Dancers trounce Cambridge
Despite all the odds, Dancesport’s 33rd Varsity Match proved to be an outstanding success for Oxford, with both A and B team victories at Iffley Road this Saturday. After a six-year run of Varsity wins and a B-team which had never been beaten, it nevertheless seemed that this year would be a tough one for Oxford. The team lost almost all of its members at the start of the year, and the A and B sides were composed mainly of dancers with, at most, two years of experience.
Cambridge, seeing their chance to win back Varsity glory, pulled out all the stops. They hired a new coach and even asked The Daily Telegraph to run an article supporting their sought-after victory. However, come Varsity day, Oxford shone through once again. For those of you not in the know, the teams are composed of eight couples who each perform Waltz, Quickstep, Cha Cha, and Jive.
There are four couples from each team in any given heat and each couple performs twice and thus competes against all members of the opposite team. Every couple in the heat is ranked 1st (8 points) to 8th (1 point) and the team with the most points wins. Whatever designs Cambridge had of defeating Oxford, the Dark Blues were triumphant once again.
With past encounters decided by as little as five points between the teams, Oxford’s victory margin of 156 points was resounding to say the least, while the B-team victory was equally convincing. Sugata Kaviraj and Alice Pocklington of Oxford, considered to be one of the very best couples competing on the university circuit and winners of the advanced ballroom at the Southern Championships, picked up best overall Varsity couple and best overall ballroom couple.
Oxford’s Phillipa Underwood, a beginner as late as last year, and her partner Matthew Jones were also impressive and were the best overall Latin couple. This came as no surprise to anyone who has ever seen them • their sharp and energetic dancing is simply stunning. Finally, Joe Coulson and Ruth Westcott, another Oxford couple, picked up best overall newcomer • a particularly significant success as it was a new partnership for Varsity.
Varsity Dancesport is unusual because it also includes open competitions, allowing any dancer who wants to compete. These happen after the Varsity matches and Oxford continued its storm of success throughout the day, most notably in the beginners’ category. Oxford’s Beginner’s Team is the largest and most successful university outfit, winning the National Beginners’ Team Trophy earlier this year.
On Saturday they proved their strength once again, beating Cambridge to Best Beginner’s Team. Eliza Eagling and Jerome Clarisse, National Beginner’s Champions, won three out of the four dances in the beginner’s category and took the best overall Beginners Couple title. Varsity couldn’t have been more successful for Oxford, who swept the floor, winning everything from beginners to the A-team.
Having proved just how talented and determined Oxford dancers are, attention is now turned to internal rivalry as we look forward to Dancesport cuppers next Saturday.
18th May 2006