RULERS OF THE DANCE FLOOR

BY TARREN SAUNDERS

The UWC Dance Sport Club collected 10 gold, 7 silver and 4 bronze medals at the USSA Dance Sport Tournament.

THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WESTERN CAPE (UWC) DANCE SPORT CLUB have been the national champions since 2007, and this year they won their 13th University Sports South Africa (USSA) Dance Sport Tournament.

UWC Dance Sport offers Latin American dance styles such as the samba, cha-cha and paso doble, as well as standard styles such as the waltz, tango and quickstep.

HEAD COACH CHESLIN PARIS, who has 29 years of experience, including national titles, says it has been an honour to coach hundreds of students who have represented UWC on the dance floor.

At this year’s USSA Dance Sport Tournament, held in July at Rhodes University in Makhanda, UWC’s six male and eight female athletes set out to defend their title against 11 other universities. And even though they were the smallest group competing, they emerged victorious.

THEY COLLECTED 10 GOLD, SEVEN SILVER AND FOUR BRONZE MEDALS in the individual categories, and collectively they won the team formation, show dance and team match categories on their way to the title.

UNIVERSITY FUNDING for the dancers has kept their sport alive and Paris says the athletes are proud to represent their sport and UWC.

TWO DANCE SPORT ATHLETES, LEAH BROWN AND AMY ADAMS, also did well academically this year. Brown, a second-year BA student in Psychology, Women’s and Gender Studies and Xhosa Acquisition, had an academic average of 85%, placing her on the Dean’s Merit List for the second successive year. Adams, a first-year BEd student in English and Life Orientation, secured an academic average of 76%. Both will be recognised at the UWC Sports Awards for their exceptional results.

THE DANCE SPORT CLUB’S FIRST INTAKE ENROLLED IN 2006, and since then the club has been built on a strong sense of identity, accomplishment, team spirit and success stories such as that of the late Adrienne Galagatsi, who passed away in 2022. Galagatsi, a transgender athlete whose DNA will forever be embedded in the UWC Dance Sport Club, understood the needs of the athlete, says Paris, going beyond her duties as a sport administrator and ensuring dance is seen as more than a recreational activity.

“WE HAVE LOST A TRUE LEGEND and the club will continue to thrive in honour of her contributions,” says Paris. “The pressure to remain the champions and preserve the legacy that has been built by the athletes’ hard work, dedication and love for dance is what keeps us motivated.”