Six sabbatical officers took to the stage alongside professional student group dances to raise money for the Kyra Women’s Project in York.
Presented by Academic Officer Fenella Johnson and Freddie Newell, the Strictly-inspired dances came to the stage in Central Hall on Thursday evening.
Throughout the night, several dance societies – including Dance Society, Swing Society and Ballroom and Latin Society – also performed in between the Sabbs’ routine numbers.
A panel of University executive staff judged the competition. Notably amongst the judging panel was Charlie Jeffery, the Vice-Chancellor and former Community and Wellbeing officer, as well as last year’s winner, Hannah Nimmo.
She spoke before the event, telling us that Sabbs Come Dancing was one of the highlights of her time as a two-term Sabbatical Officer. This helped to lift any last-minute nerves and remind everyone in the room of the main purpose of this event.
All profits from the event were donated to this year’s designated charity, the Kyra Women’s Project. Chosen by the Sabbatical Officers, this York-based charity drives local change by offering support activities and courses for women. According to their website, they “offer people who need our support a one-stop shop to begin a journey of change, to address poor mental health, loneliness & isolation, and find ways to deal with and move on from bad experiences or trauma in their lives.”
First to take to the floor was Union Development Officer Gen Andrews, who performed the tango alongside Amelia Patterson. The judges commended her “elite song choice”, Maneater by Nelly Furtado, and, after finishing the dance, Gen said: “I didn’t drop Amelia, so that was good.”
Kaitlyn Beattie-Zarb, Activities Officer, started her routine off with a bang! Or a kartwheel, to be more specific. In a bright sequinned dress that would have put Taylor Swift to shame, she performed a jive routine with Lucy Hogarth. Jeffery complimented her for being “the sparkliest of the evening so far.”
Sports Officer Tanisha Jain was up next. Sporting the iconic white Michael Jackson glove, she danced a fast-paced Street/Bollywood number alongside Judith Joseph. With the mashup of music and the outfit change, her number got the audience clapping along
This number was quickly followed by Freddy Russell and Benjamin Baker-Henry, together performing a Charleston/Collegiate Shag swing dance. Freddy complimented his partner on his patience, and their upbeat routine enlivened the audience, receiving a perfect score from the judges.
Teddy Bland, part-time Equality and Inclusion Officer, danced a Lindy Hop swing dance with Clara Lo Lacono. Judge and swing dance-enthusiast Cara Ryder complimented the pair technically on their “perfect footwork”.
But the winner of the night was Lewis Parrey and his partner Jemima Stone, dancing a Chicago-style jazz number. Appearing on stage dressed in all-black and a hat, I got Dance Moms flashbacks and worried that we’d see a fatal ‘dropped hat’ moment. But, fortunately, the headpieces stayed on throughout the whole routine. That was until they were comedically placed on the judges’ heads midway through the routine.
Speaking to Lewis after the final bows, he said he was: “really shocked. We really didn’t think we were going to win so that’s crazy.”
He also complimented his partner Jemima, saying: “it was all Jemima – she really drilled the facial expressions into me.”
The event raised £701 from voting alone, beating its initial £250 target. Of this amount, Parrey raised £212.00 from 35 supporters.
An additional £500 was also brought in through the sale of raffle tickets. All ticket and raffle sales will go towards supporting the Kyra Women’s Project.
The event was live-streamed on YSTV and a full recording of the event can be found here.