Dancing as a Fresher: One year on...

I came to UEA in September 2016 and joined Dancesport with my flat mate Hannah. Everyone was so friendly and straight away we both felt welcome into the club and quickly became friends with existing and new members by getting involved in socials. Even though both Hannah and I have danced previously in different styles for many years, we both found that ballroom and Latin dancing was very different to anything we have done before. It was very challenging having to remember steps, technique and routines for multiple dances but after going to classes every week, by the time it came to our first competition we were ready to give it our best shot.

The first competition we attended was Leicester and it was by far one of the highlights of my dancing year. To begin with Hannah and I were obviously very nervous however everybody there was so encouraging that we gained more and more confidence as we got through the rounds. Eventually we ended up being very successful winning one 1st and two 2nd place awards! The day overall was filled with so much fun and Hannah and I couldn’t have wished for a better first competition.

Throughout the year we attended a number of competitions which included travelling to Manchester, Blackpool and even our own one here at UEA. In all the competitions we attended, Hannah and I managed to get through numerous rounds and make it through to a number of finals. This motivated us to see what we can achieve in the year to come.

One year on from joining Dancesport at UEA, both Hannah and I are looking forward to not only improving our dancing but, as new members of the committee, we are excited to also help improve the club as a whole.