Body and Movement
Offering an important space to help LGBTQI refugees and asylum seekers to overcome social exclusion, increase their confidence and fulfil their potential.
Dancing together is a way to find joy, fun and affirmation in our own physicality, to express our creativity and to build a supportive and safe community. For LGBTQI refugees and asylum seekers who often experience isolation and low self-esteem as a result of inhospitable experiences, Micro Rainbow’s body and movement programme offers an important space to help LGBTQI refugees and asylum seekers to overcome social exclusion, increase their confidence and fulfil their potential.The body and movement programme is funded by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and is organised and delivered by a Creative Team of independent dance artists-facilitators and a producer.
“This was the first time myself and my girlfriend have been able to dance in public.”
Lesbian refugee from Iran
What we do
The Body and Movement sessions happen every two weeks, in London, Birmingham and Cardiff, and last approximately 90 minutes with time before and after for some socialising and checking in with the Micro Rainbow staff that support the sessions. The artists, who lead the sessions in pairs, bring a range of different dance experience and styles to the sessions, so there’s always a variety of different kinds of dance and choreography to enjoy. Also twice a year we have Creative Intensives, two-day sessions which allow us to explore different themes. We spend more time creating dance and working with different artists, like film makers, photographers, poets and sound designers.The emphasis is on welcoming and including everyone, making connections and having a good time. People who attend describe the sessions as relaxing and energising, helping them to lift their mood or ease their stress. If you are interested in attending any of the sessions please contact the team on [email protected]
“The session yesterday was really good, everyone was really nice and kind to me. I have not had that in really long time and it made my day. Am looking forward to the next session. Thankyou.”
Gay man from Guyana
Our creative team of dance artists, teachers and choreographers
Fearghus Ó Conchúir – Strategic Lead & Dance Artist
Stephanie Schober – Dance Artist
Takeshi Matsumoto – Dance Artist
Seun Olayiwola – Dance Artist
Shivaangee Agrawal – Dance Artist
Gerrard Martin – Dance Artist
Johnny Autin – Dance Artist
Kate Taylor – Dance Artist
Angela Dennis – Dance Artist
Jerry Dawson – Dance Artist
Devon Nelson – Dance Artist
Poppy Horwood – Dance Artist
Osian Meilir Ioan – Dance Artist
Cêt Haf – Dance Artist
Richard Chappell – Dance Artist
Louisa Borg-Costanzi Potts – Producer
Kate Wakeling – Evaluator
Videos from creative intensives
Since April 2023, two beneficiaries have taken on the roles of Dance Ambassadors. In that role they attend sessions in Cardiff, Birmingham and London, promoting the programme to other beneficiaries, gathering feedback from them and helping the creative team to shape how the programme develops. One of the Dance Ambassador has co-designed evaluation sessions with the programme evaluator. And in January 2024 they co-presented a talk on the programme at the Dance Citizenship: Moving and Belonging conference at Northern School of Contemporary Dance.
History of the programme and its future
In 2015, Fearghus Ó Conchúir approached Micro Rainbow about starting movement workshops with LGBTQI refugees and asylum seekers as part of a creative project he was leading. The occasional workshops which took place often at Micro Rainbow’s offices found a more regular venue in the Showroom Gallery in West London when Stephanie Schober joined Fearghus in leading the sessions. Other dance artists attended from time to time to bring new energies to the sessions alongside the Micro Rainbow beneficiaries. It was clear that the sessions could develop LGBTQI dance artists as well as create a supportive LGBTQI community for refugees and asylum seekers.
Jamieson Dryburgh and Stephanie Schober, who were also faculty at Trinity Laban, secured space for the sessions at Trinity Laban’s professional studios. In 2021, with the help of Louisa Borg-Costanzi Potts as producer, Micro Rainbow secured funding from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation to embed the Body and Movement Programme as part of Micro Rainbow’s social inclusion activities. That meant that it could expand the creative team to bring in new skills, lived experience and perspectives as well as grow the reach of the programme beyond London. In 2022, it set up regular sessions in Birmingham, where Micro Rainbow has a number of safe houses for LGBTQI asylum seekers.
In 2023, the programme expanded to Cardiff where Micro Rainbow is working with local NGOs to support LGBTQI asylum seekers and refugees living in South Wales. In 2024, the programme celebrated the achievements of the past four years of its Paul Hamlyn Foundation-funded activity with the Dance Your Freedom exhibition, dance and social events for the Micro Rainbow family, its friends and supporters.
This work could not happen without the transformational support of Paul Hamlyn Foundation
To support the Body and Movement work or Micro Rainbow’s broader programme, contact [email protected]
