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Tuesday 3rd May 2016
It is a truth universally acknowledged that, to get actuaries dancing, a significant amount of alcohol is required (SIAS ball, ahem!).
It is a truth universally acknowledged that, to get actuaries dancing, a significant amount of alcohol is required (SIAS ball, ahem!). For the SIAS samba night, however, we decided to defeat this stereotype by doing the dancing first, and the drinking afterwards.
On 25 February, 35 aspiring dancers from the actuarial community met at Guanabara, Drury Lane, for a fantastic evening of dancing, dinner and cocktail drinking (in that order).
There were, undeniably, a few pre-samba jitters - "I can't believe I signed up to this, I can't dance to save my life!" (me) - but within five minutes of our energetic instructor coming on stage, the dancefloor was in full swing.
The whole session was resoundingly good fun, the music was loud and the focus very much on having a good time rather than getting the moves right. My own personal goal was to wave my arms around as much as possible and not crash into (too many) people, which I achieved. Credit has to go to Willis Towers Watson for the gusto of their many employees (led by SIAS' own Thomas Leigh-Eldridge), all of whom who were wiggling their hips and enthusiastically side-stepping in true Samba style. After 45 minutes we all returned to our tables, where we were served Caipirinhas and a delicious three-course Brazilian dinner.
The final surprise of the night came with the arrival of three scantily-clad carnival dancers, complete with headdresses and, in one case, fluffy green trousers. Eager to show off our new moves, we all flooded back onto the dance floor, proving that, despite our staid reputation, actuaries can have 'samba no pé' (literally, 'Samba foot').
On 25 February, 35 aspiring dancers from the actuarial community met at Guanabara, Drury Lane, for a fantastic evening of dancing, dinner and cocktail drinking (in that order).
There were, undeniably, a few pre-samba jitters - "I can't believe I signed up to this, I can't dance to save my life!" (me) - but within five minutes of our energetic instructor coming on stage, the dancefloor was in full swing.
The whole session was resoundingly good fun, the music was loud and the focus very much on having a good time rather than getting the moves right. My own personal goal was to wave my arms around as much as possible and not crash into (too many) people, which I achieved. Credit has to go to Willis Towers Watson for the gusto of their many employees (led by SIAS' own Thomas Leigh-Eldridge), all of whom who were wiggling their hips and enthusiastically side-stepping in true Samba style. After 45 minutes we all returned to our tables, where we were served Caipirinhas and a delicious three-course Brazilian dinner.
The final surprise of the night came with the arrival of three scantily-clad carnival dancers, complete with headdresses and, in one case, fluffy green trousers. Eager to show off our new moves, we all flooded back onto the dance floor, proving that, despite our staid reputation, actuaries can have 'samba no pé' (literally, 'Samba foot').
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