The All Heart digital festival brings together 41 dancers and genres such as salsa, kizomba and hip-hop

All the proceeds will be donated to the Spreading Hope Foundation
Chow En Lai
Chow En Lai

MORE THAN 40 choreographers hosting 40 workshops over a span of two weekends, and it’s all for a charitable cause — that’s what the All Heart dance festival promises. “Dancers from all across India, showcasing diverse dance forms are coming together for this festival,” Bengaluru-based choreographer Lourd Vijay tells us. Dance forms such as Latin, rumba, Bollywood, contemporary, mambo and jazz funk will be represented at the festival and all the proceeds will be donated to the Spreading Hope Foundation.

“Two of my friends, Tanya Jairaj and Jayna Kothari, and I run the foundation. What started as a small initiative has ended up serving over 40,000 underprivileged people with tonnes of rations, as of last
week. The demand is only increasing, but our resources are limited. Hence, we had the idea to host a fundraiser. Since I am a dancer, and have previously organised many festivals, we thought we could host something online for people who are stressed or affected in some way by the current pandemic. And in the process, we will donate to a good cause too,” Lourd shares, when asked about the conception of the festival. The festival has 48 hours of classes in virtual “rooms” with four levels — beginners, intermediate, advanced and open. The sessions will be streamed live, recorded and uploaded on YouTube for future reference.

While dance festivals are not a new thing, doing it digitally is unique. “We have already been conducting classes on Zoom, but we haven’t faced any major challenges. There are some connectivity issuesonc e in a while. And sometimes, people prefer to have a dance partner, but they can’t meet their dance partners right now,” he says, talking about possible challenges in hosting the festival.

Lourd Vijay
Lourd Vijay



Renowned names such as dance hall exponent Satyaki Saha, Pachanga expert Rocky Poonawala and salsa dancer Sneha Kapoor will be part of the event. “My class is open to all and will cater to novices as well as experts,” Sneha tells us adding, “I’m excited to be a part of this amazing festival! I say amazing because it’s not only spreading the joy of dance, but it’s also spreading hope and kindness during these difficult times.”

HIGHLIGHTS
Kizomba Footwork
A session for intermediate dancers by Megha Khatri.May 23, 11 am, Room 2

Afro Cuban
Learn some Afro moves by Bengaluru-based Alex Diaz. May 24, 3.45 pm, Room 1

Dominican Bachata Shines
A session for intermediate dancers by the duo Sonali and Adi. May 30, 3.45 pm, Room 2


Whack With Chow
A session with Assamese dancer Chow En Lai, about waacking, the LA street dance. May 31,
3.45 pm, Room 1

Latin Urban Choreo 
Sneha Singh, Mumbai-based Latin and hip-hop dancer teaches some basics. May 31, 3.45 pm, Room 2

Rs 500 upwards. May 23-34 and May 30-31, 11 am. Details: @allheartdancefest on Instagram and Facebook

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