Professional Classes

These physical contemporary classes will involve strong, complex, and technical sequences in and out of the floor, focusing on quality, initiation, performance, and stamina. Each session will begin with a different aspect of movement study, focusing on the articulation of hands, isolations, spirals, breath and flying. Improvisation will also be explored as part of self-development, stemming from physical intention. The desired outcomes for the workshop are to develop the dancers' creative mind, driven from passion, determination, strength, musicality, and most importantly an intention and honesty in whatever choice they make during the session.

About:

Multi-award-winning company Alleyne Dance creates bold, emotionally charged work that fuses Caribbean, Hip Hop and Kathak influences within a contemporary dance language. Known for its rhythm-driven physicality, the company’s distinctive style combines athletic intensity with intricate texture, precision, and lyrical fluidity. Founded in 2014 by sisters Kristina and Sadé Alleyne, the company produces work for stage, outdoor spaces and film, while nurturing dancers through training and creative development. Alleyne Dance has been commissioned by leading international companies including Martha Graham Dance Company (USA), Phoenix Dance Theatre (UK), 2Faced Dance Company (UK), and TirolerLandestheater Ballet (Austria). Their work has received multiple accolades, including Best Independent Company at the National Dance Awards and awards for their critically acclaimed dance films.

Jatie’s classes celebrate diversity, acceptance, and excellence while honouring history and shaping new futures. Classes will begin with exercises for the back followed by legwork and a gradual layering of the torso and arms. Combinations of greater length and complexity follow, which utilise wide ranging tempos and a variety of rhythms. Sequences then carry the dancers across the space before ending with several jump combinations. The structure and emphasis on clarity and economy of movement prepare participants for a multitude of dance styles. Join Jatie for the Cunningham Technique® you know and love with an invigorated zest.

About:

Jatie is a dance artist, educator and maker who seeks to curate calm and accepting spaces without compromising rigour and excellence. Performing credits include: Richard Alston Dance Company, Charlotte Edmonds, Arielle Smith and INALA’s Original West End Cast and Asia Tour. Jatie has a portfolio of teaching across secondary, further, SEND, vocational, and higher education. She is a recognised Fellow of the High Education Academy and currently undergoing accreditation as a Teacher of Cunningham Technique®. Her choreographic practice centres trans experiences through interdisciplinary collaboration with a focus on creating movement for wearable sculptures and teetering the line between beauty and grotesque.

Cathy will lead dynamic, rhythm-focused, and fast-paced classes full of expansive movement and sweeping floor work. Classes explore how a variety of beat driven music can challenge, inspire, and energise the way we move, encouraging dancers to respond to rhythm, texture, and musical detail with both groove and physicality. Cathy’s contemporary technique is rooted in hip-hop foundations such as isolation, groove, and musicality. The classes will guide dancers through a series of exercises that explore how to shift between flowing movement, sharp accents, and grounded grooves. Dancers are warmly encouraged to interpret the material in ways that feel authentic to their own bodies.

There will be no class on Monday 4 May due to the Bank Holiday.

About:

Cathy Waller is a multi-award-winning Choreographer and Movement Director working in dance, film and theatre. Cathy has choreographed for multiple organisations (BBC, Tate Modern and Breakin’ Convention) before founding Cathy Waller Company in 2012. The company’s dance works have toured nationally on stages including Sadler’s Wells, West End Live, National Theatre, DanceEast, Stockton International Riverside Festival and Greenwich and Docklands International Festival. Internationally, Cathy has worked in Germany, Portugal, Iceland, Kenya and Azerbaijan. Alongside her choreographic work, Cathy works as a Movement Director for theatre productions. Her credits include the National Theatre, Leeds Playhouse, Nottingham Playhouse, The Other Palace, Hope Mill Theatre, Theatre Royal Plymouth, Theatre Clwyd, and Park Theatre.

Having trained in a plethora of dance genres, Liam’s ‘contemporary’ classes explore an array of movement approaches. His classes use improvisation as the glue to connect exercises focused on alignment, coordination, and rhythm. We will tendu, curve, roll and groove.

About:

Liam Francis is an award-winning dancer, award-winning choreographer, movement director and facilitator. With experience both as a creator and performer across dance, theatre, film and television, Liam has enjoyed working with world renowned choreographers and organisations (e.g. Rambert Dance Company, LostDog and ZooNation). Liam is also the founder and director of FranDanCo and The Artistic Gremlins.

