PALATINATE | Tuesday 13th March 2012
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Sport
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Troupe shine in pre-game performance Durham’s elite dance group ‘Troupe’ have performed on Sky Sports and will entertain the Twenty20 cricket crowds this summer. Palatinate met up with the club’s captain, Natsumi Bolton
DUHC eye a momentous BUCS double Louisa Boddy
HOCKEY Durham University Hockey Club have made history with both of their men’s and women’s 1st teams earning a place in the final of the National Universities BUCS competition. The sides will travel down to Sheffield for the final where the men face Exeter, and the women take-on Birmingham.
5-0
The scoreline in the women’s semi-final win against Exeter
Super Trouper: Troupe before their performance at the BBL game Photographs: Andrew Bennison and George Ledge William Warr
DANCE If you have been to one of the many fashion shows this spring, it is likely that you will have seen ‘Troupe’ – Durham’s elite dance squad – performing. This term they have done over 20 performances, averaging 2-3 per week, “a huge step on from last year, when we only 3 shows in total,” enthused Natsumi Bolton, Troupe’s team captain. Becoming apart of troupe is a competitive process. There are only 8 dancers in the group, “which we have to select from up to a hundred people at the beginning of the year,” Bolton said.
20
The number of performance Troupe have done this term.
All 8 members have had a strong and diverse background in dancing. “I started dancing when I was two and a half,” Bolton said. But Troupe’s captain clearly enjoys her work. “The group perform a variety of styles of dance. We can do anything
from ballet to hip-hop to street to jazz…but we usually stick to street and jazz routines at the fashion shows, because people are usually quite drunk and these styles are easier to appreciate when you are merry.” The group is going from strength to strength and have started to take their talent out of the university circles. Two weekends ago, they performed at the Durham Wildcats game against the Mersey Tigers, which was filmed by Sky Sports. Bolton said, “It was the highlight of the year!” What is more, they have been invited to dance at the 20- 20 cricket later this summer. However, to achieve such success has required significant commitment. The group have to spend around twenty hours per week rehearsing or performing. “It has become everyone’s main priority - after their degrees,” Bolton explained. What makes their commitment all the more impressive is the fact that the group has no coach or choreographer. “We do all our own performances, and every member of the squad choreographs their own
routine reflective of whatever style of dance they specialise in,” commented Bolton.
“When the au-
dience is cheering, you get a huge rush” Natsumi Bolten Troupe captain Bolton was keen to highlight that it was well worth the effort.
“It is something I look forward to the most in my university life. Whilst it is a lot of work, it really pays off when the audience is cheering, you get a huge rush.” The squad also has ambitions to get involved with the community. “We are holding workshops for local schools to help inspire kids that uni is more than just about working for your degree,” said Bolton. Bolton is still not content with this years success and is aiming for even greater things next year. “Now that we have established ourselves, we are hoping to do competitions next year. There are inter-uni ones - but we really want to broaden our horizons, maybe Britain’s Got Talent!”
The Sky’s the limit: The squad performing on Sky Sports
With both opposition squads playing top-level hockey within the prestigious Premiership League at the weekends, the final promises to be a nail-biting affair, in which a determined Durham hope to clinch victory for the North of England. Such a fantastic achievement has been the result of years of hard work, particularly from Coach Gavin Featherstone. Women’s captain Steph Elliot said, “Gavin has been instrumental in the success of the Hockey Club, and to get both teams in the final is a credit to his enormous efforts.”
“This is the result of years of hard work”
After convincingly winning the BUCS league which parallels the knockout competition, the road to the final for the women began in December, with Durham cruising through their knockout fixtures. Then in the semi-finals Durham battled through tough weather conditions to convincingly defeat Exeter in a 5-0 affair. After a similar display of dominance during the knockout rounds, the men drew Birmingham in the semi-finals, where they fought back from 2-0 down to secure a 5-3 win, With the men coming second only to Loughborough in the finals of 2011, and the women losing to an impressive Birmingham side in the previous year, both teams will be hoping to go one better, and do the Durham Double.