More than 100 young people took to the stage for Woking SLAM 2023, an urban-style community dance platform on Saturday 27 May 2023.

Holly’s School of Dance, Alexandra Dance Company, First Dance Studios, Vital Signz Dance, Streetvibes and BKD and Tuffney Dance Company performers returned to Rhoda McGaw to showcase their skills at our SLAM platform. The sold out performance was full of energy with audience members and performers alike exclaiming how wonderful it was to be back on stage!

A massive thank you to the dance schools who took part.

You can see a highlights reel here. Photos will be uploaded shortly.

Are you a local dance school and would like to benefit from being showcased on our platform? You can find out more about the listing service and member benefits here

Thursday 25 May say us host our first Moving Beats -a community dance platform hosting boys in dance – at the Rhoda McGaw Theatre.

The evening saw some amazing talent from Artemis College, Vital Signz Dance, Black Abyssinia, Smikle Dance Studio, soloist Tom Brown and Jakub (Jacob) Ujczak’s inspiring duet take to the stage in a supportive environment that celebrated boys in dance. Rounded off with an incredible guest performance from FuzzyLogic the evening was met with such enthusiasm to continue to break down the stigma attached to boys dancing.

We can’t wait to continue to build on the success of this platform and thank the performers, their teachers and their parent for their support.

Pictures of the event will be uploaded shortly. You can find a highlights video here

Wednesday 24 May saw Dance Woking’s partner schools take to Rhoda McGaw Theatre stage to take part in the Surrey Schools SLAM!

A schools dance platform, school groups from Woking were able to share work completed this term in front of family and friends in the hip hop/street style of dance.

Dance Woking’s outreach team had been working with partner schools to create pieces using the stimulus of a ROYAL REMIX. The process encouraged participants to input their ideas into the piece created and develop some of their own moves based on skills taught and their own experience.

A sold out auditorium saw groups from Woking High, Horsell Juniors, Beaufort Primary, Broadmere Primary, New Monument Primary and Woking College as well as guest groups Claygate Dance Club, Monarch Dance Studios, Priorsfield School and Esher High School showcase their skills and inspire the audience with their enthusiasm and passion.

It was wonderful to see the students back on stage and we want to extend our thanks to the team, parents and schools for being so supportive!

You can view our highlights reel here. More photos will be uploaded soon!

This activity forms part of Dance Woking’s Inspiring Learning Programme and is an important area of our work. The dance clubs have been set-up to:

• Improve the participants self-esteem and give them a new focus
• Help improve the participants fitness, health & wellbeing
• Learn new movement skills
• Improve the participants understanding of teamwork
• Through shared experience build a community feel within group
• Encourage mutual support and respect
• Provide an activity for the participants to do within their spare time
• Raise aspirations for young people

If you would like more information on our inspire programme, please contact Ellie Dowling, Engagement Manager.

Last week we partnered with London Studio to bring Images Ballet Company to Rhoda McGaw Theatre. The evening showcased the brightest stars of tomorrow and highlighted the dynamic range and versatility of ballet.

Olivier Award winning Director and Choreographer Will Tuckett is joined by former Royal Ballet Soloist
Jennifer Jackson, Constant Vigier; former Scottish Ballet and Jenna Lee; former soloist for the English
National Ballet to create a diverse programme of four newly commissioned dance works.

The theatre was filled with audience members of all ages with one audience member commented that the performance was “truly inspiring”

Directed by former Royal Ballet dancer Larissa Bamber and presented by London Studio Centre, one of the UK’s foremost conservatoires for the performing arts, IMAGES Ballet Company delivered a performance that entertained and surprised ballet lovers and newcomers alike.

Thank you to London Studio Centre for bringing this diverse piece to Woking!

Dance Woking is thrilled to be able to offer a Summer Holiday club in collaboration with Club4. We will be facilitating clubs over 4 weeks throughout Woking over the Summer holiday period, bookings are now OPEN!

Come and enjoy us for a Summer 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 Summer Club will run from on the following dates:

Monday 24, Tuesday 25 & Thursday 26 July- Lakeview Community Centre, Horsell – Book Here

Tuesday 1, Wednesday 2, Thursday 3 August – Lakeview Community Centre, Horsell – Book Here

Wednesday 9, Thursday 10, Friday 11 August – Horsell Village Hall – Book Here

Wednesday 16, Thursday 17, Friday 18 August – Lakeview Community Centre & Horsell Village Hall – Book Here

The Summer Holiday 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.

Week 1 & 2 – Become a Dance Woking Eco Warrior as we discover ways to save the planet this Summer at our Hunky Dory Summer Holiday Club in Woking.

We’ll be exploring movement based on the pollution in the sea, creating artwork to encourage energy saving and encouraging biodiversity in the local area by making wild flower gardens and bug hotels. We’ll be using ingredients from the community fridge to create yummy snacks and ensuring everyone comes away as a fully fledged Eco Warrior!

Week 3 & 4 – Get ready for bursts of colour, laughter dancing and joy as we bring our incredible carnival to Woking this Summer at our Hunky Dory Summer Holiday Club.