These classes invite dancers to be physically and dynamically challenged through rhythm, sound, and improvisation. Led by Brazilian artist Mumu Costa, the sessions draw from the movement language of The Body Black Festival: Joy Isn’t Always Joy, integrating Krump, Popping, Afro-diasporic movement and Afro-Brazilian floorwork. Working with Brazilian musical influences and percussive rhythms, dancers will explore grounded physicality, expressive movement and storytelling through the body. The classes encourage risk, musicality, and emotional presence while developing strength, fluidity and connection between rhythm, movement, and personal expression.

There will be no class on Thursday 21 May.

About:

Joseph Toonga is a UK choreographer, director and founder of Just Us Dance Theatre. His work blends Hip Hop and Contemporary dance to explore identity, mental health, and social narratives. His productions include Born to Exist, Born to Manifest, Born to Protest, and The Body Black Festival:Joy Isn’t Always Joy.

Mumu Costa (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) is a performer and creator and member of the Afro Bunker collective. He previously performed with Deborah Colker Company and is currently involved in international research projects across Brazil and South Africa. Mumu will lead the class on behalf of Joseph Toonga.

Ekleido’s classes draw from the company’s combination of contemporary dance with underground club dance styles. The classes involve a mixture of guided improvisation, and short travelling phrases both standing and floorwork, finishing the class with a phrase that combines the movement elements they have explored. The aim of the class is to work on strength, coordination, dynamics, and creativity whilst getting a taste for Ekleido’s choreographic language.

About:

Ekleido is a choreographic duo formed by Hannah Ekholm and Faye Stoeser, recognised for creating dynamic work across live performance and film, and embracing. multidisciplinary collaboration, working closely with leading figures in electronic music. Their seminal double bill, Splice | Rorschach, received widespread critical acclaim and sold out shows touring to major venues and festivals. Ekleido’s dance film Splice was nominated for a Critic’s Circle National Dance Award. Faye and Hannah have created works for London Contemporary Dance School, Rambert School, Emergence and Roger Williams University. Their commercial credits span Marc Jacobs, Maison Margiela, NIKE, Joy Crookes, RAYE, Floating Points, British Vogue, Daniel Avery, Grey Goose, and La Roux.

Integrating somatic techniques with a chakra-based mapping practice, Sivan Rubinstein’s movement model ‘Novo' uses the body as a channel for movement and storytelling. ‘Novo’ is a technically focused practice designed to deepen body–mind awareness while strengthening artistry and precision. From roots to crown, ‘Novo’ enhances clarity, control within the body, and energetic connectivity. Each session focuses on one or two energetic centres, working with areas such as the heart, vagus nerve and pelvis to open pathways for movement and articulation. The classes draw on Sivan Rubinstein’s neurodivergent-led pedagogical practice, ‘Beat Space Beat’, supporting dancers to find grounding physically and mindfully while expanding technical depth, coordination, and expressive presence.

About:

Sivan Rubinstein is a London-based choreographer, director, and researcher known for creating visually striking, interdisciplinary dance works. Her practice bridges embodied collaboration and academic research, with notable projects including the Climate Futures, Migration Through Dance, and NOVO series. Sivan is currently Artist-in-Residence at Pavilion Dance South West and the University of Cambridge, and a former Artist-in-Residence at King's College London and Work Place Artist at The Place. As a neurodivergent artist, she develops innovative pedagogical and choreographic methods, exploring the relationships between movement, learning, and activism. In 2026, Sivan was selected to develop her neurodivergent-led practice as part of Open Dialogo Italy and will premiere Novo on 2–3 June at The Place.

Join Penelope Klamert, member of Far From The Norm, for dynamic classes rooted in popping technique within the company’s unique performance style. Blending street dance vocabulary with stage-based practices, the session encourages individuality and personal expression. Together, we will explore the foundations of popping and break down the technique to discover new possibilities and creative approaches.

About:

Established in May 2009 in a youth club in Dagenham, Hip Hop Theatre company Far From The Norm was founded by Artistic Director Botis Seva (then 19) and is a collective of artists renowned for experimenting with Hip Hop and Contemporary practice. It was, and remains, a collective of creatives thinking about creativity and moving in a different way to what was considered the norm.

