Earlier in the spring term, Central Hall hosted a dramatic meeting of energetic dance and charitable goodwill, as Strictly Come Dancing saw the York University Students Union (YUSU) sabbatical officers take part in a fierce showdown; determining once and for all who was the greatest dancer of them all.
As dance fever overtook Central Hall on a fateful March 2nd evening, the 5 Sabbs teamed up with Dance Soc, Swing Soc and York Latin and Ballroom Soc to create a dance that would wow both live audience voters and a judging team of Uni figures and dance pros.
Following closely in Strictly Come Dancing’s footsteps (or should I say quicksteps), Sabbs Come Dancing paired the Sabbatical amateurs with the skilled dancers of various societies to help them accomplish their dreams of dance stardom (or at least the ability to stay upright).
The dance societies also had the chance to learn something new and compete in an ‘oh so friendly’ battle of their own, with Dance Soc trying Swing, Swing Soc trying Latin and Ballroom, and Latin and Ballroom trying Dance. A particularly delightful addition, this competition unveiled the sheer difficulty of dance style, where even fellow dancer pros felt like fish out of water in a rival routine. But when the societies returned to their own style – the effect was pure magic. Relief and amazement washed over the hall, as the dancers excelled and impressed in the comfort of their home dance. Ultimately though, it was Dance Soc’s impressive and perfectly timed attempt at Swing dancing that won over the Judges and took home the first mirror ball trophy of the evening.
The Sabbs battle was equally magical, as the five officers put their all into presenting eloquent and perfectly themed routines, after only weeks of rehearsal. A whirlwind of snazzy swings, jumping jives, wonderful waltzes, joyful jazz and bouncing bollywood, the lucky audience members, judges and participants who packed Central Hall never saw a dull moment… or any mid-dance falls either. All creating equally impressive displays, the competition showed our Sabbs like you’ve never seen them before – twirling, wirling and ‘cha cha-ing’ across the stage with ease.
Of course the event was still a dramatic battle of movement prowess, so without further ado: the Sabbs Come Dancing Best Dancer, and new owner of the 2023 (mini) Mirror Ball trophy was – Academic officer Deb and Dance Soc choreographer Vyshnavi. With a showstopping South East Asian dance number, the pair took hall by storm demonstrating colourful matching outfits, various leaps, bounds and what was called a “Bollywood Rave” by one enthusiastic audience member. Sparking an electric atmosphere across the room, there was no doubt that Deb was the dancer to beat!
However, the event did do more than just teach the Sabbs how to dance though.
A fundraiser organised by YUSU Raising and Giving officer Ellen Rintoul, Sabbs Come Dancing raised money on behalf of IDAS, a local charity which supports victims of domestic and sexual violence in York.
With ticket fees and vote based-donations all included in the fundraising amount, the attendees raised over £1700 on the evening alone, with £2000 raised in total – completely smashing the initial £1000 goal. And it’s still rising – so feel free to go donate at https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/sabbscomedancing.
Vision spoke with RAG officer Ellen about this incredible fundraising success and her efforts to ‘Bring back RAG’: “The amount we fundraised from the event was far more than we imagined possible and even doubled the amount we thought was a VERY optimistic goal!
“As I couldn’t stop saying on the night, a huge thank you to all of the dance societies involved, their choreographers, their dancers, YSTV, tech soc, our Sabbs and most of all to Rohan – the event really could not have happened without him, and the same goes for the success of my work and bringing RAG back this year!”
YUSU Activities Officer Rohan Ashar was equally appreciative to all those involved in the event, and reiterated the surprising success of the evening.
“A huge thank you goes to Ellen and Jasmine (YUSU Student Citizenship & Employability Development Coordinator) for organising Sabbs Come Dancing with me! We’re also extremely grateful for the phenomenal contributions of those from Dance Society, Swing Dance Society, Ballroom & Latin Society, TechSoc, and YSTV, as well as our hosts and judges. The commitment and effort from my fellow Sabbs, every dancer in the show, and the people involved in the production side was amazing to see and is the reason behind our fantastic achievement!“
“Sabbs Come Dancing exceeded all expectations and was a massive success! There was a high level of entertainment and quality in the show itself, with everyone creating impressive performances.”
“I’m so proud of the event and we experienced a truly special evening – we’ve really achieved the mission of bringing RAG back onto campus!”
IDAS sent further thanks for the event, with Emma Poole highlighting: “My colleagues Laura and Sonia attended and said it was a brilliant night, that a lot of time and effort had gone into the event and everyone was so supportive.”
“We were thrilled to be selected as YUSU’s charity of the year and I’ve really enjoyed working closely with Ellen. The funds raised will enable us to reach more women, men and children in Yorkshire whose lives have been devastated by abuse and violence.”
Speaking with the various dance societies involved, it’s clear all participants had an enjoyable and entertaining night dancing for a cause. York Latin and Ballroom Society were keen to highlight: “YBLS had so much fun at Sabbs Come Dancing! We really loved watching the performances from the Sabbs, Swing Soc and UYDS – every dance was brilliant. We’re especially proud of Hannah Nimmo, Franki Riley and Swing Soc for their outstanding ballroom and Latin performances, they absolutely did us and themselves proud!”
“Raising money for IDAS whilst doing something we love is really the most fulfilling combination… Sabbs Come Dancing was a true triumph of teamwork, and everyone involved should be so proud of what we achieved together.”
Clearly, a successful and fun night was had by all.
With energetic dance moves, an electric atmosphere and an important cause at its core, the return of Sabbs Come Dancing to campus is a triumphant one. And a tradition we believe should continue for many years to come.
So let’s hope next year’s newly elected Sabbatical team is ready to brush off their dancing shoes for another dance-tastic night!
Donations to IDAS can be sent at https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/sabbscomedancing, with the entire event available to watch on YSTV’s YouTube Channel.