By Emily Barker

Dancers at De Montfort University (DMU) are putting in hours of time and effort to be readily prepared for their upcoming competitions within the next few months.

DMU Dance are going to be competing in three competitions; at their home ground The Venue on February 16, in Liverpool on February 23 and in Sheffield on March 9.

(LEFT) Katie, 21, vice president and (RIGHT) Jess, 22, president from the DMU Dance Society

Jess Smith, 22, third-year Dance student and president of the society, said: “We are taking around 40 people to each competition, apart from Sheffield where we are taking around 35.”

The competitions will involve six or seven dance troupes, each containing 9-10 dancers competing for trophies available.

“In the last three years of being on the society, I know the hip hop dance troupe have won two competitions, but other styles vary from year to year.

“A few years ago, we won the award issued by the Vice-Chancellor for Society of the Term.

The Vice-Chancellor’s Society of the Term award given to the DMU Dance Society

“We do competitions to give members a chance to perform, as dance classes can sometimes get boring, so we use these as opportunities to break it up.”

There are going to be three judges for the competitions, but only two have currently been confirmed.

One judge is DMU graduate Justine Matthews, who used to teach tap, jazz and musical theatre to the society, and the other is a London based choreographer who specialises in hip hop.

Out of all the dance societies at DMU, DMU Dance  is the longest running and specialises in eight types of dance, ranging from musical theatre to ballet.

Katie Cruickshank, 21, third-year Drama student and vice president of the society, said: “The Dance Society is a great way to make friends, and we welcome everyone regardless of whether you have danced before or not.”

Jess and Katie holding the award

Jess and Katie with their DMU Dance Society committee tops

You can find the DMU Dance Society on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

By Beth Surridge

A passionate skier at De Montfort University (DMU) has won an award for spending 72 hours in ski boots.

DMU student James Smith won the award from a charity called Snow Camp.

James, 23, who studies Business Management, is the Charity Secretary of the Snow Sports Society, otherwise known as DMU Snow.

He took it upon himself to think of some innovative challenges to raise money for the charity, one of them being spending 72 hours in ski boots, even in bed.

COMFY: James did not take his ski boots off for a whole 72 hours, not even for sleep!

He won the award in December and was presented with it on 18 January.

Those who donated then had the opportunity to give him a challenge to do in his ski boots. which ranged from riding a bike, going on a night out and dancing in the middle of Leicester City Centre.

James said: “I think winning the award was actually one of my proudest moments at university.”

He added: “As a student, I thought it was important to help young people. Snow Camp helps young people get onto the slopes, and that is something I have been very passionate about my whole life.”

Snow Camp’s mission is to give young inner-city children the opportunity to turn their lives around through snow sports, by giving them the opportunity to gain qualifications and help them to gain employment.

So far, James and DMU Snow have raised £400, but this is not the end; they are still brainstorming more ideas to raise even more money for the charity.

He added: “You’ll have to keep posted, we have got so many more ideas in the pipeline.”

If you wish to donate to their campaign, head to: https://snowcampuniversities.everydayhero.com/uk/dmu-snow?fbclid=IwAR2nEW4ixf8qR2N2CQMwZ9OYQrjzhYbUJRmwHGAbscUDB913fyCTt93y8L8