Contemporary classes inspired by Cunningham Technique, infused with a groove and connecting to rhythm through music and flow. Sharp shifts of weight layered with dynamics and soul are used to awaken the interconnectivity of the body and love for movement.

About:

Monique was a principal dancer with Mathew Bourne’s New Adventures, touring with them nationally and internationally from 2019. She, however, started her career with Richard Alston Dance Company in 2016. Over the years, Monique has also worked commercially on the Brit Awards (2021), The Marvels (Disney, 2023), The REGIME (HBO, 2024). She is currently touring with Dickson Mbi Company’s new production of Tellus. Additionally, Monique founded Jona Dance in 2019. She has been choreographing, movement directing, teaching and producing work both online and in person. Jona Dance has created for Ballet Black, Reebok and London Fashion Week to name a few.

Discover a ballet practice that values the dancer’s intent as much as their alignment. Marie-Astrid believes in technical excellence delivered through an encouraging lens. Using visualisation as a tool to unlock the "motive" of each movement, she moves beyond the mirror to focus on internal mechanics. By mastering the essentials of turnout and weight transfer, you will develop the solid foundation necessary to unlock true virtuosity. Bridge the gap between technical discipline and the absolute freedom of dance.

About:

A former Higher National Conservatory of Music and Dance student in Paris and a scholarship student at Alvin Ailey School, Marie-Astrid Mence joined Ballet Black from 2014 to 2021 and Phoenix Dance Company in 2015. In 2016 she was named dancer of the month in February by the magazine Dancing Times. Marie-Astrid has featured in Disney's series Find Me in Paris, OCS’ L'Opera, Hulu'sSpellbound and Netflix's Queen Charlotte. In 2020, Marie-Astrid performed, wrote and shared her story in the short film The Truth of Being a black Ballerina by Rebecca Murray. In the same year, she performed a 15-minute solo in Oklahoma! as the lead dancer at the Young Vic production, then making her West End debut in 2023 at Wyndham’sTheatre. Recently, Marie-Astrid was TEDx speaker in Paris. She discussed the notion of success and the courage to find our voice in an unfair and discriminatory environment. Throughout her career, she delivered workshops, coached and taught ballet classes to prestigious dance companies and schools in the UK. She recently developed her first dance piece Eve, performed in February 2025 at Resolution Festival. Lately, she performed as Lois in A Single Man, a collaboration between Factory International and Royal Opera House.

These classes are about discovering depth, space, and intention in your movement — no matter what dance style you practice most. Classes will explore how a single body part can become a leader. From that starting point, the class investigates how its movement can grow — becoming bigger, fuller, and more expansive — echoing through the rest of the body. How does the chest initiate a wave through the spine? How do the shoulder blades create volume that fills the whole space? How does the head shift the direction and decision of the entire body?

About:

Sam Vaherlehto is a multi-award-winning dancer, choreographer, and dance educator whose career bridges classical ballet, contemporary dance, and street styles. Born in Thailand and raised in Finland, he graduated from the Ballet School of the Finnish National Opera in 2007 and began his professional career with the Finnish National Ballet, performing works ranging from classical repertoire to contemporary choreography. He later worked with companies including Phoenix Dance Theatre, Scottish Dance Theatre, and Company Wayne McGregor. Sam is now increasingly focusing on dance education, sharing his extensive professional experience with emerging dancers and communities through teaching, mentoring, and creative projects.

Technical classes rotate through different styles, including several street styles, Bharatanatyam, and contemporary dance. These sessions build endurance, rhythm, coordination, alignment, and flow, with integrated prāṇāyāma to support body–mind connection and presence. Dancers are able to take a deep dive into Chandenie Gobardhan’s method, blending movement practice, cultural tradition, and reflective tools. The class includes exploring emotional and physical connection through breathwork, body awareness, and intention-setting.

About:

Home of Māyā. That which is not what it appears to be. And that’s where we begin. Home of Māyā is a dance performance company who move between worlds and shape new ones. Our work invites audiences to look again, to feel deeper, and to question what they think they know. We create spaces where movement blurs the lines between tradition and innovation, form and feeling, the seen and the unseen. The stage becomes our altar, a place of offering, remembering, and reimagining. Rooted in collaboration, curiosity, cultural memory, we make work that unearths, unravels, and reimagines.