2017 issue 3 my daily shuffle 2017 issue 3 final | Page 6

Monash DanceSport
Origins:
Flipping through the pages of history
We all love coming in to our MDS classes each week
to learn to dance and make friends, but how did the club
all begin?
All the way back in 1965, a small group of students
lead by Joan and Keith Collins got together and formed the
club, first known as Monash Ballroom Dancing Society. It
was the first university club of its kind in Victoria, and
offered Ballroom, Latin and New Vogue. By the 1970s, it
was already boasting a membership of around 300
students, and in 1976 the first magazine was introduced.
Then known as ‘Jive Talk’, the magazine was essential
for communication in the days before the internet. It
recapped events, provided members with entertaining
articles, and informed members on events such as:
 The 1979 Ballroom dancing train trip to Seymour
(the club hired a train with a dancing carriage!)
 The 1979 Car Rally, which became an annual event
for around 10 years
 The 1981 summer school (with courses in Ballroom,
Disco, Rock and Square dancing)
 The 1984 Sex Change Ballroom Dance – come as
your partner rather than with them
The club also had numerous BBQs, dance parties, medal
nights, winery tours and annual balls among many other
events.