Building community through performance with the Cheer and Dance Society

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What exactly is the Cheer and Dance Society?

When you first meet the Cheer and Dance Society (CADSoc), there's an air of confidence combined with open-armed joviality. It's almost difficult to convey just what that feeling is properly, but there's a vibe of 'oh, I just want to hang out with them'. What we can say is that it almost comes naturally to this society, which makes a lot of sense since they're all about expressing passion and art through physical performance.

Established about 20 years ago (the exact date is still hotly debated), CADSoc is exactly what it says on the tin. This is a club that's all about empowering its members to express themselves — and to compete against others — through dancing, cheerleading and incredible choreography.

"We compete in intervarsity competitions [against] other universities, interstate [and] nationally at the end of the year each year," says Tali Machet, President and a fourth-year veteran of CADSoc.

"You could just describe us as an entry point for people wanting to dance of all levels from social all the way through to competitive offerings."

But don't be deterred by the whole 'competition' element. Tali says CADSoc welcomes everyone across the whole dance and cheer skill spectrum, regardless of whether you have moves like a K-pop star or struggle to distinguish your left foot from your right. "We're also expanding our society to more social offerings. We've started introducing an annual production, which is something just for fun, and a sidelines chair [as well]."

"We are the most inclusive society [that's] open to all!"

"We have exactly 100 competitive members in our teams. The new sideline stream [has] been super successful [with] around 20 people."

"The [CADSoc internal] production will include [many others] not included in those previous [teams], so quite a lot of members!"

A club open to students of all skill levels who want to compete

CADSoc Vice-President, Sarah Chapman, pinpoints the audition process in 2025 as the lightbulb moment where they realised that many people were interested in joining the club, but it felt a bit (unintentionally) "exclusive."

"As soon as we added our production and our sideline streams, our society grew so much more because so many people were interested, even just beginner dancing and trying something new," recalls Sarah. "I think that was our main thing, just having something for everyone to kind of try rather than just our competitive members."

Competing at the highest university level is ingrained within CADSoc, but some of the club's most recent developments have been aimed at making it easier for beginners to join up, such as the creation of the new 'intermediate team' in 2026.

"We're so proud of our athletes. They don't take [losing] as a personal failing. It's just the nature of the game."

"Naturally, you want to keep those records up, but that's not an internal culture that we place pressure on."

"We have so many talented people [who] come to auditions and unfortunately [we] just don't have the capacity to take everyone," says Treasurer, Olivia Blaskovic. "Starting our own intermediate team to compete in a different division gives others the opportunity if they want to compete in that kind of [higher level competitive] environment."

When it comes to competitions, CADSoc don't take things lightly. The year kicks off with a 14-week training period before the first of three interstate competitions, one in June and two in September, and professional coaches are brought in to sharpen the teams as much as possible.

"Coaches come in with choreography each week [and] the dancers are learning and doing all of the formations with the end goal of getting to that first competition," explains Tali. "We keep the same routines the whole year through, so then each competition thereafter is really just a process of iterative gains."

Unsurprisingly, the competition is fierce among the competing universities, so the preparation for CADSoc's cheer and dance teams are intense. Olivia says that dance is a one-hour commitment per week while the highest level of CADSoc's cheer team is a "three to four hours per week." Even the lower-level cheer team is "still about two hours per week."

"When we're competing within NSW, the divisions are normally around five or six [teams]," says Tali. "But when we get to Nationals, our sectors grow to around 15 [teams]. So that is truly the end goal, being equipped at Nationals to compete against universities from other states that are of a really high calibre."

Not only does CADSoc have to compete against talented competition, but it also has quite the sparkling track record to maintain.

"We're pretty good!" laughs Tali. "Last year [in 2025], our contemporary [dance] team won their division, our open contemporary team came second and our hip-hop team came fourth. The year before that, our hip-hop team were grand champions."

Don't be fooled by CADSoc's enviable record of success or the amount of effort put into its competitions, though. While success is always nice, the driving force has always been fun and passion, and the club makes sure to instill that into the culture whenever possible.

"We're competitive for sure and we like to win, but we try not to have that as the central focus all the time," says Tali. "It's kind of like, 'lead with passion,' and you'll get good results.

