This week sees the Dance Woking team return to our partners schools and community groups to commence our Spring Inspired Learning programme.

We are currently working with 9 school groups and 4 youth groups, facilitating dance clubs that will benefit participants’ well being and fitness whilst also improving self confidence and their dance knowledge. Participants will be working towards our future platforms and festivals with a mixture of dance styles and creative outlets.

We can’t wait to see how the groups progress this term!

Dance Woking’s engagement programme is called Inspire and provides opportunities to take part, perform and watch. Young people get access to outstanding professional dancers and dance companies. Participation can be through a series of workshops culmination in sharing’s / platforms/ or personal development; Participants learn new skills and ways of moving and doing, choreography and teamwork. The projects may be linked to platforms and celebrations events taking place in a variety of different settings including indoor and outdoor settings.

If you would like your school or youth group to be part of our Inspired Learning programme please contact us. Alternatively, for more information on what we can offer, download our Spring Education Outreach Brochure.

Dance Woking is kicking off 2023 with some very exciting plans for you to watch, take part and perform with us throughout 2023.

After a busy 2022, we are continuing with our inspired learning and outreach programme in and around Woking. Plans are well underway and each event page will be updated as we get more information but in the meantime don’t forget to save the dates – we can’t wait to see you there!

January

• Inspired Learning Programme commences. Want to join one of our partner schools or youth groups? Click here for more information.

February

• Mini Mela Festival – A Celebration of South Asian Culture. The first South Asian mini festival in Woking – with head turning dance performances, comedy, music and workshops. Click here for more information.

March

• Spring Travelling Tea Dance. We are once again touring the local community with our travelling tea dance. Want us to visit your residential home or community group? Click here for more information.

April

• Hunky Dory Easter Holiday Club. We are returning with our popular holiday club provision with Club4. Click here for more information (coming soon!)
• Surrey Youth Games dance sessions commence
• The Kings Coronation – Saturday 29th April will see us take to the town centre to celebrate our new monarch

May

• May Festival at Rhoda McGaw Theatre, Woking. A week of events at our local theatre including theatre trips and opportunities to perform in our very popular Surrey Schools SLAM Platform (23 May), Moving Beats Platform – Boys dance (25 May) and Woking SLAM Community Dance Platform (27 May). Interested in joining us? Click on each of the links for more information.

June

• Enrichment Activities – Dazzle Days were extremely popular last Summer term – find out more about what we can offer here.
• Surrey Youth Games – Saturday 17th June will see our SYG group perform at the Surrey Youth Games

July

• Encounters Outdoor Festival – 1st July – We return to Woking with our fantastic outdoor festival. Want to perform? – click here for more information
• Enrichment Activities Continue

Want to hear more? Make sure you join our mailing list for the most up to date information!

Events for the rest of the year are also in progress – please keep checking our website for more information on our November platform week at Rhoda McGaw Theatre.

Dance Woking were once again thrilled to be able to offer a holiday club provision over the festive season in collaboration with Active Surrey’s Club4 scheme.

The Hunky Dory Christmas Club was a roaring success with participants learning festive party dances, creating tree decorations, making Apple Berry Crumble for pudding and learning some well-being skills to keep in their toolkit for future use.

The Club4 Scheme requires attendees to be provided with healthy meals, physical activity and enrichment opportunities. As part of the enrichment side, we used snack time as an opportunity to create Christmas themed rice cakes with wise choice toppings (apple slices as eyes, pretzels as ears etc). The participants got incredibly creative and turned rice cakes into snowmen, pokemon and even Christmas trees!

The sessions before Christmas culminated in a mini Christmas party complete with temporary tattoos, face paint, dancing, games and disco lights. After Christmas, the provision focused on postive affirmations for a New Year Calendar and Winter Olympic themed dances!

It was wonderful to see some new faces join us from the local community whilst also seeing previous attendees return to develop their love and knowledge of dance.

We are currently preparing our Easter Holiday Club provision. If you’d like to hear more, please visit the Hunky Dory Easter Club page.

This programme is possible as a result of funding from Surrey County Council. Club4 is Surrey County Council’s (SCC’s) response to the government’s Holiday Activities and Food initiative, designed to provide healthy meals, physical activity and enrichment opportunities to children and young people in receipt of free school meals during longer holidays. Coordinated by Active Surrey for SCC, free places will be provided during the Easter, Summer and Christmas holidays.  

