Oxford University Dancesport Club (OUDC) is Oxford University's largest sports club and is the second largest club at the university after the Oxford Union. Founded in 1968 it currently has an annual membership of around 800 members. It runs professionally taught classes in the following dance styles: Ballroom Latin American Salsa Argentine Tango Bachata Rock’n’Roll Zumba
Its classes are open to all (including non-university members) and cater to all levels of experience. The Club also runs occasional workshops and a weekly social dance on Sundays in full term and on some Sundays out of term.
History Prior to the establishment of the Oxford Ballroom Dancing Club (OBDC), (later OUBDC and still later OUDC) undergraduates at the University of Oxford were not allowed to attend the popular Brett's dancing school in the centre of Oxford, nor attend any public dance at the Carfax Assembly Rooms, Headington Hill Hall or Town Hall. Private dancing lessons were also not permitted. In a bid to provide students at the university with an opportunity to dance a meeting was held on Wednesday 8 May 1968 at the Iffley Road Stadium for all those interested in forming a ballroom dancing club. This first meeting was attended by just over 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 helping out where possible. The Club received its University accreditation in 1969 and by 1971 had 143 members. Initially it was a purely social dancing club – it was only later that it started running medals examinations and competitions. The first competition in Oxford was held at Rhodes House on 8 March 1974. The competition was against Cambridge and Oxford won the competition by 106.5pts to 106pts. The judges were the Tanakas, an eminent ballroom dance couple who represented Japan. The two teams have been rivals ever since. Oxford won its first Inter Varsity Dance Competition in 1980, a year after Cambridge won their first such competition. The Club was awarded Full Blue status for women in 1997 and discretionary Full Blue status for men in 2003.
Team The Club's Main Team is one of the most successful university dancesport teams in the country. The Team, which usually consists of 24 couples, competes at a number of university circuit dancesport competitions during the year, including the Inter Varsity Dance Competition (IVDC) and is the reigning Inter Varsity Dance champion. In 2004 and again in 2006 it won the Intercontinental Dance Festival team match competition, a title it still holds as the competition has not been run since that date.
Each year the Team competes in a Varsity dancesport competition against Cambridge . This consists of an A-Team match, a B-Team match, a Beginners Team match and a variety of other open events. Oxford and Cambridge take it in turns to host the event. Both the A-Team (Varsity) match and the B-Team (Challenge Shield) match are contested by 9 couples from each university. Each University splits its nine couples into three groups of three couples. Each of these groups of three couples then dances against each of the three groups from the other university in each of the four dances (waltz, quickstep, cha and jive). The results from each of these nine group-to-group matches for each of the four dances are then added together to determine the winning team. The Varsity and Challenge Shield match format is extremely unusual as it requires dancers to be good at both ballroom and Latin American style dances.
Coaches
Bruce Richardson Bruce Richardson is the Club's Head Coach. As such he has ultimate responsibility for all coaching within the Club (including the employment of other coaching staff) and for all trials and selections for the Team and Beginners Team. Bruce, who was trained by ballroom dancer Guy Howard (author of the IDTA Ballroom Technique book), has been the Club's ballroom coach for many years and has a considerable record of success in university dancesport. Teams selected by Bruce have been victorious at the Inter Varsity Dance Competition on 11 occasions in his 40 years of head coach. In 2009 he reached the shortlist of three for the Ballroom, Latin and Sequence Teachers Award at the Carl Alan Awards after being nominated by his peers in recognition of the longevity of his coaching.
Former coaches Former coaches include Ian Waite.
OUDC have employed many prestigious dancers to coach over the years, as well as numerous workshops with top professionals.
Cuppers The Club runs an annual inter-college dancesport competition called Cuppers. Colleges enter teams of four couples. Each couple performs one of four dances: waltz, quickstep, cha and jive. The highest scoring team wins their college the Acheson Shield. The College with the most points overall across all of the teams they enter takes home the Rob Stevens Memorial Cup. The rules of the competition require that at least one member of each partnership must be an ‘inexperienced dancer’. Hence, the success of a college depends as much on the beginners it recruits as on its established dancers.
