coach for many years and has a considerable record of success at the university dancesport. The team chosen by Bruce has won at the Inter Varsity Dance Competition on 11 occasions in 40 years of head coach. In 2009 he achieved three short lists for the Ballroom, Latin and Sequence Teachers Award at the Carl Alan Awards after being nominated by his colleagues in recognition of his longevity of training.
Kevin Clapson
Kevin trained the club's competitive ballroom technical class and gave the ballroom's private lessons to Team members. Kevin is a colleague and examiner of the Associated Board of Dance and twice is all the British Champion Professional Ballroom.
Lee Williams
Lee Williams trains the Beginner Team in Latin engineering and gives private lessons to Team members and others.
Bea Prentiss
Bea teaches the salsa class and the Club rueda. A specialist in Cuban style salsa he also directs the team of salsa view Club Komrades.
Former coach
Former coaches include Ian Waite.
OUDC has hired many prestigious dancers to train for years, as well as numerous workshops with top professionals.
Cuppers
The Club runs an annual competition among colleges called Cuppers. College entered the team of four couples. Each pair performs one of four dances: waltz, quickstep, cha and jive. The highest scoring team won their campus, Acheson Shield. The college with the most points in the entire team they entered brought home the Rob Stevens Memorial Cup. The competition rules require that at least one member of each partnership be an 'inexperienced dancer'. Therefore, the success of a college is very dependent on the beginners who recruited like the established dancers.
Results
Inter Varsity Dance Competition
Oxford Cambridge Dancesport Varsity
Tim A
() indicates that the couple is also best overall throughout Oxford and Cambridge in their respective categories.
Tim B
Acheson Shield
Rob Stevens Memorial Trophy
This trophy was awarded for the first time in 2010.
Note
External links
- Oxford University Dancesport Club website
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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