Putting on a great show in and out of competition

Not everyone has a competitive streak within them, and that's perfectly fine! That's why CADSoc introduced their production stream in 2025 as a way to allow members to showcase their creativity without the pressure of a competition looming over them.

Taking place at the end of September, the production is more akin to a classic university revue where everything from the stage work to the performances are all handled by CADSoc members.

"Production is more about giving everyone an opportunity to demonstrate our own skills and everyone's unique choreographic abilities in a much freer and more creative way," explains Olivia.

There's still a proper audition and rehearsal process, but the whole journey is much more rooted in artistic expression rather than a performance rating out of 10 that's printed on a big card.

"We still have auditions, so members can be matched to routines that are best suited to their strengths and skill levels," says Olivia. "[The audition] is about what they enjoy or want to try doing for the first time.

"This will be the second time that we'll be doing it! We've taken [our production] to the next level again with a much bigger theatre. We're also using more routines and everything, so it's just on a bigger scale [than before]."

Mirroring how CADSoc's competition teams have regular training sessions, rehearsals for the production begin 14 weeks before the show. That's where all the participating choreographers will "get their pieces together" before working with various stage and lighting teams to get the show into shape.

"We have a whole tech rehearsal where we're able to space our routines out on the stage and also collaborate with people in lighting and other event coordinators to bring the whole thing together," explains Olivia.

The best part about the production stream is that not only can every CADSoc member participate if they want to, but it's all done purely for the joy of it all.

"We perform all of our competition routines, but [there are] also fun social pieces that our own [UNSW Cheer and Dance Warriors] have choreographed just for the pure joy of doing it," says Tali. "They volunteer and we get to do some featured routines. If dancers want to do solos, duos or trios with friends, we can offer that in the production."

Bringing cheerleading to the UNSW frontline

One of CADSoc's newest initiatives is its sideline team, which has its roots in American cheerleading squads. Think the Netflix series Cheer, but with only the good stuff involving stunts and being chucked up in the air (safely) replacing the competition element. With 2026 being the sideline team's first year, there's a lot of building up to be done, but the club has plenty of exciting plans in the works for those who are keen to participate.

"The goal is to have the girls perform at [UNSW sports teams] finals, the big games where we need some extra team morale.

"We have an American coach who did cheer back in America, so she's bringing that flavour to Australia," explains Tali.

"[The sideline team] are going to perform at UNSW sports team games, so we're collaborating with different sports clubs to work out exactly what that roster is going to look like. [So far], we've been in contact with UNSW Basketball, UNSW FC, handball and rugby.

With the sideline team less focused on competitions compared to the main cheer and dance teams, Tali says the vibe is a bit more chill. "The [sideline team] still trains every week, but it's got a little more of a social flavour to it and a bit more of a non-competitive fun culture."

Branching out beyond dancing and cheering

There's a fierce competitive spirit built into the foundations of CADSoc, but alongside that fire is a tight-knit community feeling that exists comfortably in harmony with it. Sarah highlights how the club has an incredibly supportive atmosphere despite the competition elements, and there's a healthy level of camaraderie among its members.

"Coming from a dance background, it can sometimes be a bit more competitive, but I think all the girls are really supportive of each other, especially across teams in both cheer and dance," says Sarah.

The social events outside of competition go a long way in fostering CADSoc's close family vibe, as members are able to just hang out in a relaxed environment. In addition to classics like trivia nights and welcome parties, the club also holds social dance classes on a semi-regular basis throughout the year.

"Our competitive team coaches run these [social dance classes], and it's open to literally anyone who wants to join, whether they're from somewhere else within the society or even people who aren't in the society at all," says Olivia. "We usually have really impressive turnouts for those events. A lot of people like to come along and just have a little boogie for the night, which is super fun!"

For those students who are interested in joining CADSoc but may feel intimidated by things like the skill level required or the competition element, don't be. This is a club that's welcoming to all and a community where you will find your place, whether it's in the dance team, the cheer team, as part of the production or even just as a casual member who's there for the hangs.

"Everyone is welcome, you will be celebrated for your individuality. We love witnessing dancers from different backgrounds, whether they were commercially trained or technically trained," says Tali. "We've had dancers come from different sports, like gymnastics, who gave this a go."

"What makes our teams perform at that high level is their distinct contributions, so I would just welcome everyone with open arms!"

