Visually impaired people from a South Asian background have a chance to step out in style over the next month thanks to Dance Dosti which is piloting a face-to-face dance programme in Newham.

Funded by the Vision Foundation, the Dance Dosti initiative has established a website containing over 100 dance sessions in English, Bengali, Gujarati and Hindi.

After a first phase of digital contact, the second phase sees Dance Dosti piloting face-to-face dance sessions and the Newham programme, supported by Newham Ability Camp, will take place at Newham Sixth Form College, in Plaistow (E13 8SG).

The programme launched on January 26 and involves one-hour sessions running from 5pm-6pm each Wednesday for 12 weeks.

Participants in earlier programmes report a range of benefits including improved physical and mental health, confidence, independence and feeling part of a community.

Programme organisers Dance Dosti are also looking for volunteers to fill two important roles at Newham – one to support people in the classes by guiding them to follow the moves and secondly someone to help people navigate the route between the local station and venue to enable them to attend. No previous experience is necessary.

Dance Dosti will monitor the impact of dance on a range of measures including mental and physical health, confidence, friendships, and independence. Learning from the programme will inform the development of more diverse, inclusive opportunities to be creative and active.

To register for the Newham dance programme visit:

www.dancedosti.com/pilots or call 07462 895461

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