UCLU Dance Society: Origins

GRACE NALTY WITNESSES THE ORIGINS OF DANCE AT DANCE SOC’S NEWEST SHOWING

Since last year, I’ve been very excited to go to the Dance Society’s end of year showcase, which shows the wide range of dance talent throughout UCL. This year, to mark the celebration of the 30thanniversary of the society, the concept was of origins, reflecting on each dancer’s journey. The show began with a beautifully shot and emotive video which really set the scene for the amazing performances coming up.

The stage itself was beautifully and professionally lit throughout, with strong and bold colours sweeping the stage which made for a bright and engaging experience. There were some amazing performances that spanned from different cultures and times, with dances like Panafrik and Jasminebeautifully demonstrating the diversity of the society.

The show had lots of great music choices, with vibrant dances like Afro Fever receiving huge cheers from the crowd when Sorry by Justin Bieber played. The audience, which was basically full, was cheering from start to finish and there was a fantastic vibe in the theatre.

There were some dances that demonstrated pure talent: Breaking Pointe and Twist in Taleexemplified the challenging nature of ballet with extraordinary ease, whilst A hundred thousand welcomes showed Irish dancing at its most creative. The dances were fun, creative and confident and it’s amazing to see such imagination, especially within the contemporary dances.

There were very few downsides. Comical mishaps such as the difficulties with the video in the second half were taken light-heartedly by the audience and of course there are always going to be synchronising issues in big group performances, but this didn’t take away from the dances too much.

Overall the show was full of expression, enjoyed by the audience and portrayed the diversity of UCL vibrantly. A definite go see.

✮ ✮ ✮ ✮ 1/2

See Origins at the Shaw Theatre until the 5th of March

Featured Image Credits: Gigi Wong