The annual LUU Dance Show acts as a showcase for the wide variety of dance LUU has to offer. All the dance societies were invited to perform, resulting in a wide variety of different styles and the collaboration is always a fantastic event. This year the show took spectators on a journey through the decades. The music and costumes all reflected different eras from the 50s through to modern day. It’s the first year the show has been staged in the Refectory and credit has to go to Backstage Society, as the transitions between dances were seamless. They really made the event work in the larger space. Unfortunately, due to competition commitments, a few of the societies were unable to perform on the Saturday but the variety was impressive nonetheless.
Vertical Fitness opened the show with an original performance set to rock music. The dancers worked in perfect sync with each other and the effect was striking, making the difficult positions look effortless. Modern Dance society followed and they had many dances in the show including a beautiful contemporary piece and an exciting tap number. Both dances stood out for the seamless coordination of the performers.
Irish Dance definitely took the award for the catchiest tunes with ‘Spice up Your Life’ and ‘Working 9 till 5’ raising the roof. The fast tempo and enthusiasm of their performances was infectious and definitely an audience favourite. Special mention has to go to the Bellydance solo, which was of outstanding standard and got the audience moving. The group performance was also spectacular and the costumes and theme seemed to transport the Refectory to another world.
It’s easy to see why Freestyle society have won so many awards for their performances as each of their dances were powerful and memorable. The contemporary duet was beautiful and both dancers worked together to portray a story, which was extremely moving. The talent of the society members shone through as many performed many different styles of dance, transferring easily from contemporary to hip-hop.
One of the best aspects of the Dance Show is the variety of the performances. A beautifully choreographed dance by Ballet society called ‘Good Rid-dance’ was followed by crowd favourites SLAPsoc with their spicy Reggaeton. The versatility adds to the excitement of the show, combining perfectly with the journey through the decades.
Although not all the performances were as polished, it’s great to see some of the Beginner troupes getting a chance to perform on stage and everyone’s enthusiasm more than made up for any technical errors.
Overall the show was great fun, with many impressive performances and was the perfect showcase for all the wonderful dance societies at LUU. Dance Rep and organiser Jade Robinson pulled off a fantastic show. All the societies should be proud as the hard work they’d put in was really evident and the loud cheers and applause from the audience showed how much it was appreciated.
Esther Marshall
Image courtesy of Liz Kaneda