Passed: November 2020 (23rd)

What do you want? / Why do you want it? 

This year LUU has had to close all the dance studios and performance spaces in the Union, as the majority are now being used for storage space for extra chairs and tables as a result of social distancing throughout the university. Although a few spaces have been offered, it is not enough to accommodate weekly space for all dance societies and due to COVID secure measures their capacity is greatly limited. 

Because of this, dance societies have had to hire external spaces to be able to function which are very expensive ranging from £25-£35 per hour, (which if classes were to run as normal is about £1500-£2000 per term). As this is by no means at the fault of dance societies, the Union should offer either some form of financial support to cover this extra cost or provide a more suitable alternative of space in the Union.

Many societies have understandably not been able to afford this extra cost so have had to either greatly limit their classes or in some cases had to stop classes completely this term, seeing some of the Union’s biggest societies almost halve in membership. Financial support from the Union would ensure societies have the chance to offer some form of classes to their members off campus, even if University space cannot be provided. We believe this is crucial to not only their success as a whole but to the individual members whom for many dance classes provide a weekly break from the stresses of University and are a chance to meet and socialise with friends, which as we know is never the same over Zoom.

The union has permitted the running of dance societies during COVID19 due to it being accepted under the University’s sport and physical activity guidelines. Dance at LUU provides diverse and welcoming groups, which offer an important support network for many of its members, something that as first years many of us greatly appreciated whilst settling into University life. Even more so in these difficult and challenging times, it is crucial to keep these societies running to their usual high standards and we will need financial support to achieve this.