Supporting community-led projects to help your local area recover from the COVID-19 crisis
Impact data and claims within this report are provided by the project creator and have not been independently verified by Spacehive.
By Dan Davies
Dance classes for older residents using bandstands in local parks.
Sorry this project was unsuccessful, we did not reach our fundraising goal.
Weekly dance classes in Clerkenwell for older residents (younger residents welcome). The classes would, weather permitting, use bandstands of local parks in Clerkenwell. The classes would ideally act as a springboard for other social activities in the neighbourhood. It would be great to get some funding for portable dancefloors. Classes provided by local volunteers (already identified). We the volunteers helping with the project have got to know our neighbours a lot better this last year through the local Mutual Aid group. We'd love to get residents out and about and dancing, but we also want this to be a springboard to greater use of existing facilities. Please note that whilst this project has identified dates in Spring & Summer 2021 for the project to start, we will continue to be steered by government safety guidelines and these dates are subject to change. Any alterations to the project plans will be communicated via this page.
What we'll deliver:
Why it's a great idea:
The mental health benefits of dance at any age are well established. Dancing with your neighbours gives you not only the physical and mental health benefits of the dancing itself but will also hopefully tackle social isolation. The hope is that older residents with better confidence will be more inclined to use other facilities that are already provided.
Steps to get it done:
In the longer term I'd like to organise classes particularly for people with particular challenges around mobility or with things like dementia. I would need more specialist training before doing that. There's an organisation in Bethnal Green which might be able to help with the training, but they are out of action at the moment because of the pandemic.
Gallery
Journey
Follow this project You are following this project for updates to your inbox
Supporting community-led projects to help your local area recover from the COVID-19 crisis
How will the money be spent?Target (inc. fees) £1,632
Costs Breakdown
This shows how money raised for the project will be spent. These costs have been confirmed by the project's Delivery Manager and verified.
Overfunding
This project is enabled for overfunding. If the project hits its funding goal before the end of the campaign period, any extra funds raised will be spent (in order of priority) on:
Target (inc. fees) £1,632
Our Volunteer List
Want to help?
Do you have stuff or skills to contribute to this project? Use this tool to offer something to the project creator.
VolunteerHallo, I'm Dan. I'm from Wales but have lived in London, on and off, for 20 years now. I live in Clerkenwell and work down the road in Blackfriars, although I've been working from home since you-know-what.
I started dancing about ten years ago when I signed up for a lindyhop class with a pal. Originally it was a way of meeting people and socialising on a weekday without going to the pub. It was brutally embarrassing to begin with but also a great laugh and I was hooked quite quickly. Since then I've done some terrific classes in ballet at the Place in Bloomsbury, some Argentine tango (this is impossible) and had a great time on a production of West Side Story at the Bishopsgate Institute near Liverpool Street. Mariiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
What I am trying to do now is set up a weekly class or two for older neighbours in Clerkenwell. When lockdown began I signed up for the local Mutual Aid group and I've met a few of my older neighbours through that. It would be great to get some of them out and about and I wonder if dancing could be a way to do that.
I've done some teacher-training online and had a few teaching experiences over the past few years. To begin with the classes will be along the lines of a beginner lindyhop class.
The plan is to use some of the lovely local bandstands to do the classes. There's a fabulous one at Northampton Square, just behind the City Lit building on St John Street, and another one on Wilmington Square, behind the pub of the same name.
Classes will run during the spring and summer of 2021. I am looking for a wee bit of funding to get the portable dance floors. Thanks a million!
Dan
Project Owner: Dan Davies The Project Owner takes legal responsibility for receiving and spending the funds raised and ensuring the project is delivered.
Find me at:
