Step aside Caster Semenya, here comes Leanne van Rensburg. With her dance partner Byron Rowe, van Rensburg moved her way into getting a gold medal at the Intervarsity National Student Ballroom and Latin Competition last Saturday.
Step aside Caster Semenya, here comes Leanne van Rensburg. With her dance partner Byron Rowe, van Rensburg moved her way into getting a gold medal at the Intervarsity National Student Ballroom and Latin Competition last Saturday.
Hosted by the University of Pretoria, over 200 competitors from Rhodes, Nelson Mandela Metro University, the University of Cape Town, North West University and Stellenbosch University glammed up and showed off their skills in classic ballroom and Latin dance styles.
Twenty-four Rhodes Dance Society students shimmied their way to winning two gold medals, a silver and two bronze. The competition comprises seven different sections, starting from Beginner to Intermediate, Advanced, Pre Bronze, Bronze, Silver and Gold.
In each category a winner, runner-up and third place couple were awarded. Rowe and van Rensburg came first in the Pre Bronze ballroom category and fellow Rhodes students Chelsea Geach and Matthew Roche also took gold in the Bronze section for ballroom dancing.
Ballroom styles showcased at the competition included the stately waltz, foxtrot, quickstep and tango. First time competitors Maxine Hoft and David Sole took second place in the Beginner ballroom section, despite only joining Rhodes Dance Society at the beginning of the year. “I was extremely proud to be a part of a talented group of dancers from Rhodes University. I was inspired by the high standard of performances at Nationals and I am looking forward to next year’s competition, Hoft said.
Audiences were also treated to lively performances in Latin dances like samba, cha-cha, rumba, and jive. Rhodes dancers John Vries and Mo Mona placed third for their performance in the Latin category while Geach and Roche took fourth place.
Commenting on the Rhodes team's achievements, coach Peter Mann said the students had trained hard and they are extremely happy with the result. Organisers threw in fun dances like sokkie, mambo, boogie, Viennese waltz and paso doble to provide even more thrilling entertainment for the audience.
Rhodes Dance Society raised funds to go to the competition earlier this year by hosting the popular event Dancing with the Staff, which sees dancers train university staff and partner up with them to compete in front of an audience.
