Dance / Movema
Day of celebration and dancing in Staple Hill to form part of Bristol Refugee Festival
Following a successful pilot in 2022, the dance-based charity Movema and South Gloucestershire Race Equality Network (SGREN) have again teamed up with The Nest at Bean Tree Café in Page Park, Staple Hill, to present a day of global music and dance performances, family crafts and food tasters on June 24.
Celebrate With Me is being put on to honour the local refugee community, and forms part of the wider Bristol Refugee Festival – ‘Celebrating Sanctuaries Weekend’ taking place across the city.
The event is part of of a wider programme by Bean Tree Café and SGREN – also including Cook With Me and Walk With Me – aiming to provide safe spaces for refugees to form meaningful connections with the local community.
is needed now More than ever
Celebrate With Me, Refugee Festival (2022) – photo: B Squared Studio
“Celebrate With Me was really well received by local residents last year and we hope that Page Park will be seen as a hub to bring people together,” says Melody Beard, owner of the café.
“We focus on the emotional wellbeing of refugees. We hope that our programmes and events help combat loneliness and isolation, by offering refugees the opportunity to get to know their neighbours.”
Celebrate With Me, Refugee Festival (2022) – photo: B Squared Studio
Performances on the day will include Bharatanatyam Dance, children from Callicroft Primary School, Persian dance, Ladino singing and music, English folk dance, Bristol Samba, and TigerStripes fitness.
There will also be an appearance from One Jam – a carnival troupe by Movema’s World Fusion, RISE Youth Dance, Funk Supreme, and students from BIPA at SGS College.
Dancers at Celebrate With Me, Refugee Festival (2022) – photo: B Squared Studio
Penny Caffrey is interim CEO of Movema. “There is a large refugee community in South Gloucestershire,” she reflects. “The council are doing as much as they can to help, but we elieve that the welfare of refugees is also the responsibility of lcoal people and we want to do as much as we can to welcome them into our community.
“Music and dance connect people regardless of race, religion or faith, which is why we want to provide this opportunity to come together in a shared experience.”
Celebrate With Me is at Page Park, Staple Hill on June 24 from 11am-4pm. For more information, visit www.movema.co.uk.
All photos: B Squared Studio
Read more: Bristol Refugee Festival set to return for 2023
Listen to the latest Bristol24/7 Behind the Headlines podcast:
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
