Liz Lea is a woman with a vision.

And an idea she conceived two years ago is about to become a reality when the brand new BOLD dance festival launches on 8 March. The festival will be a unique mix of talks, workshops, performances and discoveries across some of our city's most iconic institutions.

Speakers, teachers, performers, choreographers and film makers will converge on Canberra for the event, including special guests from Singapore and Taiwan.

According to Lea, an acclaimed choreographer who specialises in Indian dance and martial arts, the festival is "a celebration of the legacy of dance in all cultures".

Buy a ticket and you can expect to see work choreographed by older professional dancers, older Canberrans on stage for the very first time, and work by young people who are inspired by their parents and grandparents.

"We have dancers from the Canberra GOLDs (Growing Old Disgracefully) program performing and some of them have danced on stage before, but many of them haven't," Lea said.

"They came along to try [GOLD] out and they stayed, built a hugely strong social network, and they're doing things they never thought they'd do.

"I remember one woman saying 'my goodness I've spent my whole life avoiding this' - stripping down to basically a swimming costume in front of a lot of people - and now she's like 'oh, I think I like it!"

Lea said dance is playing a "phenomenal" role in the lives of older people not just across Canberra but across Australia and the world. She listed Dance for People with Parkinsons as a wonderful example of a local program using dance as therapy.

"People who are ageing are moving in to dance - there are a lot of programs that have been proven from a physical and emotional perspective to be hugely beneficial," she said.

"Belconnen Arts Centre also has 'Dance for Dementia' and I believe we have a dance program for people with MS.

"Part of it is to do with engaging with music - it brings back memories."

Some of Australia's most high profile dancers and choreographers have shown faith in Lea's vision and will be involved in BOLD.

Meryl Tankard and Julie Dyson will host a film and talk session at the National Film and Sound Archive, while Sue Healey will host an event at the National Library of Australia.

Former Canberra dancer and Artistic Director of Phluxus2, Nerida Matthaei, will perform in the QL2 theatre.

Other highlights include a behind-the-scenes tour of the Ballets Russes costumes at the National Gallery of Australia and an evening of dance and discussion with iconic choreographer Elizabeth Cameron Dalman OAM.

According to Lea, the festival is testament to the willingness of our cultural institutions to support a vision.

"In Canberra, we are very lucky," she said.

"Our institutions are very open and everyone I've approached has been like 'okay, how can we be involved?'

"It's been a long process of talking and negotiating for two years."

The BOLD Festival happily coincides with this year's Enlighten festival, meaning people visiting Canberra can experience BOLD during the day, enjoy a picnic at twilight, and later watch projections onto the exterior of our institutions at night.

"I like that we're on during Enlighten because if people are coming to town, what a great time to come," Lea said.

"We can light up their days and their nights. It's my favourite time of year."

Lea hopes the festival will draw "everyone - anyone who has a particular interest in art, movement, history, and national and international connections."

"It's a professional who is teaching olders who are new to dance - that's where I get my inspiration from," she said.