Dance Woking once again collaborated with Stanwell Events Community Project to facilitate the activities on their Christmas project Fit and Fed.

Over the course of 4 days our Outreach Team danced, created artwork and had lots of fun with the local residents.

The activities were Circus and Winter Olympics themed with the participants learning basic circus skills, creating New Year Affirmation Calendars and learning all about the Winter Olympics.

The sessions were well attended and we can’t wait to return throughout 2023 – starting with a very exciting Tuesday Night Youth Project!

In the lead up to the festive season, Dance Woking went back on tour with our Christmas Travelling Tea Dance.

Over 3 days, we toured residential homes in the local area, giving residents a chance to watch, interact and move with a little added festive spirit.

The event featured a mix of dance performances and participation opportunities, inspired by the festive season, including nods to The Nutcracker, The 12 days of Christmas and Winter warmers. Halfway through the sessions, tea and cake were served and allowed all participants to interact with each other.

Residents were thrilled to have the team visit again with some commenting “I am full of admiration for what you are doing. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.”  and another remarking “The dancers make it look easy, but all this movement takes a lot of effort. I feel like I have really worked and earned my cake!”

Ellie Dowling, Project Manager and Engagements Manager for Dance Woking said “The Travelling Tea Dances are a wonderful, essential provision that provide a different style of activity for Care Homes due to the interaction and participation involved. Care homes staff fed back that they often have musicians and singers come in – the residents listen and enjoy it – but the Travelling Tea dances encourage and stimulate memories, responses, laughter, bonding with fellow residents and in many cases, much needed communication and companionship. “

Thank you so much to the venues and residents that allowed our tour to visit them. We hope they all enjoyed it and can’t wait to visit again soon.

We are now in the process of booking venues for out Spring Travelling Tea Dance Tour. If you are a local residential home or community centre that would like us to bring our tour to you this Spring, visit our Travelling Tea Dance Event page for more information or contact us.

Tuesday 29th November saw students from nine schools showcasing the culmination of 8 weeks of creative dance work at Jubilee High School to a sold out audience.

More than 100 students took to the stage presenting their interpretation of Rhythm Storm. The young dancers, many of whom had not danced on stage before, came from schools Horsell Junior School, Horsell Village School, Broadmere Academy, New Monument Academy, Westfield Primary School as well as visiting groups from Richmond Upon Thames College, Woking College and Kings Academy Binfield. We also had a very special performance from Zoielogic’s Youth Group Fuzzylogic.

The dancers were encouraged to use their imagination and develop their own creative movement to non verbal music, giving them more scope and freedom to be original.

A huge congratulations to all the students and schools who took part and to our Outreach teachers for helping them to create such amazing and varied choreography.

Tickets for Dance Woking’s Young Dancemakers platform are now live!

Local schools and colleges have been using 2022’s theme of ‘Rhythm Storm’ as their stimulus to create imaginative and dynamic dance pieces with the outreach team for 8 weeks to create their work.

Performance Groups Include:

Westfield Primary School, Horsell Village Infant School, Horsell Junior School, New Monument Academy, Broadmere Academy, Kings Academy Binfield, Guildford College and Woking College. As well as guest performances from FuzzyLogic.

The platform will be held at Jubilee High Theatre in Addlestone and gives students the opportunity to perform in a professional theatre. As well as being encouraged to develop and input into the making of the piece, the students will experience the excitement of being backstage, with pre-show nerves, waiting to perform, the joy of the performance and the preparations in advance such as the dress and technical rehearsals. The choreography, costume and lighting design has all been the responsibility of the young dancers with some help from the Dance Woking team.

To find out more about Young Dancemakers, visit our events page

Dance Woking is thrilled to be able to offer a Christmas Holiday club in collaboration with Club4. We will be facilitating clubs in 2 venues in Woking over the Christmas holiday period, bookings are now OPEN!

Come and enjoy us for a festive led holiday club with arts & crafts, baking and dancing for children in primary school years 4 to year 6, along with a hot lunch & snacks.

The Hunky Dory Christmas Club will run from Monday 19 December – Thursday 22 December and on Wednesday 28 & Thursday 29 December in 2 venues:

Monday 19, Tuesday 20 & Thursday 29 December- The Maybury Centre, Woking

Wednesday 21, Thursday 22 & Wednesday 28 December – Lakeview Community Centre, Horsell

The Christmas Club is suitable for children in Primary School Year 4 to Year 6 (8 to 11 year olds). 

