The Lancaster Tab tries Lancaster University Ballroom Dance Sport Society

Making my Strictly Come Dancing dreams a reality


Last week, The Lancaster Tab had the pleasure of attending a session of the Lancaster University Ballroom Dance Sport (LUBDS) Society. It was everything and more that we could have anticipated. Here is a breakdown of the night, and let me tell you, this experience deserves to win more than the glitterball trophy.

How does LUBDS work?

Every week on the LUBDS society’s Instagram page, it release its weekly schedule to allow ongoing dancers and anyone interested in joining in to find out when and where each session is occurring.  This will give you plenty of time to waltz to the venue. We went to the Tuesday session which was beginner’s practice and this was from 8pm-10pm at the LICA building. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming, that we did not feel out of place in the slightest, even though this was out first time learning to dance.

What we learned in the session

In this session, dancers were practicing their routines with their partners for an upcoming competition. We were mesmerised by how effortless all the dancers made the dances look. Everyone was a superb performer. Whilst they were practicing we were lucky enough to be taught the core four dances which are jive, cha cha cha, waltz, and quickstep. We learned some of the basic but also fundamental steps for each of these different styled dances, all of which were explained in such a fantastic way.

Once we was taught the steps, we had time to practice before having a go performing these steps with music alongside other dancers. Once everyone performed, the exec members, who were watching gave feedback to allow all the dancers to flourish to a greater extent. This was such a fab-u-lous way for me to gain confidence with each dance and also appreciate the amount of hard work that goes into dancing. By the end of the session, we wanted to tan-Go again.

Regardless of whether you go once a week, or attend several sessions, there was a lot of camaraderie in this society and everyone was so happy to help and answer questions we had. The main thing we learned after this session is that anyone can dance. If you have ever considered joining this society or have only just read this article and are intrigued to find out more, you are not too late to join!

Wanting to find out more information on this society? Quickstep over to its Instagram page.