Loosely latin and ballroom dance
Barbara Harrington

We will learn dances like the  merengue, social foxtrot and cha cha  and have fun in the process. You’ll be surprised at your dancing ability and discover the pleasure of dancing with a partner as you live out any Strictly Ballroom fantasies. No previous experience or partners necessary. And you can show it all off at the Tea Dance on Sunday afternoon.

Barbara has facilitated dance workshops at various events including Women In Tune and runs women only dance classes in Swansea and Cardiff.

Signed, Sealed, Delivered
Stacey Stockwell

This is a great opportunity to get your hands out and have a go at a sign song! Sign songs are becoming ever-popular within the Deaf and hearing communities. They’re great fun to do and fabulous to watch! You’ll also be able to learn, or re-cap on your BSL fingerspelling alphabet and learn a few useful signs. This year, once again, we have Stacey Stockwell leading the workshop. She’s signed for The L Project’s “It Gets Better” and their most recent brilliant song “We’re all Human” She’s fun and full of energy, and she’s guaranteed to have you dancing and signing away! (Oh, and she’s not half bad with her hands….)

Drag King Workshop

Veteran Drag Kings Rogue and Adam All join forces to bring you a Drag King Workshop like no other!

Rogue is a live singing professional and talented Drag King who entertains the audience by emulating singers and their mannerisms, voices and striking costumes with a professional accuracy.  Rogue has performed live on Kiss FM, broadcasted to the UK from Gran Canaria, been featured in a recent international documentary on Drag Artists, performed live on stage for three nights of the 2013 Maspalomas Pride.

Visit my website.

Drag King Adam All has been performing nationally for 12 years, holding residencies at The Marlborough (Brighton), Candy Bar (Soho) and now in 2014 has brought his infamous cabaret night BOi BOX to SHE (Soho). A top four finalist of Drag Idol (2009), Co-host of the women's stage at London Pride (2013), Adam is passionate about Drag King Cabaret and getting Drag Kings on the main stage! Adam All is an all singing, all dancing male impersonator, self- confessed breast, obsessed sex pest, and all round cheeky dapper  chappy with  a geek-chic streak.

Visit my website.

Run is fun
Ewelina Lukasiewicz

Running workshop for runners of all abilities. I am offering you ladies a 5km (30-40min) run at a medium pace, so why do it solo if we can run together?

Join me on Saturday at 10am and Sunday at 11am, to meet new people with similar interests, make new friends and burn some calories! Plus you'll be getting an energy boost for a day full of fun and unforgettable L Fest memories - so show your heart some loving and join us!

Looking forward to seeing you ladies!

Improvised Comedy Workshop
The Short & Girlie Show

Learn the basic rules of improvisation from the UK’s longest running all-female comedy improvisation troupe. Explore your creative side in a supportive environment. No experience necessary, all abilities welcome and kids can come too!

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Flash Mobs Workshop
Brighton Dance Flash Mobs

Always wanted to do a flash mob? Learn a fun dance routine and then we will spring it on L Fest when they least expect it! Full instructions given at the workshop. Think you can’t dance? Come along and surprise yourself! All ages and abilities welcome.

Maximum number: unlimited

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Cycling Workshop
British Cycling Breeze Network

LFest have teamed up with British Cycling’s Breeze network – Led by women, for women.

Breeze is the biggest programme ever to get more women into riding bikes for fun. The aim is to help thousands more women feel confident and comfortable about going on a ride. While cycling is becoming more and more popular in the UK, the proportion of women getting involved is actually declining. Breeze want to change that. 

We will be organising two bike rides during the weekend, on both Saturday and Sunday morning. These will be led by trained ride leaders and will be a mixture of traffic free and quiet roads. You don’t have to be able to ride like Victoria Pendleton, you just need to be able to ride your bike comfortably. We will update everyone shortly on meetings times and how long the rides will take.

Breeze train up champions who organise fun, social, local bike rides for women. Rides go at a speed that suits everyone, and they often start or finish at a cafe so everyone can have a drink and a chat.

