History
Prior to the establishment of the Oxford Ballroom Dancing Club (OBDC), (later OUBDC and still later OUDC) undergraduates at the University of Oxford were not allowed to attend the popular Brett’s dancing school in the centre of Oxford, nor attend any public dance at the Carfax Assembly Rooms, Headington Hill Hall or Town Hall. Private dancing lessons were also not permitted. In a bid to provide students at the university with an opportunity to dance a meeting was held on Wednesday May 8, 1968 at the Iffley Road Stadium for all those interested in forming a ballroom dancing club. This first meeting was attended by just over 50 people.
The Club’s first coach was Anne O’Hagan, assisted by Lexa Duckett, with the Club’s first Senior Member, Dr. Acheson, and his wife helping out where possible. The Club received its University accreditation in 1969 and by 1971 had 143 members. Initially it was a purely social dancing club – it was only later that it started running medals examinations and competitions. The first competition in Oxford was held at Rhodes House on March 8, 1974. The competition was against Cambridge and Oxford won the competition by 106.5pts to 106pts. The judges were the Tanakas, an eminent ballroom dance couple who represented Japan. The two teams have been rivals ever since. Oxford won its first Inter Varsity Dance Competition in 1980, a year after Cambridge won their first such competition. The Club was awarded Full Blue status for women in 1997 and discretionary Full Blue status for men in 2003.
Read more about this topic: Oxford University Dancesport Club
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