Dance After JMDS: Abbie and Libby
Some of our lovely seniors go off to pursue dance as a career, but what about those who choose to study other subjects?
University dance societies have allowed our alumni to keep up their dance training and also bring a fun social aspect.
Take a look at what alumni Libby Danvers and Abbie James have to say…
Libby Danvers- Midwifery- University of Worcester
“Since starting Uni I’ve been able to join the amazing dance society which includes weekly classes and competition teams. I’m so glad that I carried on dancing as it’s been a great way to switch off from my course when I need to and keep my fitness up. I’ve had the best experiences so far, taking part in contemporary, jazz, tap, Latin and ballroom classes. Recently I’ve travelled to Nottingham to compete in my first competition against other universities. It was the most incredible day and I can’t wait to compete at future competitions!”
Abbie James-Theatre and Performance Studies- University of Bristol
“I distinctly remember the wave of sadness I felt after performing in my final Summer Extravaganza at JMDS back in 2018. Knowing that I was never going to dance to this same standard again with the same group of people I had grown up with was a truly disheartening realisation. However, upon embarking on my new adventure at Bristol University, I could not have been more pleasantly surprised with the opportunities the Uni dance society provided!
I quickly realised that I was surrounded by an array of like-minded dancers, all of whom had similar dance training backgrounds to me, but had also decided to pursue a different career path.
Not only are there opportunities to dance recreationally in classes during the week led by professional external teachers, but most universities provide the opportunity to compete against others! This year we are taking our student choreographed dances to Nottingham and Sheffield; I am a part of the Advanced Jazz and Advanced Lyrical competition teams.
I couldn’t believe the standard of dancing at the competitions and the atmosphere is completely different to what I am used to, with high-energy whooping and chanting filling the auditorium! Dance at Uni has been the perfect way not only to keep up my fitness, but to meet like-minded people and continue to do what l love to do! I have even started taking classes in different styles such as commercial and street dancing which I am growing to love! If you are struggling to make friends on your course or miss dancing in a space again after the long hiatus that followed lockdown, then I really couldn’t recommend university dance societies enough. “