About the Dance Society...

In 1984, a young woman called Jo Henwood came to UCL as an undergraduate and was determined to dance as well as study. However things didn't quite turn out as she had anticipated; she learned that UCL offered no dance teaching except by the Ballroom and Latin Dance Society (BALDS), which did not have the means or inclination to teach modern, contemporary and urban styles of dance. Unfazed and indomitable, Jo found many other students who were as equally passionate about dance and approached the Union to set up an official society – and so the UCLU Dance Society was born. Initially, classes ran once a week and relied on one of the dancers bringing along a cassette player, as the Society could not yet afford to buy its own. Jo refused to charge for classes, sensing it could alienate students from becoming members at a time when support was vital for the Society's continuation.

Jo's unfaltering dedication to the Society was paralleled by the newly-arrived Ruth Sealy (later President, 1987-88), who had come to UCL after spending 18 months with the National Youth Dance Company. Together they boosted attendance at the weekly class and promoted dance through UCL so successfully that in 1987, they were granted a slot in the Bloomsbury Theatre in the Spring term as part of Arts Week. The show, entitled 'Got Rhythm', was produced on an annual budget of £75 (plus an additional £100 borrowed from the Union) and performed by 25 dancers for two nights only. The show was so successful that it made 200% profit, much to the surprise of the Union, but it convinced them to give the Society its own production week and a regular budget to put on a new show annually. Suddenly the Dance Society was well and truly on the map. But there were still problems: although the profits from Got Rhythm were sufficient to buy the Society its first cassette player, they still had little adequate rehearsal space for the increasing number of classes being taught, or even an office to call their own. Society business was conducted either in the Music Society office or, more usually, in the President's front room at home – this did, on occasion, include rehearsals!

However, this was to change in the autumn of 1988 when the new committee returned from its summer holidays to find the newly-built Mandela Studio available to them as the perfect rehearsal space, and the sprung wooden floor was ideal for dance. With the financial leverage from that year's successful dance show, 'Good, Bad and Ugly', the Dance Society was able to persuade the Union to install mirrors and barres in the Mandela, although it was some time before they eventually materialised. The new space allowed the number of classes and the range of dance being taught to increase significantly, until the Society was offering students beginners' ballet, advanced ballet, contemporary, tap, jazz and street jazz on a weekly basis.

Sue Innes directed 'Colours' in 1989 and in the following year, Antonia Brown and Suzie Burns put together a rather inappropriately-named 'Rock Bottom', which was once again the highlight of the year! Both shows were extremely well-received by audiences but perhaps just as importantly, UCL started to develop a reputation for its dance; professionally trained dancers wanting to continue their academic education were choosing UCL over other universities specifically because of the potential for good dance. There were always enthusiastic dancers at UCL but the influx of trained dancers helped to bring the level of dance in the Society to new heights.

In 1991, Kate Scott took up the reins as the Dance Society reached its fifth birthday and in February 1991, the Dance Society achieved its first complete sell-out of the Bloomsbury Theatre for the final night of 'Wild Side'. Kate later managed to secure the Society its very own office (affectionately known as the 'Dance Cupboard') upstairs from the Mandela Studio. In 1992, the Dance Society elected its first male president, Jon Waters. The sixth show – 'Kiss It' – which he produced had a budget of more than fifteen times that for 'Got Rhythm', with 14 dances and a company of over 50. Meanwhile, the number of Dance Society members continued to grow and grow, as did the proportion of these that participated in the annual shows. Becky Clear took over the presidency in 1993 and produced 'The Point', which excelled all expectations and grew even larger than the previous year's show. 1994 gave us 'This Will Be!', produced by then-President Melissa Bullock, and the total number of those involved (including technicians and musicians) topped the one hundred mark!

Twelve years later and many more productions and Presidents down the line, the Dance Society continues to flourish and grow beyond even Jo Henwood's expectations. The Dance Society hasn't looked back since 1984 and seems set to continue this tradition for many years to come. Who knows what the next 20 years hold...


Originally written by Andrew Stickland (1991, 1996) and edited and revised by Nicola Stevens (2006)