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LUU Modern Dance Society is a fun and friendly society that offers weekly classes in tap, jazz, contemporary and lyrical. Taught by professional dance teachers, we hold classes in three levels - open, intermediate and advanced - meaning we welcome anyone regardless of experience! Alongside our weekly classes, we take part in shows and competitions, as well as some amazing socials! 

Classes follow the structure of a typical dance class, in which we first warm up and work on our technique through corner work. In semester 1 we finish off by learning a short routine, whilst in semester 2 we learn our dances for the LUU show and our own annual showcase! All classes take place in university studios. 

TIMETABLE: 

MONDAY - tap + comp team rehearsals

TUESDAY - intermediate competition team rehearsals

WEDNESDAY - lyrical and contemporary + comp team rehearsals

THURSDAY - jazz + comp team rehearsals

MEMBERSHIP AND CLASS FEES:

Membership: £30 for the whole year, £20 for semester 2 only

Weekly Classes: £25 ​per semester (per class)

Competition Classes: £25 per semester (per class)

You must pay a membership fee and then pay for each additional class on top of that. These are all one-off payments made at the beginning of the year/semester via the shop tab on our society page. Our classes work out at roughly £2.50 per hour class.

Buying membership will not guarantee you a place in a particular class; please do not pay for classes unless we have confirmed your place. Membership will allow you to access our socials and other events we run throughout the year. Please get in contact with us if you have any queries.

SIGN UP: 

Please DO NOT PAY for classes until we have confirmed that you have a space (this includes previous members).

The steps for sign-up are as follows:

1. Please visit us at the Welcome Fair during Welcome Week (W/C 23rd September) where you will be asked to fill in a google form about your class preferences. This is not first come first served so please come at any point during the day - we will still be there! We re-allocate classes every year to make sure new members have a fair chance, so please follow the same process if you are a returner. We will allocate you to a class level based on your previous dance experience.

2. Wait patiently for your confirmation email. This will let you know which classes you have been allocated to and all the extra details you need to know. Please note we strive to offer everyone at least one class so you may not be given all classes that you would like at first. For any classes that you signed up for but did not get a place in, you will be placed on the waiting list.

3. Classes begin! Our classes are due to begin the week commencing Monday 30th September. If you have been allocated a class, feel free to treat the first class as a trial run. Membership and class fees will be due at the end of the first week of classes, so you will need to decide by then.

4. Competition Team Auditions. Once you have been allocated a place in a class, you are eligible to sign up to audition for that competition team. Auditions are held in the first week of classes, in place of Competition Team rehearsals. You will find out via email if you have been offered a space in one of our competition teams.

If you have any questions about the sign-up process, please do not hesitate to get into contact with us on any of our social media pages (linked below). We are happy to answer any queries you may have!

SECOND SEMESTER NEW MEMBERS:

If you would like to start a class in semester 2 but are not already a member, we release a sign-up form on our Instagram before the start of semester 2. If there is space in your requested class, you will receive an email from us offering you a space!

COMPETITIONS:

We take our incredible competition teams to compete against some of the best dancers in University Competitions across the country. This includes one weekend away which is always lots of fun! We also host our very own competition, Let’s Dance, which now welcomes over 500 dancers every year! Modern Dance also enters LUU Intercomp, which is a chance to compete against other Leeds University dance societies!

If you are an enthusiastic, confident and experienced dancer we would love to have you on our competition teams! We hold auditions for these during our first week of classes (you will be able to express your interest on the sign-up form); these are very low-pressure and chilled, so we encourage anyone to give it a go! We can't wait to be wowed by your talent!

We are a successful team, with recent results as follows:

2023/24 Season:

Intermediate Contemporary - 2nd Leeds, 1st LJMU

Advanced Contemporary - 3rd NTU, 2nd Leeds, 2nd LUU Intercomp

Intermediate Jazz - 3rd Leeds, 2nd York

Advanced Jazz - 2nd Leeds

Lyrical - 3rd York, 3rd NTU, 2nd LJMU, 1st Leeds, Best Concept Leeds Comp

Intermediate Tap - 2nd DMU, 3rd York

Advanced Tap - 2nd LJMU, 2nd Leeds

Wildcard (feat. Jazz, Tap, Street, Ballet, Commercial) - 2nd York, 1st Leeds

Highest Scoring University Leeds Comp

SHOWCASES:

We host our own annual Modern Dance Showcase for all members of the society to perform to their family and friends! Everyone in the society will get a chance to perform with their classes, as well as solos, duets and trios, and our competition dances. Our next showcase will take place in May 2025!

We also take part in the LUU Dance Showcase in March, which features all of the LUU Dance Societies. This is a great opportunity to showcase our styles within the society as well as perform alongside all of the university's amazing dance societies!

We also have a very new and exciting tradition! Last year we held our first annual Christmas fundraiser show in December to raise money for a charity of our choice. The show featured short class dances showcasing our talent, self-choreographed solos and small group performances, with a raffle. We also hold an inter-society dance off, where different non-dance societies learn a short routine and compete against each other. Shout out to our 2023 winners SASHA (Students Against Sexual Harassment & Assault)!

SOCIALS:

As much as we love dancing, we can’t say no to our weekly socials! These are chances to get together, meet people from different classes, and make some amazing memories! We hold typical socials, such as Wednesday sport socials and Otley Runs, as well as sober socials, such as pyjama nights and hikes. We guarantee a great time and some of your most cherished university moments!

One of the biggest events of the year is the LUU Dance Ball - a chance to get together with all the other dance societies, dress to impress, and have the most incredible evening!

COVID-19 INFORMATION AND GUIDANCE:

Due to the recent pandemic, we have implemented additional precautions to keep yourselves and our teachers safe. These are to ensure that our classes are in a ‘COVID-19 Secure’ environment.

If you have any of the following symptoms, please DO NOT come to class:

a high temperature

a new, continuous cough

a loss of, or change to, your sense of smell or taste

INSURANCE:

Members dance at their own risk – we have no university insurance. If you would like cover related to this activity then please feel free to seek it individually. Here are some providers that you can enquire with:

http://www.endsleigh-business.co.uk/Pages/personal-accident.aspx

http://www.sportscoverdirect.com/sportsguard/