“Generosity is the best weapon against austerity… and generosity takes a whole community.” – Emily Carrigan.

The Modern Dance Society are excited to announce their new Christmas fundraiser! On Monday 4th December, the University Union’s dance societies are coming together to put on a Christmas-themed showcase featuring numerous performances, all in aid of the charity Rainbow Junktion. The event will take place at 17:30 at the LUU Pyramid Theatre and will also include a raffle and performances from some non-dance societies like SASHA and Sustainability Soc.

The society is no stranger to putting on fantastic showcases as they produce summer performances annually, however, this is the first year that they have collaborated to create a Christmas showcase. With the large number of members across the society, it makes it a powerhouse amongst the University Union in terms of fundraising. Throughout the year they hold events and incentives for members and non-members alike to raise money for various charities; already in this semester they have fundraised for numerous organisations, including CoppaFeel by having a ‘Pink Week’ where they encouraged dancers to wear an item of pink clothing in rehearsals and make a donation, an effort which proved to be vastly successful.

For this occasion, they have chosen to raise money for the Leeds based charity ‘Rainbow Junktion’, which tackles issues of food poverty and waste in the LS6 area. Their work involves intercepting food waste from establishments like restaurants and supermarkets and creates healthy meals for those in need; there is no set amount of money to be paid for these meals, the charity only asks for a donation. This charity was chosen by the Modern Dance Society ‘because of the pressing issue of the cost-of-living crisis’ and ‘as a student, […] it is easy to feel that services, like food banks etc., are not for you. However, as a society, we want to change this mindset. Through fundraising for Rainbow Junktion’s amazing services, we can help promote them to students and hopefully break some stigmas.’

The upcoming winter months are difficult for most people, but especially those facing poverty, at a time when attendance at food banks and community kitchens are already at a record high, those numbers will only increase as winter approaches. As Emily Carrigan (the charity’s café/ food share manager) explains ‘we are on the frontline of poverty in the city, and we are extremely worried for the year ahead’. The charity’s organisers plea for extra support whether that be in the form of volunteering, monetary donations or food donations. As well as tackling food poverty in the area, the organisation also offers services for LGBTQ+ members of the community and host a community café Mondays and Thursdays from 11:30 am to 3pm at All Hallows church, alongside many other weekly and monthly events.

What an amazing opportunity to have such a unified effort from two powerful groups within our community; the collaboration between the Modern Dance Society and RainbowJunktion offers a chance for students to give back to their surrounding community and help those in need, at a time where kindness and generosity triumphs.

Tickets are still TBC, however, a FIXR event will be made closer to the time where tickets will be available. Furthermore, the link to the event will be posted on the society’s instagram @luumoderndance.