Starting the competition season in Southampton

I had an early start last Saturday, gearing up for our first dance competition of the season! After a massive breakfast and quick check to make sure I had all my costumes and dance essentials packed, I set off to meet some of my squad buddies before making our way to the competition hall. Starting the competition season in Southampton, on our home turf was very exciting. Not only did we want a fantastic day for ourselves but also an unforgettable day for all the other universities who travelled down for the competition. This is the second year that we have held our very own dance competition and it was great to have such an amazing turn out from all the other universities. The entire day was organised by dancers from Southampton who have been planning for months in advance in order to get everything ready. Their hard work definitely paid off and the day was a huge success.

By the time we arrived, the competition hall was already filled with music and crowds of dancers carrying mixed feelings of excitement and nerves. Soon to join was a series of loud and supportive cheers that followed each performance. It was clear that everyone had put in a lot of effort to perfect their performances and there were a number of really outstanding routines. I usually get pretty nervous performing in front of the judges but at the same time it is a total adrenaline rush. The crowd is always really encouraging which in turn makes you want to give them a good performance and show off everything you’ve been working on over the past months. During the day we also had the opportunity to learn a couple of routines taught by the judges which is always fun because it’s usually something different to what we are normally taught in class.  

The atmosphere at the competition was incredible and sharing such a thrilling experience really brings everyone closer together. We waited with suspense for the results and I’m proud to reveal that we placed first with advanced jazz, advanced tap and novice ballet. We also placed second with advanced ballet, novice jazz and novice tap as well as third with advanced contemporary which also received a trophy for best costume. Overall we did extremely well which meant we had a lot to celebrate in the evening!

 Me with our advanced ballet squad before performing for the judges. It’s not every day you get the opportunity to wear such extravagant getup.

Here’s a photo of the advanced jazz squad taken during our performance. We got a great response from the crowd for this routine which really encouraged us to perform to the best of our abilities.

The advanced contemporary squad, ready to start our routine.

Group photo - well done to everyone who came and competed and thank you for such an amazing day!

Lastly here’s a photo from our night out in the evening! Naturally, after doing so well in the competition we needed to go out and celebrate… After a full day of dance we celebrated with an entire night of even more dancing!

Getting so involved with the dance societies has really been one outstanding component of my university experience so far. However, being in the competition squads (and in my case I’m in three of them!) as well as being the president of the jazz dance society is definitely a commitment. I really hope to have a fantastic dance season as I’m planning on making this my last. People are often surprised when I tell them I’ve only been dancing for four years (in ballet it is common to start when you’re very young and many of my friends have been dancing for over 15 years!). I simply worked really hard to try and catch up to others my age because I didn’t want to be stuck dancing with the younger kids when I first started. Before I got involved in dance, I played tennis, did various forms of gymnastics, I took swimming lessons and horse riding lessons, all of which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Basically, I’ve been lucky enough to try a whole range of different sports and activities and I think next year I’m quite keen to devote my time to another new activity (or maybe a few). In particular, I’m especially keen on getting more involved with the conservation society and the caving society. One of my housemates is actually a member of the caving society and she’s been trying to convince me to come on one of their weekend trips since last year. I haven’t been able to go on a trip yet because of my dance commitments (due to squad rehearsals being every weekend). But once the season is over I’m open for a new adventure. I just want to make sure I’m getting the most out of every aspect of university and taking the opportunity to try new things while it’s so easily available. Until then, let’s finish this season off with a ton of amazing memories, so bring on the next competition!

Kristin