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Harness Your Brilliance! Life Coaching
Ali Harness

Ali Harness is a qualified Life Coach specialising in women’s confidence coaching. With a passion for helping women discover their true potential, Ali can help you realise your inner resources, discover what you really want from life and develop the confidence to go and get it!

These workshops are designed to provide a taste of what Life Coaching can do for you with a range of tools, visualisations and Coaching exercises. The workshops are fun and interactive, and provide a safe environment for you to explore what you want out of life, how you can achieve this, and what gets in your way with a group of like minded women. You will go away feeling motivated, inspired and ready to put your dreams into action.

Both workshops complement each other and can also be attended individually. 
Places are limited to 12 per workshop to ensure attendees get the most out of these sessions. 

Succeed at Your Goals (Workshop 1)

Have you ever set goals and then not fulfilled them?

This workshop will help you discover what you really want and what will motivate you to achieve this.

By looking at what’s important to you in your life right now and how you would like your life to be in the future, this workshop provides the building blocks for you to succeed in achieving your goals and following your dreams. 

Challenging Limiting Beliefs (Workshop 2)

What gets in the way of you achieving your dreams?
Do you find yourself thinking negative things about yourself and your abilities?
Are you holding yourself back from achieving your true potential?

This workshop will enable you to explore some of the beliefs you hold about yourself and where they have come from. You will have the opportunity to replace these beliefs with more positive ones, and learn strategies for dealing with limiting beliefs on a daily basis.

Return to life after LFEST a more confident you! 

Writing Workshops
VG Lee

Workshop 1 - A leap of faith

Let’s get emotional! To create believable characters and a credible narrative we have to know how people really feel and react. Through a series of writing exercises and discussion we will try to tap into our own inner feelings within certain situations. Hankies may be required!

Workshop 2 - Fast & furious

Perfection in a few hundred words or less. We will work towards writing a piece of flash fiction. This will be a fast paced workshop with short sharp writing exercises in the first person and preferably present tense. We will all be breathless by the end of it!

Visit my website.

Create a Carnival

This years carnival parade theme is "Equal marriage" feel free to bring a your wedding oufit! Join in the workshop to make something to wear for the carnival parade - With a very special ending to it this year! 

Yoga Workshop
Rose Thorn

A calm space for you to connect mind, body and spirit with gentle postures, breath and deep relaxation. All bodies and levels of experience welcome. You can join us for a cup of tea at the end of the session before re-joining the busy festival. Please bring your yoga mat, if you have one.

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Drumming Workshop
Organic Rhythm

Using African drums, Samba drums and percussion instruments from other origins we will be facilitating an interactive, participatory, inclusive drum circle for all abilities. Drums available to borrow or bring your own.No experience is required.

Fun, easy, uplifting and energising – this was very popular last year to so be sure to get there early to guarantee a drum! There may also be opportunity to be in the carnival parade too!

Proud to have won the L Fest Best Workshop award for 2013 and we can’t wait to do it all again!

Pole Workshop
Ali Cocks

Ali Cocks, born in Lincolnshire 1967, is a queer performer, sound artist and creative explorer who currently resides in west Wales. Constantly working with the ever evolving themes of gender, sexuality. Ali is currently teaching gender, sexuality and theatre at Aberystwyth University and also conducts cross dressing workshops. She is presently embarking on doctoral study into the sonic expression of gender, sexuality and desire.

Ali also has experiential and academic practice in physical theatre/queer circus and is also a pole fitness instructor in the Aberystwyth area of Wales. She will be back at L Fest for her third year to teach a beginners and Intermediate Pole fitness workshop, influenced by elements of dance and circus performance. A joyful and skilled activity that works on an all over body fitness. No need for experience and a short yoga based warm up will commence. 

Strawbale Building Workshop
Barbara Jones & Rae Parkinson

An opportunity to learn basic techniques of working with straw to construct a small building, from the UK’s leading strawbale company, many of whom happen to be lesbian!

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Meditation for all
Rachel White

A gentle guided meditation to relax and re-energise.

Suitable for all including those new to meditation. Please wear comfortable clothing and bring a towel or blanket to lie on.