Blues recipients YearMen's blues recipient(s)Women's blues recipient(s)2015/16Tadas Temcinas (St Anne's)Jessica Quirke (Exeter)2012/13Alex Clibbon (St Catherine's)George Economides (St Peter's)Zoe Kelly (Queen's)Varvara Mystaka (Worcester)2011/12Alex Clibbon (St Catherine's)Oliver Zeldin (St Cross)Elizabeth Clifton (University)2010/11Alex Clibbon (St Catherine's)Ivans Lubenko (Wadham)Haibo E (Corpus Christi)Sarah Farrell (St John's)Helen Pearce (Keble)2009/10Melvin Chen (Mansfield)Patricia Waszczuk (Lincoln)2008/09Peter Kecskemethy (Merton)Alexander Robinson (Worcester)Helen Pearce (Keble)Annemarie Wait (Merton)2007/08William Lee (St Anthony's)Ivans Lubenko (Keble)Sarah Farrell (St John's)Helen Pearce (Keble)Pippa Underwood (Exeter)Charlotte Woolley (Keble)2006/07Matthew Jones (Lady Margaret Hall)Christoph Ortner (Oriel)Sarah Farrell (St John's)Pippa Underwood (Exeter)Sarah Ward Jones (St John's)2005/06Sugata Kaviraj (St Catherine's)Okezika Uhiara (Christ Church)Kimberley BrownleeAlice Pocklington (Queen's)Camilla Sen (St Hugh's)Pippa Underwood (Exeter)2004/05Nicholas Faull (Trinity, Extraordinary Blue)Sugata Kaviraj (St Catherine's)Robin Schlinkert (Queen's)Camilla Sen (St Hugh's)Ju Min Wong (Brasenose)Claire Wrathmell (Trinity)Andrea Zitna (New)2003/04Nicholas Faull (Trinity)Peter Nixey (Green)Hazel Crow (Hertford)Cecile Defosse (Queen's)Harriet Smith (St John's)2002/03Nicholas Faull (Trinity)Peter Nixey (Green)Hazel Crow (Hertford)Jane Higgins (Lincoln)Harriet Smith (St John's)2001/02Nick Connolly (Wolfson)†Sebastien Marcelin-Rice (Exeter)†Ju Min Wong (St Peter's)2000/01Penny Leech (Hertford), Caroline Parler (Queen's), Ju Min Wong (St Peter's)1999/2000Penny Leech (Hertford) † Pre-2002 Men's Extraordinary Blues
Results
Inter Varsity Dance Competition Year A Team Overall 201827th?? 20173rd2nd 20162nd 201513th (joint)3rd 20149th2nd 20131st2nd 20122nd 20111st 20101st 20092nd3rd 20082nd 20072nd 20062nd 20052nd1st 20041st 20031st (joint)1st 20021st 20011st 20002nd1st
Oxford Cambridge Dancesport Varsity match Year A Team (Varsity match) B Team (Challenge match)2018CambridgeNA2017Cambridge2016Cambridge 2015Cambridge 2014Cambridge 2013Cambridge 2012Cambridge 2011OxfordCambridge 2010Oxford 2009Cambridge 2008Cambridge 2007Cambridge 2006Oxford 2005Oxford 2004Oxford 2003Oxford 2002Oxford 2001Oxford 2000Oxford
A Team
Year Best Oxford ballroom couple Best Oxford Latin couple Best Oxford couple2017Tadas Temcinas & Jessica Quirke2016Tadas Temcinas & Jessica Quirke 2015Nick Li & Emily Sargeant (+)Tadas Temcinas & Anique KrugerMarek Buchman & Anna Schaupp 2014Marek Buchman & Anna Schaupp 2013Marek Buchman & Zoe Kelly (+)Alex Clibbon & Anna SchauppMarek Buchman & Zoe Kelly 2012Marek Buchman & Zoe KellyNick Li & Sarah Glatte (+)Ivan Lubenko & Helen Pearce (+) 2011Oliver Zeldin & Haibo E (+)Ivan Lubenko & Helen Pearce (+) 2010Oliver Zeldin & Marja Verbon (+)Peter Kecskemethy & Sarah Farrell (+)Ivan Lubenko & Helen Pearce (+) 2009Oliver Zeldin & Marja Verbon (+)William Lee & Sarah Farrell (+) 2008Ian Preston & Charlotte WoolleyIvan Lubenko & Pippa Underwood 2007Ian Preston & Charlotte WoolleyOzzie Uhiara & Sarah Farrell 2006Sugata Kaviraj & Alice Pocklington (+)Matthew Jones & Pippa Underwood (+)Sugata Kaviraj & Alice Pocklington (+) 2005Sugata Kaviraj & Andrea Zitna Nicholas Faull & Ju Min Wong (joint) (+)Nicholas Faull & Ju Min Wong (+)
