By Martha Brennan
NUI Galway’s Dance Society was formed in 2013 and has grown to become one of the largest societies on campus in recent years. With over 2,200 members, Dansoc has been growing more and more active, running seven different classes this year as well as special workshops and showcases.
The classes are all held at beginner and advanced levels and include Irish dancing, Hip Hop, Jazz, Contemporary, Salsa, Zumba and Strength and Conditioning.
Dansoc’s PRO, Genevieve Callander, spoke to SIN this week about what Dansoc has to offer.
“I got involved in the society in first year. I’d done gymnastics before college and I wanted to start dancing to try something new,” she explains.
“I’ve loved learning to dance in such a relaxed environment, and Dansoc is great because there’s such a fun, friendly atmosphere!”
“As well as learning a new skill I’ve made so many friends and competing at Intervarsities is always one of the highlights of my year,” Genevieve says.
The National Dance Intervarsities is an annual student dance competition and Dansoc’s teachers – who are all students trained in dance or fitness – hold auditions at the beginning of the year for their teams.
Four different categories are represented in the competition and NUI Galway has walked home with five trophies over the last few years.
“Dansoc runs classes for everyone and you don’t need to have danced before to join. You also don’t need to commit to coming every week because the teachers do something new every class so no one misses out,” Genevieve says.
“There really is something for everyone, even if you’ve never danced in your life! It’s such a welcoming society that’s really worth joining whether you just want to be more active or you’re an experienced dancer who wants to compete.”
“For people who do want to make dance a bigger part of their life in college, we’ll be having the auditions for our competition teams this week. The teams will be traveling to Dublin in early March to compete. It’s is always an amazing competition and so much fun too!”
Dansoc’s Auditor, Sinead Ruane, told SIN; “People should get involved with Dansoc because not only do we cater for those who want to compete but our classes provide people with a fun approach to learning dance.”
“It’s the perfect place to get fit, have fun and learn some new moves to show off!”
“Make sure to like our Facebook and Instagram pages to keep up to date with announcements, and make sure to keep an eye out for our special workshops and showcases.”
The Intervarsity team auditions are open to everyone and are being held from October 8-11. The society is also holding a special workshop with hip-hop dancer Zacc Milne from Ireland’s Got Talent on November 5.
You can contact Dansoc on Facebook for more information and tickets for classes can be bought online or from Socs Box for €3.