History of Erasmus Dance Society

Erasmus Dance Society (EDS) started in the academic year of 1989-1990 by a group of enthusiastic dancers. This small group organized two Mambo workshops and to their surprise almost 200 students joined them.  This meant one thing foor them: they had to start a dance asociation at the Erasmus University Rotterdam. Back then everything was organized with the jazz dancers. Because there already was and still is a jazz dance association called Erasmus Dance Company, Erasmus dance society got called after them.

The 29th of October 1990 is the date on which M. Feberwee registered EDS at the dutch chamber of commerce in Rotterdam. The society started with lessons in ballroom, Latin, classic, jazz and Rock-’n-Roll Dancing and included the occasional Hip Hop workshop. Our very first location was the old scouting building at the kralingse plas and after half a year a different scouting building on the same site. During the first year the advanced students formed a ballroom-dancing-formation, the Erasmus Dance Formation (EDF). At the very first gala that EDS had, they stole the show with their marvelous dance moves. After many performances and a lifespan of three years EDF stopped performing.

During the second year EDS moved to their third location: Imperium, a big disco near the Euromast. people were taught to dance there three evenings a week for two years. These lessons weren’t limited to the regular lessons; Hip Hop, Rock’n Roll and lambada where all lessons to be taught through workshops. The beautiful space we had gave us a chance to organize a lot of beautiful events. This resulted in competitions between our own dancing couples but also inter-association competitions like the Rotterdam Student dancing competition. Because of this we developed good relations with other (student) dancing associations like Footloose in Eindhoven.

Because of the financial position of EDS we had to move to the mensa in the H-building during our fourth year. The downside was that we could only facilitate two evenings a week for dancing lessons. Because of this we had to drop most of our other activities then ballroom and latin dancing. On the other hand, because of the extra time available, we were able to organize more workshops and we could extend our (non-)dancing activities.

For example: EDS joined a WC-game show on dutch television presented by Gordon.

After six years in Etude EDS moved to a new location, the L-hal. Around 2004 the idea of EDF got revived, and a few enthousiastic advanced dancing members formed an EDS performance club. They perform at different venue’s and activities with different choreographs during for example the Eurekaweek and demonstrations like the Rotterdam open podium.

By 2017 EDF unfortunately did not exist anymore for quite a while. However, in the recent years two specialized showteams had formed in Salsa and Ballroom and with the introduction of a new course in HipHop EDS also welcomed a third showteam. During the past few years many other dancers joined the national and european tournaments for dancing students (NTDS and ETDS), and with great succes: many dancers of EDS found themselves with a spot in the finals and even won trophies.

During its 6th lustrum in 2019-2020 a world-wide Corona pandemic had started, resulting in several lockdowns. During this period the 30th, 31st and 32nd board (2019 - 2022) had to overcome many challenges to keep EDS both financially and socially healthy. However, this difficult chapter also brought the opportunity along to rebrand EDS and to push its vision into a new direction. Five new courses were introduced: Afro, Contemporary, High Heels, Kizomba and Movement & Mindfulness. Moreover, Ballroom was split in two separate courses: Latin & Standard to create the opportunity for dedicated trainings by specialized teachers, in particular the Dutch Champions of Latin 2020: Z. Orbons & L. Sneek.
Many back-end structures were revamped as well during this period with the mission to bring EDS to a more professional level, being an automated memberfile, an invoice system and the introduction of the quarterly dance schedule that created four sign-up opportunities throughout the academic year, instead of just one, and the possibility to bring even more dancestyles to EDS in the form of 7-week bootcamps.

It was also during this period that EDS received the opportunity from EUR to get an office at campus Woudestein and with the help of the University Council members Daemon Ferlucci & Zohra Hayat plans were made with Erasmus Sport for EDS to receive their own dedicated sports facility in the old sports building, which will be finished renovating in 2025.

