For the first time in years, there is no Trinity Come Dancing during the annual RAG Week festivities. Instead we have been treated to Trinity’s Best Dance Crew. As an avid fan of Trinity Come Dancing, the sudden change was an admitted shock to the system, but after the night itself the change turned out to be a pleasant surprise.
The renovation of the event came about in an effort to include more people. Trinity Come Dancing has unquestionably gained a reputation for being a platform for students running in the Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) elections. This re-styling of the event proved to be much more inclusive with not one, not two but nine societies getting involved in the action. The heightened level participation was clear from the moment you entered the Button Factory. It felt as if everyone in the audience was part of a larger group of friends and family of the performers, providing an immediate sense of community about the place.
Firstly the judges were announced, including Jonathan Ryan-Hicks, a ballroom dancer and current master’s student in Trinity, Katie Dooley, a burlesque and ballet star, and Kathy Bergant ,a contemporary and jazz dancer, who has toured with no less than Lionel Richie.
The Trinity Law Society (Law Soc) dance crew kicked off the night in style dressed as judges, although those costumes quickly changed, Buck Fizz style, in favour of more glittery attire. They were followed by S2S who were deemed “sensational” and “vibrant” by the judges for their 80s inspired routine which featured classics such as “Sweet Dreams” by the Eurythmics and “Blue Monday” by New Order. But it was DU History that really got the crowd going with their Irish dancing routine. It was not only their kicks that were left on a high as the crowd cried “under-marked” at the shocking 7s given by the judges. The women’s hockey team “got physical” to Olivia Newton-John and danced their way to second place. Honourable mention has to be given to Snurf, a combination of Trinity Surf Club and DU Snow Sports, as they entertainingly salsa’ed to a mash up of “Cold as Ice” and of course The Beach Boys’s “Surfin’ USA”.
In the words of the night’s presenters, Brian Donnelly and Matt Armitage, the Cumann Gaelach crew truly “put the ú in boogie”. They managed to get the first perfect score of the night, winning 30 points, thanks in no small part to their incorporation of the B*Witched classic “C’est La Vie” into their routine. The group proved how important song choice is, with the the entire audience cheering and singing along after no more than two beats into the instantly recognisable hit. DU Players added the diva factor with their Beyoncé style number while VDP took a more comical route dressed as nuns, channelling a bit of Whoopi Goldberg in their dance. The final competitors were the Ents crew themselves, who, in the words of Ents PRO Keelin Shaughnessy “brought the funk”. Their colourful outfits and excessive glitter were received very well by a crowd who were, at this point in the night, seemed unable to contain their excitement.
The final results of the first ever Trinity’s Best Dance Crew event went as follows: in joint third were S2S and Law Soc, in second place was the hockey team and, unsurprisingly, Cumann Gaelach nabbed first place and the much coveted plastic tiaras.
Changing Trinity Come Dancing to Trinity’s Best Dance Crew proved to be a good move. The night was a joyous and fun-filled occasion of both good music and the all-important good craic.
Correction: February 3rd, 2017
An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that “Blue Monday” is by LCD Soundsystem. It is in fact by New Order.
