Making it easier to dance in London - Danceworks's Parking Concessions

One Sunday afternoon I arranged to meet Joanna at Danceworks to take a class with Franziska Rosenzweig. Joanna very sensibly took public transport and arrived on time. But we don't do that in the North because we don't have a tube except for a few stations in Liverpool and Birkenhead unless you count the Newcastle metro. We drive to class and park in Quarry Hill if we want to attend Northern Ballet or in front of the Manchester Met students union if we are going to KNT. I knew that Londoners spend large chunks of their working day in a hole in the ground but as it was a Sunday I thought street parking would be easy peasy lemon squeezy. I could not have been more wrong. It took me ages to park and by the time I arrived at Danceworks Joanna was doing ronds de jambe and grands battements and reception wouldn't let me in.

It is likely that this debacle has happened to others because Danceworks has now negotiated a deal with APCOA for up to 4 hours parking at its Oxford Street West car park for just £5. As the usual tariff for that duration is £34 that's an enormous saving. To get that discount motorists should collect a validation voucher from Danceworks and insert it into the ticket machines when they leave the car park. Four houses allows enough time for a couple of classes and a good natter in one of the many cafes and bars in that part of London.

Information about this discount arrived in Danceworks newsletter which also contained details of a new 8 weeks improvers' course for beginners between 22 Sept and 17 Nov between 19:00 and 20:30 on Tuesdays which will be taught by Christina-Maria Mittelmaier, a professional level class by David Kierce of the Queensland Ballet and the opening of the Ballet Academy for children that I mentioned in Danceworks Academy of 21 March 2015.

Danceworks are also running draws for tickets for West End Shows like Bend It Like Beckham which Gita saw in July and thoroughly enjoyed and Shobana Jeyasingh Dance's Materiall Men and Strange Blooms which is starting its nationwide tour from the Southbank on 15 June 2015. Also, if anyone is interested the studio has 20 tickets for Birchbox Beauty events at Selfridges where champagne will be served and products may be tried.

If ever I came back to London .............

................. I think I'd spend a lot of my time in Danceworks. I doubt if I'd ever get any work done. My long suffering clerk would suck his teeth and lament "We see less of you now than when you were in Yorkshire, Miss."

Because there is so much happening at that studio.

First, there is a talk by Ed Watson on 10 Feb 2015 between 19:15 and 20:45. I'm also giving a talk that earlier day (though on a very different topic at a different venue) but I shall be in town so will be able to hear him. Tickets are now sold out but there is a waiting list. Here is a link to the Royal Ballet's YouTube clip on The Winter's Tale where he discusses his role as Leontes.

Secondly, there is a new absolute beginners class for adults between 17 March and 6 May 2015 with Franziska Rosenzweig which covers the following:

• Posture and placement work
• Improve core strength
• Basic steps
• Turning
• Footwork combination
• Improve muscle tone in a long lean elegant way
• Improve flexibility, all while dancing!
• Barre work with basic easy to follow exercises to focus on correct technique
• Centre practice, including:
• Port de Bras
• Adagio
• Waltz
• Preparation for Pirouettes
• Allegro

The full course costs £129.50.

For advanced dancers, the same teacher is running a 5 week repertoire course on the solo in La Esmeralda

Thirdly, there are 7 new classes at Danceworks: pilates, strala yoga, Latin, contemporary and more.

You can book tickets for Made in Dagenham at The Adelphi for £25 through Danceworks website. That's a bargain even by North Country standards.

Akram Khan is also running a 2 day workshop in April.

The full timetable is here.

Probably just as well that I live 200 miles away.

Post Script

5 Feb 2015   Yesterday I found myself at a networking event in Upper Grosvenor Street which is not much more than an few grands jetés away from Balderton Street so I moseyed on over to pay Danceworks a visit. There were some very nice people of the front desk who invited me to take a peep at the classes. There seemed to be street, jazz and some kind of stretching exercises while I was there. They all seemed a lot if fun. Had I brought my shoes and leotard I would definitely have joined in. Had I not had a train to catch I would have bought myself a Danceworks t-shirt and leggings from Selfridges and danced in bare feet. I am looking forward to returning on the 10 Feb to see Ed Watson and to taking my first class on Sunday 15 Feb.