At the moment EDS has been around for 33 years, counting more than 500 members, 10 regular dancestyles and 3 showteams in HighHeels, HipHop and Contemporary. We still dance with lots of pleasure and joy at our latest location: Erasmus Sports.

Honorary Members

Erasmus Dance Society has 6 honorary members, their names and the date on which they became honorary member are stated below.

Miranda van den Broek - 12/12/2009

Jerry de Knegt - 11/09/2015 (Read his acceptance speech here)

Marciano Raiman - 27/02/2016

Corinca Zwijsen - 10/11/2019 (Read her acceptace speech here)

Ramine Felicia - 29/11/2020

Daemon Ferlucci - 08/09/2022 (Read the nomination request here)

PREVIOUS BOARDS

Below are all the old boards that EDS has known.

xxxIII & XXXIV (2022-2024)

President: Demi Zwijnenburg

Brand Manager & Vice-President: Cecile Levaique

Treasurer: Mahima Panjwani

Secretary: Sara Lugowska


xxxII (2021-2022)

President: Tessa Meulens

Treasurer & Vice-President: Daemon Ferlucci

Secretary: Emilia Rissanen

Brand Manager: Nina Na-omi van Lonkhuijzen

Communications Manager: Binderiya Ganbadraa

xxxI (2020-2021)

President: Arisa Andreani Inagaki

Secretary & Vice-President: Maya Soeratram

Treasurer: Daemon Ferlucci

Communication Manager: Nadine Peters

Brand Manager: Luciana Mordoh (Not pictured)


XXX (2019-2020)

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President: Shruti Guiamo (until 12 - ‘19)

President: Tedy Amenyeku (from 01 - ‘20)

Secretary & Vice-President: Michelle Ilova

Treasurer & Vice-Secretary: Daemon Ferlucci

Brand Manager: Luciana Mordoh

External Commissioner: Rolland Masebu

Internal Commissioner: Tedy Amenyeku

XXIX (2018-2019)

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President: Ramine Felicia

Secretary: Veerle De Haan

Treasurer: Isaac Camelia

Brand Manager: Elena Tringali

Communication Manager: Iris De Bart

Internal Commissioner & Vice: Shivani Kist

XXVIII (2017-2018)

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President: Corinca Zwijsen

Secretary: Melanie Suijkerbuijk

Treasurer: Bora Deniz Kurt

Communication Manager: Julie Van Putten

Brand Manager: Ramine Felicia

Internal Commissioner: Anna Agnieszka Jęsior

XXVII (2016-2017)

President: Jacqueline Onyenze

Secretary: Helen de Rooij

Treasurer: Akash Samtani

External Commissioner: Andjela Rikumahu

Internal Commissioner: Edan Martes

XXVI (2015-2016)

  • President: Olivier Flinterman

  • Secretary: Lisanne van Rijn

  • Treasurer: Darren de Haas

  • External Commissioner: Amber de Been

  • Internal Commissioner: Veronique Voeten

XXV (2014-2015)

  • President: Emiel Verhaert

  • Secretary: Debbie de Zeeuw

  • Treasurer: Nils van der Wulp

  • External Commissioner: Corinca Zwijsen

  • Internal Commissioner: Marjolein van Dam

XXIV (2013-2014)

  • President: Jerry de Knegt

  • Secretary: Milou Klik

  • Treasurer: René den Uijl

  • External Commissioner: Hester Kuilboer

  • Internal Commissioner: Marjon

XXIII (2012-2013)

  • President: Bryan van den Boomgaard

  • Secretary: Violette Scholtes

  • Treasurer: Jeroen Aelen

  • External Commissioner: Marciano Raiman

XXII (2011-2012)

  • President: Nina Liza Aalbers

  • Secretary: Madeleine Drent

  • Treasurer: Kati Smolka

  • Board member: Cedric van den Heuvel

  • Board member: Samuel Tjan

XXI (2010-2011)

  • President: Pui Pui Tang

  • Secretary: Ming Po Leung

  • Treasurer: Arabella Khawalid

XX (2009-2010)

