Oxford University Dancesport Club


Oxford University Dancesport Club 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:
Its classes are open to all 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, 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 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 match and the B-Team 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. 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.

Beginners team

The Club also has a Beginners Team. This consists of dancers who have not received professional tuition in ballroom or Latin American dancing prior to the Inter Varsity Dance Competition of the previous year. There are separate Beginners events at all the University circuit dancesport competitions and the Beginners Team has its own match at the annual Oxford Cambridge Dancesport Varsity competition. In 2010 the OUDC Beginners Team won the Beginners Team competition at the Varsity match and was 2nd at the Inter Varsity Dance Competition. In 2011, the Team won the Best Beginners Team trophy at the Inter Varsity Dance Competition.

Coaches

Bruce Richardson

Bruce Richardson is the Club's Head Coach. As such he has ultimate responsibility for all coaching within the Club and for all trials and selections for the Team and Beginners Team. Bruce, who was trained by ballroom dancer Guy Howard, 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.

Kevin Clapson

Kevin coaches the Club's competitive ballroom technique classes and provides ballroom private lessons to Team members. Kevin is a fellow and examiner of the Associated Board of Dance and twice was all England Professional Ballroom Champion.

Lee Williams

Lee Williams trains the Beginners Team in Latin technique and provides private lessons to Team members and others.

Bea Prentiss

Bea teaches the Club's salsa and rueda classes. A specialist in Cuban style salsa she also directs the Club's Komrades salsa display team.

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.

Results

Inter Varsity Dance Competition

Oxford Cambridge Dancesport Varsity match

A Team
YearBest Oxford ballroom coupleBest Oxford Latin coupleBest Oxford couple
2017Tadas Temcinas & Jessica QuirkeTadas Temcinas & Jessica QuirkeTadas Temcinas & Jessica Quirke
2016Tadas Temcinas & Jessica QuirkeTadas Temcinas & Jessica QuirkeTadas Temcinas & Jessica Quirke
2015Nick Li & Emily Sargeant Tadas Temcinas & Anique KrugerMarek Buchman & Anna Schaupp
2014Marek Buchman & Anna SchauppMarek Buchman & Anna SchauppMarek Buchman & Anna Schaupp
2013Marek Buchman & Zoe Kelly Alex Clibbon & Anna SchauppMarek Buchman & Zoe Kelly
2012Marek Buchman & Zoe Kelly
Nick Li & Sarah Glatte 		Ivan Lubenko & Helen Pearce Ivan Lubenko & Helen Pearce
2011Oliver Zeldin & Haibo E Ivan Lubenko & Helen Pearce Ivan Lubenko & Helen Pearce
2010Oliver Zeldin & Marja Verbon Peter Kecskemethy & Sarah Farrell Ivan Lubenko & Helen Pearce
2009Oliver Zeldin & Marja Verbon William Lee & Sarah Farrell William Lee & Sarah Farrell
2008Ian Preston & Charlotte WoolleyIvan Lubenko & Pippa Underwood
2007Ian Preston & Charlotte WoolleyOzzie Uhiara & Sarah FarrellOzzie Uhiara & Sarah Farrell
2006Sugata Kaviraj & Alice Pocklington Matthew Jones & Pippa Underwood Sugata Kaviraj & Alice Pocklington
2005Sugata Kaviraj & Andrea Zitna
Nicholas Faull & Ju Min Wong 		Nicholas Faull & Ju Min Wong Nicholas Faull & Ju Min Wong

YearBest NewcomerBlack 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 Graham		Alex 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
YearBest Oxford ballroom coupleBest Oxford Latin coupleBest 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 CurranDean 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 Alex Hobbs & Karen Zieger

Acheson Shield

Rob Stevens Memorial Trophy

This trophy was awarded for the first time in 2010.
YearCollege
2014Trinity College
2013Keble College
2012Keble College
2011Wadham College
2010Keble College