There will be creative dance activity, art & craft themed on the festive season, plus a food demonstration, at each venue. The focus is on you having fun, active and creative sessions, where we hope you will make new friendships. No dance experience required! Our aim is to inspire every child to try new activities and to learn new skills in a safe, fun and disciplined environment.

A two course hot lunch will be provided, and parents will be able to choose from a selected menu with numerous options, including vegetarian.

Bookings can be made for 2 days at each venue for the first week and for single days in the second week. If you require single days for week 1 please contact us

At Dance Woking we believe in creating active and engaging opportunities to inspire the younger generation. Our Hunky Dory Christmas Club aims to promote health and well being whilst also allowing children to find new ways of expressing themselves. Our highly qualified and experienced team will lead a range of creative activities including daily dance sessions and arts and crafts activities.

If you currently receive Free School Meals or are on Pupil Premium please contact us and we can offer you further support. Contact us for more information.

This programme is possible as a result of funding from Surrey County Council. Club4 is Surrey County Council’s (SCC’s) response to the government’s Holiday Activities and Food initiative, designed to provide healthy meals, physical activity and enrichment opportunities to children and young people in receipt of free school meals during longer holidays. Coordinated by Active Surrey for SCC, free places will be provided during the Easter, summer and Christmas 2022 holidays.  

Saturday saw us host our annual contemporary dance style community dance platform, Innovate, at Jubilee High School Theatre, Addlestone.

144 dancers, hailing from eleven different dance schools, from across Woking and Surrey, came together to showcase their best work to a full house of supporters. Alongside the Surrey based dance schools were guest groups from Berkshire, Hampshire and London. The platform was themed on the stimulus ‘new beginnings’ and the groups brought so much talent to the stage!

Innovate is a fabulous opportunity for the children to perform on stage in a friendly and warm environment. The parents love coming to see the students performing. Getting an insight into other dance companies’ work and seeing how an organisation like Dance Woking facilitates them all at these incredible events is both inspiring and reassuring for the local dance community.

Louise Bell of Cremona School of Dance

Take a look at some of our highlights of the amazing performances below!

That performance was so inspiring – it was so reassuring to see more mature dancers on stage, obviously doing something they love. I am definitely going to look into getting back into dancing again’

Audience member feedback

To create a more rounded immersive experience to the platform, alongside the technical rehearsal slots we also provided taster workshops in Kathak and Bollywood Dance. The workshops allowed the dancers to try a new dance style whilst also diversify their experience. Professional artist Jalpa Vala led the dance workshops from Amina Khayyam Dance Company.

It was brilliant to learn about where the styles came from and the meaning behind each move. The teacher was so encouraging and made us feel really comfortable.

Integr8 student feedback on the Kathak and Bollywood workshops

Alongside the workshops, we also hosted a pop up shop using sample stock donated to us from Bloch Dancewear. The donations raised will enable us to raise funds for our outreach projects in 2023.

A massive thank you to Cremona Dance, First Dance Studios, Dancayers, Alexandra Dance Company, Illume, Zambesi Dance Company, Vital Signz Dance, Richmond Upon Thames College Dancers, Leanne Edwards School of Theatre Arts, KJ Theatre Arts and Integr8 Dance for bringing such enthusiasm, energy and talent to the day – it was wonderful to see you all on stage!

The October half term saw the Dance Woking Outreach Team join forces with Stanwell once again to facilitate their ‘Fit & Fed’ holiday club provision.

Following our successful weekly dance facilitation over the Summer holidays, Dance Woking were invited to facilitate both dance and arts & crafts activities 4 days of the half term break for Stanwell Event’s Fit & Fed programme. Our outreach team delivered a mixture of Halloween dances, spooky arts and crafts, games as well as mindfulness activities for the children within Stanwell.

With the activities fully booked each day, the incredibly busy team managed to really instil a love for all things creative with one parent commenting on “how lovely it was to see the young people appreciating and moving to the music”

Dance Woking loved continuing to develop our relationship with Stanwell Events team and can’t wait to facilitate more activities over the Christmas break with their Club4 holiday provision!

Well done to all involved!