An upbeat dance video created by the Youth Cancer Trust (YCT) is set to bring a sense of joy in Lockdown and much needed awareness for the essential support that young people with cancer need.
Over 82 people from across the UK have submitted their best dance moves to the Bournemouth based cancer charity which has resulted in a music video being produced which is set to launch later this week. The aim of the video is to ultimately raise funds for the YCT to be able to continue to provide vital services for young cancer patients. Currently over 170 young people with cancer are using the digital support provided by the charity which includes therapy and online activities. In normal circumstances the charity provides support and free activity holidays to teenagers and young adults with cancer.
The dancers involved are families, children, superheroes, professional dancers, an 81year old from Peru, a popular local DJ, YCT staff, dance schools, pets and even a snowman. Artist Astar Effects created a funky logo, Jill Marie Coper from The Voice added vocals to the track, DBC event host Ashley Knight, created some choreography and it was all edited together by LA Media. It was an entirely voluntary £0 budget project.
The Lockdown Funk video stemmed from a film made in 2017 by the charity with local music producer, Fraser Freeze called ‘Dance Beats Cancer’ (DBC). The awareness campaign was a collaboration with artists, dancers, performers and a local film company. The launch event was an evening of dance performance, that proved so popular, it’s now an annual event, bringing communities together and raising money for the charity. The Dance Beats Cancer film itself won a silver award at the Charity Film Awards in 2019.
In 2020, as the YCT was unable to host the annul DBC show and with dance schools closed, Fraser Freeze created a piece of music especially for the charity, and a new collaboration began.
Lockdown Funk invited people to take part in a music/dance compilation by dancing along to the track in their own homes. No dance experience was required, anyone could join in. The YCT shared videos of some of the entries received on social media to show that it really was open to anyone and over three weeks the YCT received over 150 entries. The videos were then sent to LA Media to edit together.
“Feedback from our YCT guests has been overwhelmingly supportive, with many grateful for the effort people had made to dance and send in their video. It has also helped them keep entertained! Since the start of the pandemic, it has become a huge concern to us that many are experiencing severe mental health issues about treatment delays, issues surrounding loneliness, or having to visit GPs or consultants during the pandemic. I hope that our Lockdown Funk video will help drive more funds to enable us to continue to support young people suffering from cancer.” Says Georgina Hillman (Manager)