Headway East London’s Dance Marathon returns to town

Posted on March 30, 2012

Headway East London’s Dance Marathon is back in town on April 28. An annual fundraiser for brain injury charity Headway East London, the Dance Marathon registration is now open and needs you.

The eight-hour event will move through the eras from the 1940s to the present day – each hour is themed around a decade – with a mixture of jitterbugging, lindy hopping, clock-rocking and electronic dance. 

Kicking off proceedings at 3pm are connoisseurs of swing, Swing Patrol, then moving on to some 1950s rare grooves Rock A Billy Rebels vs Lady Luck will take the helm, followed by Funk Soul Brothers for a 1960s funktastic fix. 

At the 1970s midway point Carwash will be on hand for a disco injection, then, racing through the final decades, the 1980s will be celebrated by Club de Fromage, U:Funk will host the 1990s hour, playing hip hop and R&B, and the final two hours open with Dare from the Glitterbanitz, and close, with an array of genres, from the Fun Fed, who’ll presents the Final Countdown. 

On top of the energy-inducing soundtrack and dance instructors, there will be live bands, interactive entertainment, games, cabaret, stalls, dance troupes and competitions throughout the day to create a carnival feeling and keep the participants’ toes tapping and hips shaking all day long. 

Visit http://www.londondancemarathon.org.uk/register-now.html to sign up, then raise a minimum of £250 and rock up to York Hall in Bethnal Green in your glad rags and toughest dancing shoes on April 28.

Further information

Doors: 2pm–10pm

Venue: York Hall, 5–15 Old Ford Road, Bethnal Green, London E2 9PJ

Tel: 020 8980 2243

Map: http://bit.ly/zVfrYO

Suggested charitable donation for spectators: £20

Nicola Rayner

Nicola Rayner was editor of Dance Today from 2010 to 2015. She has written for a number of publications including The Guardian, The Independent and Time Out Buenos Aires, where she cut her teeth as a dance journalist working on the tango section. Today she continues to dance everything from ballroom to breakdance, with varying degrees of success. Her debut novel, The Girl Before You, was published last year in paperback, ebook and audiobook.