Disco to help people 'process grief through dance'
BBCA disco is to be held for people to honour and celebrate loved ones who have died while also processing their grief through dance.
Jersey Hospice Care's Community Bereavement Service will host the island's first grief disco at House of Champions in St Helier on 3 October between 14:00 and 16:30 BST.
The hospice hopes the event will create "a safe, compassionate space for people to process grief through dance music, movement, and connection". It said while the event was "not therapy, it could be deeply therapeutic".
The disco idea was started by Georgina Jones and Leah Siân Davies in Cardiff, Wales, in 2024, following their own losses. They said dance and music helped them with their own grief.
Jones said there were not many spaces to process grief that were not the "usual therapy or group settings".
"Talking about grief is one thing, but grief is a feeling and an energy, we want to get people to connect through their grief, joy, and sadness," she said.
A number of hospices and community venues across the UK have already hosted the discos.
The hospice said the grief disco was "built on a simple but powerful idea: that grief and joy can coexist and that moments of lightness can support healing – not take away from loss".
It said: "We know that many people who are navigating grief can feel isolated or unsure where they "fit" after loss, they may struggle to access or engage with traditional support, or they might just need spaces that feel human, informal and accessible.
Mary Le Hegarat from the community bereavement service, said after hearing how movement and dance music helped Jones process her grief, she knew she wanted to bring the concept to the island.
"As someone who supports people through grief and loss, I understand how varied our expressions of grief can be – and this can be a meaningful way for people to work through their loss while feeling part of a supportive community."
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