Salsa/Tea Dance
Norma Daykin    

Salsa

This fun, friendly session is open to everyone, including complete beginners. No partner is needed and you can lead or follow. We will swap partners during the session. You will learn the basics, including a mixture of cross body and Cuban style salsa, as well as some “doable” more advanced moves.

Tea dance

An afternoon of social dancing with tea and cakes available in our vintage tea room. Open to everyone, including complete beginners. Norma will provide an introduction to a range of dances including waltz, quickstep, social foxtrot, cha cha cha, rumba and jive. No partner is needed and you can choose to lead or follow.

Norma Daykin is an experienced, qualified dance teacher based in Bristol where she has taught classes in salsa, latin and ballroom dance for over 15 years. She is also a musician and who performs live music for all kinds of dance events. As well as learning the steps, you will benefit from Norma's extensive musical knowledge and experience, gaining a deeper understanding dance rhythms and music.

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The Story You Always Wanted To Tell
Alys Einion  

What is the story you always wanted to tell?

Everyone has a story they’d love to tell – a love affair that went wrong, a journey, a tragedy, finding true love after heartache, succeeding in your life against the odds

This creative writing workshop is for everyone who wants to write but fears the blank page, or never gets around to it, or for those who are trying to write but feeling like they are getting nowhere. Using stimulating interactive exercises we will work on character, plot and story development, looking at how to tell your story in a way that will make others sit up and listen. Comedy, tragedy, romance, history, they all share something in common – characters we relate to and a plot that keeps the page turning. The workshop will also cover selling yourself and pitching your work to publishers and tips to keep on writing. So bring your ideas and get ready to enjoy sharing them!

Visit my website.

Funny Side Out
Lara A King

Unleash your inner funny and learn to experience humour and laughter as a powerful and effective currency within your every day interactions. Through a series of theatrical techniques, role play and improvisation exercises, join award winning comedienne Lara A king on a journey towards being a more relaxed and confident communicator and someone known for their smile, their lightness of being and their ability to see the funny side.

How to Prevent Lesbian Bed Death
Emma Ziff

International Sex and Relationship Expert, Speaker & Author from TV & radio, will be hosting a fun and informative workshop for all women …couples and singles using her well known humour and expertise.

Including:

'Be a lesbian lover and NOT a familiar friend’
Going with your ‘Gut and NOT gash’
Finding you beneath your labels: ‘Who and NOT What You Are’
Coming Out in the Bedroom … even if you’re in the closet’
Reveal NOT conceal’ with the right communication
Learn how to ‘Make It NOT Fake It’
How to be ‘Super-Wet and NOT Super-Dry’

You will also have an opportunity to develop communication techniques in a safe & comfortable environment, free from judgement.  

*WIN Private coaching session with Emma + boxes of Lady Prelox 

Visit my website
Lady Prelox

Sponsored by Pink Lobster Dating.

Songwriting - Finding the words to say....
Beth Prior

Beth Prior offers an insight into her methods of songwriting and composition, sharing ideas and insights into what makes her tick as a songwriter. Bring your ideas, voices and an open mind. All welcome, feel free to bring an instrument if you want to jam along too!!

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Creative dance for children
Anna Brown and Amy Rose

Using  songs, games, rhymes, stories and props, dance artists Anna and Amy will introduce children to the delights of what their bodies can do and the fun that can be had when dancing together. Come along to bounce, skip, roll, stomp and discover more. Children must bring their parents or carers.

Anna and Amy have been working in community dance since 1995 and love sharing the joy of dance with all ages, using a creative and expressive, person centred focus.  They have worked with over 300 people to create dances to line the Olympic Torch Relay and are also running a creative dance session for grownups on Sunday.

What should older LG­BT housing look like?
Stonewall Housing

Ever worried about what happens when you get older? Worried about homo/bi/trans phobia in a care setting? Concerned about being forced back into the closet when you get older because of where you live and who cares for you? What should older LGBT housing look like? 

Join us to talk about what you want and hear about what’s happening in the UK to make older LGBT housing, care and support a reality. Come and find out how we are making sure that older Lesbian/Bi and trans* women’s voices are being heard.

Come and talk to Stonewall Housing’s Older LGBT Housing Group at 5.15-6.30 on Saturday at Planet Central.