We’ll be learning carnival skills, dancing with scarves, ribbons and bells and celebrating with maypole pinwheels and enjoying home made carnival snacks.

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

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 Summer 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.  

Dance Woking is delighted to announce that we will be on the road in July touring our popular Travelling Tea Dance and are now accepting bookings!

The event will feature a mix of dance performances and participation opportunities, inspired by Summer and is led by 2 professional dance artists, and a facilitator. The team bring resources related to the event theme to support participation and last approximately an hour.

Now in it’s 2nd year of touring, We have tested the format under various themes and can’t wait to bring some Spring Fever back to the residents and brings the perfect mix of participation, performance, fun and length.

The Summer Travelling Tea dance will be held over the week commencing 10th and 17th July and we are now taking bookings. To find out more and to book your date on the Summer Travelling Tea Dance please contact us or visit our events page

The Travelling Tea Dance forms part of our work focusing on the older members of our community, to support their well-being through connectivity and supports five ways to wellbeing through the following:

• By connecting with others
• Being active
• Take notice through the themes and dance styles
• Learning through new dance steps and styles
• Give – through shared memories support

We are thrilled to be able to be back at Rhoda McGaw Theatre this May and we have a wonderful programme of performances for you all to enjoy!

Wednesday 24th May will see the Surrey Schools SLAM return to Rhoda Mcgaw Theatre. Broadmere Academy, New Monument Academy and Woking College will be performing alongside other local schools at this special event.

Thursday 25th May will see our debut Moving Beats platform – the first platform to celebrate boys in dance that we have run. The evening will feature performances by Artemis College, Vital Signz Dance, Kingston University to name but a few. FuzzyLogic Dance Company, one of the leading male youth companies in the country, founded in 2000, will be making a special guest appearance.

And finally, the Woking SLAM returns on Saturday 27th May with companies from Woking and the surrounding area showcasing their students’ talents on stage! This jam packed night will feature performances from Streetvibes, Holly’s School Dance. First Dance Studios and many more!

All ticket information can be found on our what’s on section.

We can’t wait to welcome you back into the theatre!

Dance Woking are thrilled to be working with Active Surrey to facilitate inclusive dance sessions as part of Active Surrey and Specsavers Surrey Youth Games Programme.

This April to June, children and young people aged seven to 16 across Woking will enjoy free sports coaching as part of the Specsavers Surrey Youth Games 2023. This year’s games are aimed entirely at beginners and those who usually cannot access sports training.

Dance Woking will be helping facilitate sessions in both Stanwell and Woking. The free classes will culminate in a performance at Surrey Sports Park on Saturday 17th June and we can’t wait to build on last year’s success. For more information visit the Specsavers Surrey Youth Games page

The Specsavers Surrey Youth Games is the largest multi-sport youth event of its kind in the South East of England, offering FREE local training for those taking part. This unique programme brings together 6-16 year olds from Surrey who often don’t have access to the sort of sporting opportunities that others take for granted. For more information on the games visit the Surrey Youth Games Website

This Easter holiday saw us return with our Hunky Dory Holiday Club and this time we brought the club to both Lakeview and Addlestone.

Week one saw us undertake the theme of Plant and Grow. Attendees at both Lakeview Community Centre and Addlestone Community Centre explored the theme by decorating plant pots, planting seeds, baking scones and exploring movement based on the theme. Feedback from the children included “I loved today, I made so many new friends”

Week 2 saw us explore the theme of Space. Addlestone made rockets, used gravity to make dances with balloons and created starscape pictures. Lakeview had a visit from Katie Dale Everett Dance Company with their production of Playscapes: How to Build a Galaxy. The visit allowed attendees to explore motion capture technology with a special suit with the attendees commenting “Wow this is so cool” during the workshop.

‘My 2 children have had the loveliest 2 days at Dance Woking Hunky Dory Easter Holiday Club. They’ve come out of the club both days so happy, full of excitement and stories about the amazing activities they’ve taken part in. They have learnt healthy facts and have come away with new snacks they now like and a positive attitude to drinking plenty of water and eating well. More importantly they felt safe, secure and the club was very personal with small numbers. They’ve made friends and fitted in right away. They’ve made some lovely arts and crafts, learnt dance routines and had some lovely chats and experiences. They’ve never fed back so much about their days spent away from us and we are so appreciative and grateful they’ve had such an impactful time at the club. We will definitely sign them up again in the future. Thank you!’  

Dance Woking were also lucky enough to secure funding from Surrey County Council to purchase and distribute slow cookers and air fryers to encourage participants’ families to cook in an energy efficient way. The eligible attendees had to attend an energy efficient workshop where we discussed the best way to cook saving energy and tasted a vegetable lasagne that had been cooked in one.

Attendees at the Woking provision in Week 2 were also gifted some handmade blankets made by Liaise Women’s Group.

The holiday provision was extremely well attended this Easter and offered an enriching experience for all abilities. We were thrilled to have some new faces join us along with forging some new community links with Hebrews at St Paul’s Church. We hope to continue this in future provisions and thank everyone for their support.

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.