executive

A message from the founder, Vania Tse...

About UMSD....
UMSD is an entirely student run organization that operates under the umbrella of the U of M Student's Union. UMSD is non-profit and works towards being able to provide affordable dance lessons to students (and non-students). Although the majority of members are students, UMSD is open to everyone and boasts members of all ages and skill levels!

The mission of UMSD is to:

+   spread knowledge of swing dancing and other partner dances

+   illustrate the benefits of dancing:
                                               - physical and mental health benefits
                                                - great way to meet people and socialize
                                                - fun and exciting!

+   provide opportunity to learn and practice in a fun, relaxed atmosphere!



	Hello, fellow Swing Cats! The first time I ever heard of swing dance was at the end of summer 1998 in my hometown of Vancouver, BC. I had no idea what it entailed or what it looked like. However, the thought of a dance that does not involve bumping and grinding sounded good enough for me. My first experience was in a bar where there was a lesson at the start of the night, and I was amazed that after one hour of lessons, I was having a great time and FEELING like I could dance already (to my own surprise)! At LAST, I thought – something to do that involved great music, learning something new, being able to meet people without feeling awkward, and having great exercise and fun at the same time. How can you beat that?? After that night, I was so impressed and feverish about swing dance that I had to return two days later for another lesson and dance – hence, my repertoire by the time I returned to Winnipeg was a total of four moves plus the basic. After taking some lessons at Frank Kennedy at U of M, I went back to Vancouver for a full summer of swing dance the next year. And guess what – the University of British Columbia just happened to start a Swing Dance Club that year! Other than that, UBC’s Ballroom Dance Club is the largest club on the whole campus, where I also participated in events. Coming back to U of M that September, I remember how disappointed I was that there was no such club on our campus, where people didn’t have to drink alcohol to have fun but still involved music, dancing, and meeting a great crowd of people. So in my depressed and disappointed state of being, someone at UMSU simply said to me, “Why don’t you start your own club? Here’s the UMSU Student Group Handbook.” Um…I thought…okaaaaaaaaay. And in January 2000 that’s how it all started. During recruitment week, some other crazy swing person saw one of the ads – and that person was Vicky! We had seen each other only once before at a social where both of us wondered who the heck was that other girl who could swing dance like that? So when she walked up to the recruitment table, I knew that this was a person who had a passion for swing dance – perhaps even more than me! - and who, eventually, the growth of the club would rely very much on (and who would also become my best friend in Winnipeg). The club started off with an open house in the Tache Hall Auditorium with 50 members and Patricia Anderson – our first instructor and continuing mentor. In the first two years, the club has taught East Coast Swing, West Coast Swing, Cha Cha, Meringue, Salsa, the Hustle, Aerials, and Lindy Hop and has had various events such as Show and Tell nights, weekend workshops, movie nights, and Swing Offs. I have to say – it wasn’t as easy as I thought to start a swing dance club at U of M. Not everything that the UBC club did was going to work in Winnipeg. There was less overall exposure to Swing in Winnipeg, we couldn’t charge as much as in Vancouver for lessons, so buying a sound system and investing in club T-shirts almost put us into debt, and it was difficult to find enough members for the executive. The club as come a long way, and now, I believe that UMSD has become one of the most enjoyable social clubs on campus with one of the largest variety of members! But what I’m proudest of is not the fact that I had the opportunity to start a relatively large organization on campus, but that –finally - there is a place on campus where students as well as non-students can go to relax in a friendly atmosphere, meet all kinds of people, and just have a great time – everything that, I believe, living the good life is all about.