  • President: Edo van der Graaf

  • Secretary: Marijke Scheer

  • Treasurer: Johnathan Marchena

XIX (2008-2009)

  • President: Rick Brakenhoff

  • Secretary: Laura Zwaan

  • Treasurer: Raymond Segers

  • Board member: Marissa Groenewegen

XVIII (2007-2008)

  • President: Anja Wellner

  • Secretary: Wendy Ho

  • Treasurer: George Arkesteijn

  • Board member: Jovanca Hijdra

XVII (2006-2007)

  • President: J.W. Korstanje

  • Vice-president: Anja Wellner

  • Secretary: Bram Posch

  • Treasurer: Hugo de Gooijer

XVI (2005-2006)

  • President: Tjeerd Visser

  • Treasurer: Antonio do Carmo Teodoro

  • Board member: Heidi van Zuylen

  • Board member: Raymond Nankoe

XV (2004-2005)

  • President: Lidemarie van der Wijk

  • Secretary: Josianne van Gerven

  • Treasurer: Eva van Rheenen

  • Board member: Nika Gerritsma

XIV (2003-2004)

  • President: Arie Uitbeijerse

  • Secretary: Ronald (till 01-’04)

  • Secretary: Lindemarie van der Wijk (from 02-’04)

  • Board member: Norbert

  • Board member: Ilse Starrenburg

  • Board member: Maarten de Jong

  • Board member: Lauke Wisse

XIII (2002-2003)

  • President: Francisca Mackerbach

  • Secretary: Peter Hofman

  • Treasurer: Linda van Heumen

  • Board member: Roel Visser

XII (2001-2002)

  • President: Debora Verhagen

  • Secretary: Jorrinde Hettich

  • Treasurer: Rob van Veen

XI (2000-2001)

  • President: Chee Ngai Ng

  • Vice-president: Steven Wang Chau

  • Secretary: Caroline Zaegel

  • Treasurer: Kasper LansDorp

X (1999)

  • President: Rebekka Veugelers

  • Secretary: Caroline Zaegel

  • Treasurer: Joris Eikelenboom

IX (1998)

  • President: Cathelijne Jacobs

  • Secretary: Sindy Miggiels

  • Treasurer: Rene Keijzer

VIII (1997-1998)

  • President: Cathelijne Jacobs

  • Secretary: Sindy Miggiels

  • Treasurer: Rene Keijzer

VII (1996-1997)

  • President: Steven Jansen

  • Secretary: Sindy Miggiels

  • Treasurer: Pascal Vankan

  • Board member: Diane Houtzager

VI (1995-1996)

  • President: Olaf Nuijten

  • Secretary: Mirjam Lormans

  • Treasurer: Susan Zwaagstra

V (1994-1995)

  • President: Ferdinand Verhoef

  • Vice-president: Erik Martens

  • Secretary: Marlies Groen

  • Treasurer: Freek Oosterom

IV (1993-1994)

  • President: Hugo van der Leek

  • Vice-president/secretary: Jojanneke van Gorsel (from feb ’94)

  • Secretary: Ton Berghout (till feb ’94)

  • Treasurer: Linda Vermeulen

  • Board member: Eline Jakobs

III (1992-1993)

  • President: Branko Schuurman

  • Secretary: Judith Althof

  • Treasurer: Hendrik-Jan Melissen

  • Board member: Miranda van den Broek

  • Board member: Erwin van Donk

II (1991-1992)

  • President: Branko Schuurman

  • Secretary: Sigrid Pirenc

  • Treasurer: Peter Klaren

  • Board member: Miranda van den Broek

  • Board member: Erwin van Donk

I (1990-1991)

  • President: M. Feberwee

  • Secretary: B. Schuurman

  • Treasurer: I. Peters

  • Board member: L. Cluistra

  • Board member: E. van Donk

  • Board member: Y. Rooduyn

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