Dancers from universities across the country are to gather at the first inter-varsity competition of the 2009/2010 Dancesport season at the University of Leicester’s Latin American and Ballroom Dancing Society Team’s annual competition on Sunday 8 November at Hermitage Leisure Centre, Whitwick.

Now in its sixth year, the competition hosted by the Leicester’s Dancesport team is expected to be attended by more than 200 students, coming from as far afield as Durham and Royal Holloway. Competitors will be performing in both Ballroom and Latin American rounds, culminating in a team match event in the evening.

This year, the competition will be bigger than ever as the event has been relocated to Hermitage Leisure Centre to accommodate the expanding number of teams confirming their attendance to the invitation-only northern circuit competition. Thanks to the influence of popular dance programme, Strictly Come Dancing, university teams across the country are experiencing a boom in membership with students hoping to emulate the grace and style of pros like Brendan Cole and Ola Jordan, encouraged by the success of ‘ordinary folk’ like Ricky Groves and Natalie Cassidy currently competing in this year’s series.

The competition will kick-off with the Beginners’ Waltz at 10.30am and is scheduled to close with the last Waltz at 11pm. As well as competitive Ballroom and Latin American rounds, there will also be fun dances taking place throughout the day. Highlights of the competition include Leicester’s group Paso Doble performance during the team walk-on, an all-male Rumba fun event in the evening and a demo performance from professional dancers Ryan McShane and Ksenia Zsikhotsha.

Team Captain, Robyn Goodier, a third year medical student at the University of Leicester, commented:

“I am really proud to be representing the University of Leicester at such an important event in the Dancesport world and am really looking forward to leading Leicester’s team in the first competition of the year.

“We are really excited to be hosting what looks set to be the biggest Leicester competition yet in what is promising to be a really enjoyable day. Leicester has a reputation for being one of the friendliest competitions of the year and I am really looking forward to welcoming dancers new and old to the university circuit for the 2009/2010 season.”

The competition will be compèred by Bruce Richardson, Head Coach of Oxford University’s Dancesport Team, and will be judged by Joan Atkinson, a dance teacher at City-Limits Dance Centre in Sheffield; owned by Strictly Come Dancing champion Darren Bennett’s parents, Tony and Judith Bennett.

Leicester’s Latin American and Ballroom dancing society President, Antony Yiu, also a third year medical student said:

“Leicester competition has a friendly atmosphere, offering competitors the chance to practice in a competitive environment but without any pressure. We are looking forward to a day of fun, introducing our beginners to the competitive world of dancing. Most of them will have only had three or four weeks of lessons and Leicester will provide them a taste for what’s to come. And for our more experienced couples, Leicester offers a warm-up for the bigger competitions in the upcoming season.

“The most important thing we want people to take away from the competition is that it’s not about winning, but doing your best, enjoying the process and supporting your team mates.”

Leicester’s Dancesport team are currently ranked inside the top 20 nationally and take part in northern and national competitions across the country throughout the academic year, culminating in the Inter Varsity Dancesport Competition (IVDC) which takes place in the home of Ballroom dancing, the prestigious Winter Gardens, Blackpool, in February.

Spectators are welcome to attend the event at Hermitage Leisure Centre, Whitwick, on Sunday 8 November. Doors open at 9am with the first dance taking place at 10.30am. The team match will kick-off at 7.30pm and Leicester students are welcome to come and support their university dance team on their home turf. The entry fee for spectators is £2.