Image credit: Newcastle University Student's Union
Freshers has now passed. Let's discover what some students did in tasters and what they liked the most. At the start of every academic year, Newcastle university's clubs and societies run taster sessions to give students a chance to try something new without committing to a membership. Students could book their place through the Students Union website or by checking the society's socials. Depending on the activity, sessions might be held on campus or around the city.
Firstly, Melody, a marketing student, joined the matcha café hopping event hosted by the Japanese Society. The group met at Claremont Teahouse before heading to Yi Fang, Tsujiri and Agit. Melody said, "The best thing is that we paid half the price for our drinks...I was scared to go because I thought there wouldn’t be many people there since matcha is such a specific interest, but there were actually quite a few people, and they were really friendly. I got to meet and chat with them."
"My experience was a mix of excitement, adrenaline rush, learning new throws."
Next up, Abdulelah, an urban planning student, went to the Judo Society taster. What impressed him most was that it was free. Abdulelah remarked, "My experience was a mix of excitement, adrenaline rush, learning new throws. The session was nice, lovely. Everyone was welcomed, it was just for fun and you get to meet new people. They [the society] told me what to wear beforehand and what are you expected to do, and they made our safety number one."
Personally, I tried the Dance Society Musical Theatre taster and Heels workshop. Both were enriching and fun experiences that I would recommend to anyone who loves dance and a supportive community. In Musical Theatre, we danced to "Trip a Little Light Fantastic" from Mary Poppins Returns, which coincidentally is one of my favourite musicals. That made the class even more special, and the choreography turned out to be whimsical and joyful.
In the Heels workshop, we danced to "Sports car" by Tate McRae. I was nervous at first, since it was my first time trying this style, but the teacher and class created such an encouraging environment that my fears quickly faded. I went with a friend who said she would definitely join the society if Heels were a weekly class instead of just occasional workshops. Overall, during there was a taster session for everyone to try!
