Dancing for Mental Health

27/04/2024

From fresh flowers & fruit to crafts & colouring-in, our hosts do the MOST to make you feel welcome.

We know that ~ sometimes ~ , going out can feel a bit… daunting, even if you realllly love music and dancing.
- Meeting new people can be DELIGHTFUL but it can also make us anxious. That’s why we have chilled, “no-prior experience necessary” crafts through out, to help keep those nerves at bay
- Bad or obnoxiously loud sound reallllly wigs us out. Lucky for us the radiant possesses a truly magical quality - you can feel immersed in spectacular sound while still being able to have a conversation.
- Party spaces can be hella overstimulating & tiring. If you fancy a break from the dancefloor, there are PLENTY of quieter areas of IWF Substation to explore & have a disco sit (including a LAWN !).

We can’t wait to welcome you to our booze-free boogie tomorrow afternoon with residents & .

Ticket link in bio. Under 12’s go free.
Concessions available - just DM us.

18/04/2024

Music is love. And love saves the day.

It goes without saying that a sublime soundtrack is integral to our experience of sober collective joy.

Music connects us to ourselves and others.
It energises us.
It transports us to another world, another way of being.
It gives us hope when the world feels far too much.
Music is powerful.

A track can completely shift our mood. At Dancing for Mental Health we want to do whatever we can to help you feel good. That’s why Dancing for Mental Health hosts + espouse a free-spirited, uplifting music policy: anything’s possible, so long as it moves us.

We can’t wait for you to hear our selections in full colour next Sunday.

Ticket link in bio. Under 12’s go free.

09/04/2024

We LOVE getting feedback like this!

We rep an ACCEPTING, WELCOMING dancefloor at Dancing for Mental Health.
Because ALL BODIES deserve a space to dance.
Whatever your: size, age, gender, ethnicity, religion, class or condition.
Whatever way you choose to move.
The Dancing for Mental Health dancefloor will welcome you.

Because is there anything more JOYFUL, more LIBERATING, more UNIFYING than bidding farewell to self-consciousness and P-R-O-P-E-R-L-Y going for it, dancing to incredible tunes on a phenomenal sound system, alongside LOVELY people?

Not for us there isn’t.
That’s why we’re counting down the days until our next sober dance on Sunday 28th April 4pm-7pm at Substation.

Limited tickets so you’ll have plenty of space to move.
So cop one quick, while you still can, from the link in our bio.

26/03/2024

GREETINGS DANCERS
Have you missed us? We’ve certainly missed you!

While we’ve been AWOL from the digital world, we’ve been busy cooking up gorgeous plans for Dancing for Mental Health’s l-o-o-o-n-g awaited IRL return.
If good things come to those who wait, then this should be blooming spectacular.

So, watch this space dancers.
Excellent things are coming real sooooon! 🌞

13/06/2022

🌍 Hello again world. We know we’ve been quiet since our ecstatic Valentine’s launch. We’ve been taking some time to tend to ourselves to ensure our next Dancing for Mental Health x event is as wholehearted as the last.
Until we host again, we’ve relished getting our dancing fix further afield. Shoutout to the fantastic folks at - 3 years old last Saturday!
Trust us kids, it’s worth the journey up the M62 to experience the energy of the Do One dance floor.
Big up & special guest for sharing your disco history insights & dishing out tune after irresistible tune this weekend. We COULD NOT stop smiling & dancing.

Aaand if you haven’t yet read Tim Lawrence’s Love Saves The Day, Hold On To Your Dreams or Life & Death on the New York Dance Floor, abandon your devices & get yourself to a library posthaste! You WILL NOT regret it.

Until next time dancers.🎈

15/03/2022

☀️ Who knew sobriety could be so much fun?

Cheers to all the dancers for making last month's Dancing for Mental Health - Valentine's Disco such a deeelight!

We can't wait to dance with you all again soon so WATCH. THIS. SPACE darlings.

Love,
Dancing for Mental Health & Sun Palace Sound System

📸 by Aaron Harnick

[I.D 1: Dancers in front of a large pink and white speaker stack]

14/02/2022

OUT TO THE DANCERS

Wow! What a GLORIOUS night!
Our hearts are FULL of love & appreciation for everyone who made Saturday's Sun Palace Sound System Dancing for Mental Health - Valentine's Disco SO JOYOUS.

Special shout outs to our amazing team of good eggs who helped us to turn our dream into a reality:
Aaron Farrell Abby Boak Bryony Ford Claudia Windle Freddy Francké Howard Ashley Storey Joe Wills Maryke JN Matilda Jacobs-Teekens our parents, Rick Lucas & Zoë Morrison-Griffiths .
Big thanks to everyone at Invisible Wind Factory for having us!

We're going to take a lil break to recharge but we'll be back soon with more music & dancing.
Watch this space...x

14/02/2022

Wow! What a GLORIOUS night!
Our hearts are FULL of love & appreciation for everyone who made Saturday's Sun Palace Sound System Dancing for Mental Health - Valentine's Disco SO JOYOUS.

Special shout outs to our amazing team of good eggs who helped us to turn our dream into a reality:
Aaron Farrell Abby Boak Bryony Ford Claudia Windle Freddy Francké Howard Ashley Storey Joe Wills Maryke JN Matilda Jacobs-Teekens our parents, Rick Lucas & Zoë Morrison-Griffiths .
Big thanks to everyone at Invisible Wind Factory for having us!

We're going to take a lil break to recharge but we'll be back soon with more music & dancing.
Watch this space...x

10/02/2022

3/10 Go to the GOOD PLACE!

We wanna create a GOOD PLACE!
Sometimes finding “the good place” on a night out can be a challenge.
Between self-consciousness and social anxiety, partying can present myriad obstacles to feeling great. And though we’re defo fans of the catharsis that comes from the unbridled joy of dancing, we have no time for toxic positivity. Lots of us face challenges & denying the tough emotions those challenges bring up isn’t helping anybody.

We want to create a “GOOD PLACE” where;
- ALL BODIES & ALL IDENTITIES are CELEBRATED & RESPECTED
- strangers become friends
- it’s okay to FEEL YOUR FEELINGS & answer HONESTLY when someone asks “how’ve you been feeling?”
- you have space to dance without being harassed or hassled
- you leave feeling better than when you arrived
- music & dancing support your wellbeing

We know, we know - we’ve got BOLD AMBITIONS for Dancing for Mental Health & Saturday’s SOBER DISCO.
We also know that these things are subjective & take time & we’ll defo make mistakes on the way (though we’ll try to minimise these!). So plz accept our open invitation to CALL US IN when you spot a way we can do better.



[Image description: A photo of a double page Zine on a pink background. Left page shows a blue drawing of someone running towards a open door - next to “Go to the Good”.
Right page shows some someone running down a corridor with a disco ball above head & the word “Place”.]

10/02/2022

2/10 DON’T HESITATE

When you feel the urge to move, listen to your body! If your fear of …
Looking silly?
Standing out?
Dancing “incorrectly”?
… is holding you back, remember - DANCE IS FOR EVERYONE.
Whatever you’ve been led to believe, there is NO WRONG WAY TO MOVE.

So don’t hesitate, join the SOBER dance this Saturday 8pm-2am with glorious sounds from



[image description: The words “DON’T HESITATE” surround a doodle of disembodied legs & 4 concerned looking frowning & hesitate faces.]