You may not have noticed, but some of Hull Uni’s brightest talent was recently representing us over in Sunderland at the Sunderland Step Up Dance Competition. That’s a national competition for universities, and it gave some of our students an insight into how other universities do things while they were strutting their stuff for Hull.
It was the first time that Hull University Dance Society (HUDS) had entered the Step Up competition and – though they avoided the break-battle section this year (because, I was told, they ‘weren’t quite that street’) – they came a respectable third in Advanced Ballet.
HUDS is ‘quite a new society in the grand scheme of things’, member of two years Christina told me. You may not have had chance to come across them, but they have been quietly bubbling away throughout the year. Not only have they been off to fly the uni’s flag in Sunderland, but they also perform two shows a year (the first was in December, and you’ve just missed their second, end-of-year, show). HUDS also has an active social scene, like many of HUU’s societies, having been on Tour with the AU, and their President, Becky, tells me that they also ‘have a social every fortnight and most people come to those – we all get on really well’.
But at the core of our Dance Society’s activities are the classes they run each week. Apparently these add up to roughly fifteen hours per week, in a variety of styles: ballet (remember the earlier Step Up success), tap, contemporary dance, lyrical dance and modern dance. When I pointed out that I wasn’t really much of a dancer, this didn’t seem to bother HUDS; their classes cater for all levels of experience and ability. Sarah, who’s been in HUDS for two years, said, ‘We have a range of classes, from Beginner to Advanced, so that people that have never done dance before can start with the basics. In Ballet Basics we start at the beginning – learning how to turn your feet out, stuff like that. And Modern Basics, which I teach, is just the same; start with the basics. So everyone can get a grip of it. Then, if you don’t want to be in the show, you don’t have to be, it’s whatever you want to do.’
She wasn’t the only one to point this out – new member Becky told me that ‘Literally, people have learnt all the dances and decided not to be in the show up to last week – ’cos they don’t want to be – it’s quite relaxed, you’ve got the option; you’re not under pressure if you don’t want to do it.’ So joining HUDS doesn’t mean that you have to perform, nor do you need any previous dance experience; you might just want ‘fun and a bit of exercise’, as Christina explained, while also saying that if members want ‘serious dance classes, they can get those’ too.
We shouldn’t miss their shows, though; the proceeds go to a different local charity each year, so giving HUDS an audience also helps locally. This year’s charity was Doorstep (http://www.doorstep.karoo.net/) who work with homeless young adults in Hull.
So if next year you’re after some pressure-free exercise with a relaxed social scene, social conscience and the possibility of competing for the University, then HUDS is definitely a friendly option worth checking out.
Richard T. Watson
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