Spirit of the Rainbow Heron

We have invited Nisha Lall to develop this exciting new project for Sheffield, inspired by Lunch Beat – which was created by Molly Range in Sweden in 2010 (http://www.lunchbeat.org) and has encouraged countries around the world to support and create their own dancing lunch events.

The launch of the Rainbow Heron version will coincide with the Sheffield Wellbeing Festival (Wednesday 18th July 2018) with plans to hold a flash dance down The Moor and a daytime dance session indoors.

A series of other lunch-time events will be held before and after the Wellbeing Festival, lasting around 30-minutes each session and each with a dance facilitator. We have lined up different businesses and organisations willing to create a pop-up Be Free and Dance event in their own building, transforming the space with curtains and lighting as possible.  Each event will be supported and facilitated by one of our dance/movement leaders, who will provide the music system and set up.

There will be a flexible approach according to the audience. Our practitioners will lead easy-to-follow dance / movement routines; develop creative sequences by observing participants’ movements; and encourage the participation of all attendees.  There will be a focus on making all individuals feel welcome, safe and included.

The dance / movement leaders will also devise routines that will be uploaded onto You Tube so these can be learnt by participants beforehand – and can also be used for future events, in the workplace or elsewhere, so that groups or business can continue with the initiative themselves.

The project aims to encourage individuals from varied backgrounds to engage in dance and movement and to raise awareness that dance (as well as other physical activities) can have a positive effect on individual’s physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. It will create a safe inclusive non-judgemental environment for people to dance, move and express themselves regardless of background, age or experience. There will be a focus on relieving stress, feeling good, togetherness and identifying emotions.

Nisha Lall is a well-known, award-winning, freelance dance practitioner trained in Indian, Arabic, Salsa and Contemporary Dance. She runs her own dance company Aim to Dance and Create http://www.aimtodanceandcreate.co.uk

She co-ordinates the Chance To Dance Festival in Sheffield https://chancetodance.org/  which promotes and celebrates the cultural diversity of dance, bringing dance to a wider audience and demonstrating its social and health benefits.  

Nisha has also developed and led the Sheffield One Billion Rising flash dance, to raise awareness of violence against women worldwide.