What members say about CADSoc

To get a fuller picture of what the CADSoc experience is like, we also asked some members to share some quick thoughts with Student News.

Amanda (3rd Year, Commerce and Law) — "I grew up dancing [and it was] my weekends and afternoons. I got a diploma in dancing and it just felt so wrong to not dance after I graduated. So I got back into dance because it's the one thing that has never changed in my life."
Sharleez (3rd year, Commerce) — "I honestly didn't know much about cheer. After a workshop, I loved it so much that I auditioned and got on a team! This is my 3rd year doing it and I've fallen so deeply in love with the sport, and I wish I had found it sooner!"
Sophie (3rd year, Computer Science) — "I saw their stall during 2024 O-Week, I was already looking to join a dance society and I was interested in competing again, so I ended up going to [some] workshops and loved it."
Charlotte (6th year, Graduate Diploma of Advanced Psychology) — "I have been a dancer my whole life and was looking for a way to continue dancing throughout university. Luckily, a dance teacher of mine was part of the society and spoke highly of it, so when I was in my first year of uni it was the first thing I sought out!"
Lola Merten (3rd year, Design) — "It seemed like a great, affordable way to continue dancing after high school and I was interested in trying cheer."
Amanda — "Everyone expects that all the dancers in the room have the same dance background, and we all have some sort of technical training. Our society is filled with dancers from every single dance background [like] hip-hop, jazz, ballet. The teams are filled with people with different skill sets, but the one thing we all have in common is a passion for performing."
Sharleez — "A lot of people have assumptions [about] the competitive element of it. I don't think they realise how fun it can be when you immerse yourself in the environment. We have so many options that whatever your style, level or commitment is, you can find a team that's right for you."
Charlotte — "How welcoming and kind the our dancers really are, which I think is beyond rare for a competitive dance society. I would also say the level of commitment and dedication is so high! I have been committed to at least two nights of weekly training for the past six years and entire weekends need to be blocked out for competitions. It really is an insane commitment and I am appreciative that so many people join each year and show their dedication!"
Lola Merten — "Everyone is so so nice! There’s always been a stereotype that dancers and cheerleaders are 'mean girls' or snarky, but I haven’t met a single person who I don’t absolutely adore."
Amanda — "I am more introverted than most and this society has allowed me to meet so many great friends. It has definitely brought me out of my shell a lot more."
Sharleez — "Before joining the society, I didn't know many people on campus. Now I have lunch on campus, I see some of the girls between classes and we hang out outside of training. It's just been so nice having a group of friends I'm so close with and can be unapologetically myself with."
Sophie — "Being a part of CADSOC has been great, I enjoy the exercise and getting to catch up with friends. I also love going to the workshops and open classes because we get to learn small combos and show off our own style."
Charlotte — "It has been the highlight of my uni experience hands down. It has really granted me the social aspect of uni that was promised, and I simply wouldn't have gotten that throughout my degree. I have truly met so many of my best friends, and it has been the steadiest friendship group/connection throughout uni."
Amanda — "Friendships and a newfound respect for dance again. It truly never gets easier, no matter how long you have done it!"
Sharleez — "Definitely cheer skills I didn't know I could even do. I've found such a connection to the sport that all I think about is how I can push and become better and further myself and my team."
Sophie — "I’ve definitely become more confident as a hip-hop dancer, being able to use my face on stage and really project to the audience."
Lola Merten — "I never thought I would make close friends in uni that I could see myself knowing for the rest of my life, but spending so much time with my cheer and dance girls has completely changed this perspective. I truly believe these girls will stay my closest friends for life."
Amanda — "First time going to Nationals, us holding hands and screaming after hearing our name be called as national champions. That was really something."
Sharleez — "Our coach wanted us to practice stunting in the worst conditions. The drill was a stunt sequence with your group and everyone else is surrounding you... except the lights are off, the music was extremely loud, there were light flights and people can poke you with pool noodles and throw spongy cubes at you!"
Charlotte — "I think Nationals always hold the most chaotic of moments for our society! Things go wrong, people are all over the place, but it makes it really memorable and fun! I have won multiple National Champion titles over the years, and nothing compares to the chaos, screaming, hugging, tears, and camaraderie of winning as a team."
Lola Merten — "The first full out of every routine, especially cheer, is always insanely chaotic and ends with several people on the floor laughing."