Year Best Newcomer Black Horse Trophy 2015Tadas Temcinas & Anique Kruger (+)Marcin Sliwa & Paige Gibbons 2014Marcin Sliwa & Claire BarnettPatrick Penzo & Katherine MacArthur 2013Gahn Pakorn Aiewsakun & Veronika Kasparova (+)Alex Field & Hristiana Vidinova 2012Marek Buchman & Zoe Kelly (+)Cedric Tan & Annie Ng 2011Hsueh Qu & Sarah Glatte (+)Charlie Byers & Amanda Unsworth 2010Melvin Chen & Patricia Waszczuk (+)Alex Grey & Tamasin Graham 2009Joseph Chedrawe & Ginger Turner (+)Owen Chang & Joanna Bagniewska 2008Oliver Zeldin & Francesca BarrowMark Penwill & Wanzhen Tang 2007Ian Preston & Charlotte Woolley Alex Grey & Tamasin GrahamAlex Robinson & Mairi McGuiness 2006Joseph Coulson & Ruth Westcott (+)William Chao & Sarah Ward-Jones 2005Christoph Ortner & Kimberley BrownleeOzekia Uhiara & Marianna Ofosu 2004Ian Watson & Cécile Défossé 2003Wolfram Schmitt & Emmy Spencer 2002David Weston & Georgina Weeds 2001Nick Faull & Erica Witherington (+) indicates that this couple was also best overall across Oxford and Cambridge in their respective category.
B Team Year Best Oxford ballroom couple Best Oxford Latin couple Best Oxford couple 2015Christoph Weis & Pola OrlowskaDan Claff & Joanna Rachel BellChristoph Weis & Pola Orlowska 2014Dan Claff & Alexandra DamgaardDean Thirlwell & Madeline Day PriceDan Claff & Alexandra Damgaard 2013Artem Kadikov & Alice CliffordDean Thirlwell & Colleen Curran 2012Luke Lishman & Harriet CzernobayDean Thirlwell & Colleen CurranLuke Lishman & Harriet Czernobay 2011Tom Perry & Wanzhen Tang (+)Tom Perry & Wanzhen TangTom Perry & Wanzhen Tang (+) 2010Owen Chang & Joanna BagniewskaJoseph Chedrawe & Ginger Turner (+)Tom Perry & Wanzhen Tang 2009Paul Dwyer & Haibo E (+)Nick Haines & Erin LaneLuke Johnson & Amanda Unsworth (+) 2008 2007Martin Bird & Vicky Stimson (+)Martin Bird & Vicky StimsonMartin Bird & Vicky Stimson (+) 2006Ian Preston & Charlotte WooleyBilal Khan & Alice PillarDamien Vukcevic & Parvy Vis-Nathan 2005Alex Hobbs & Karen ZiegerAlex Hobbs & Karen Zieger (+)
Acheson Shield Year College 2015 Magdalen College 2014 Keble College 2013 Keble College 2012 Keble College 2011 Keble College 2010 Worcester College 2009 Hertford College 2008 Keble College 2007 Keble College 2006 Trinity College 2005 Trinity College 2004 Keble College 2003 Keble College 2002 St. Hugh's College 2001 Merton College 2000 Merton College
Rob Stevens Memorial Trophy This trophy was awarded for the first time in 2010. Year College 2014 Trinity College 2013 Keble College 2012 Keble College 2011 Wadham College 2010 Keble College
Notes
External links Oxford University Dancesport Club Website