'Pure joy': The popular No Lights No Lycra dance program hits Aussie high schools
By Heidi Krause|
Imagine going to a hall with a room full of strangers. The lights go off. The music goes on. And you dance like nobody's watching.
No Lights No Lycra is the wholesome Aussie fitness phenomenon that made dancing in the dark take off around the world.
With its humble beginnings in Melbourne in 2011, the program now has 75 locations worldwide, including Tokyo, London and New York.
And now, the dance craze ?is being launched into high schools with the aim of improving teens' health and well-being.
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Founder Alice Glenn started the organisation 14 years ago in a tiny studio in Fitzroy, after she and her friend Heidi Barrett, who both spent their childhoods dancing, decided they were sick of looking in the mirror and comparing themselves to other dancers. ?
"It's incredible. I had no idea it would take off like this and has obviously resonated," she tells 9Honey.
"It's such a simple concept. But it's so rare to be in a room full of people and to be able to cut loose and feel uninhibited." ?
Glenn, who is also an art teacher and mum, is excited to bring the program into schools.
"We believe this initiative is more than just dancing in the dark with friends, we want it to be somewhere where any student can let go and be themselves without worrying about being laughed at, having a photo taken of them, or just being watched at all."
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The NLNL initiative is now backed by Victoria Health and thanks to a $250k grant and has just finished a pilot testing phase with 16 high schools.
?"It's been so wonderful and heartwarming to hear feedback from the students who have already taken part," Glenn shares. "It's always tough being a teenager and right now it's really hard - with the added stress of social media.
"For them to have a space where they can truly be free of all those things and just to be silly and find their inner child is pure joy." ?
The successful trial means it is now being rolled out across the country to other high schools.? The big push now is to get more schools involved, and to recruit student ambassadors to take control of the events for their schools.
In Melbourne, ?Prahran High School's Assistant Principal, Shannon Roberts, is gushing with praise after trialing the program for the first time last month.
The school now hosts weekly Friday dance-offs at lunchtime, all run by the students.?
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"There is so much pressure for kids to be 'grown up' these days. It's amazing to see the students just cut loose and have fun," she tells 9Honey.
"In some ways, they've forgotten how to be kids. This program allows them to feel pure silliness and joy, which really is needed more than ever."
Roberts also explains Prahran is quite a unique school as it has no outdoor spaces, which can be a barrier to get kids moving during breaks.
"The program is a great opportunity for kids to be physical and burn energy," she explains. "We have already seen improvements in their ability to focus after lunch."
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Roberts is also passionate about the positive impact NLNL can have on students with complex needs, such as their neurodivergent kids and LGBTI students.
"This is a fantastic, cheap, free and accessible way to help improve kids' self-esteem and happiness," she says?. "Quite often when we think about mental health and how to support young people, it's when the kids are already in crisis."
"We are even thinking about hosting dance parties for staff to help improve teacher well-being."
Not only does the initiative help those attending the session, it will also see students take on the organisational reigns and learn the skills of marketing and event management.
Melbourne's Santa Maria College was one of the first schools to pilot the program before the major rollout. Student organiser Livia said it was the "perfect program" to reinvigorate their school community after the pandemic.
"The Ambassador training taught me so much, covering lessons on safety in the dark, leadership, engagement and marketing, mental health and my favourite: inclusion," she says.
After completing the online training, students are given the skills and toolkits to run a No Lights No Lycra event for their own school.
"It's fantastic to see so many schools in Victoria and NSW sign up, but we are desperately looking for more state or national funding to really get behind the program so it can remain free," Glenn explains. ?
"And the wonderful thing is, ?it needs very little teacher involvement."
Glenn is passionate about getting people moving and fostering a strong sense of community.
"Anyone, in any high school, can start a No Lights No Lycra จC please contact us. I can guarantee you will have the time of your life."
"The best part?" she adds. "You can come late and leave early and no one will ever know."
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