News

Female World Tap Champion 2023 performs in Woking

Diana Towe, competed in this years World Tap Championship for Great Britain in September 2023, which took place in Riesa, Germany. On winning the solo World Championship title this September Diana shared her experience with us:

‘I successfully continued through the Quarter & Semi finals & managed to reach the final 6 competitors and to top it all off struck GOLD quite literally and gained my title as Adult Solo Female World Champion 2023! It was an overwhelming feeling & I’m extremely proud that I could compete for my country and be SO successful! I hope everyone enjoys my performance‘. 

Diana will be performing her world championship piece on Thursday 30 November at Dance Woking’s NEW platform StepUP at Rhoda McGaw Theatre. For more details and tickets click HERE

Sam McCaffrey CEO/Artistic Director, Dance Woking, ‘What a privilege it has been for me to see Diana, who we first met as a talented and promising young dancer during one of our Evolve Youth camps, quite some years ago now, become a World Tap Champion. I can’t wait to see her perform on 30 November. It’s quite special for us to have a dancer like Diana support this new platform and inspire the next generation of dancers.’

Diana’s contemporary work is being presented at Dance woking’s Innovate Platform on Saturday 2 December, where she has been leading a contemporary dance group at First Dance Studios in Woking. For more information and tickets click HERE

About Diana:

Diana is a passionate and versatile dancer and teacher who has a wealth of experience in various dance styles including Tap, Modern, Ballet and Musical Theatre. Since graduating from PPA in Guildford in 2017, she has been a 7 times world champion with the Tap Attack Company and is now part of the faculty. She graduated from Italia Conti Dance School and continues to work on her dance career as an exceptionally talented dancer.

Diana takes pride in achieving and maintaining consistently high standards in all that she does and as well being a pro dancer she is also part of the Dance Woking’s Outreach Team sharing her knowledge and inspiring the next generation of dancers.

Diana has been involved in Dance Woking’s as a young dancer being part of Dance Woking’s highly acclaimed Evolve Youth Dance Company working with professional companies including ZoieLogic Dance Theatre, Tavaziva Dance, Jasmin Vardimon Dance

News

Plastics friend or foe?

Dance Woking, along with an enthusiastic audience, sought answers from Akademi Dance’s family show ‘Plastic Drastic Fantastic’ with the company performing this highly engaging and imaginative show at Buzz Studio Theatre, Woking on 31 October & 1 November. The performance focussed on the amazing benefits the world has had from plastics and its use in everyday items that we now take for granted. However this was balanced against the drastic impact plastics have had on our environment, marine life and wildlife. This event was made possible by funding from Arts Council England’s project grant.

The highlight, Wednesday 1 November, a full action packed day of workshops and performance. The morning started with a CPD session led by Akademi Dance where Dance Woking’s outreach team were put through their paces with a professional level Bharatanatyam workshop.

Professional CPD led by Akademi

This was followed by children from Kingfield Primary school year 6, taking part in a preshow workshop, the children learnt South Asian hand gestures and movement from the show.

Kingfield Primary taking part in a workshop

Following a lunch break and a reset of the theatre, Akademi Dance performed Plastic Drastic Fantastic. The audience was highly focussed and engaged. Taking their inspiration from David Attenborough’s Planet Earth III series the company enacted a scene from this series highlighting the negative impact of plastic pollution on the ocean’s wildlife. Suba Subramaniam (CEO & Artistic Director Akademi) who led the Q&A after the performances urged the audience to watch the series and see for themselves. And to encourage young creatives to use dance movement to highlight issues that are important to them.

Feedback form children included:

‘I need to reuse plastic more’, ‘it makes me worry’, ‘it’s made me confused’

Suba Subramaniam (CEO & Artistic Director Akademi) led the Q&A

Dance Woking received funding from Arts Council England’s project grant scheme to use dance to focus on the human condition and raise awareness of sociopolitical and environmental issues. Dance Woking has been greatly impacted by Woking Borough Council funding cuts and support from Arts Council England has meant the organisation has been able to continue to use dance to support improved health and wellbeing. Akademi’s family show was part of this project and programmed to compliment Dance Woking’s stimulus Reduce, Reuse, Recycle for Platform week at the end of November.

Platform week starts on Tuesday 28 November at Rhoda McGaw Theatre with Dance Woking’s Young Dancemakers Platform. Local schools and colleges are finalising their dances as they prepare to take to the stage. The platform is an opportunity for children and young people to experience what it’s like to perform in a professional theatre. Alongside this the benefits are immense from give building self esteem and confidence, peer to peer support, mutual support, building communities and learning from each other.

Following them is Step Up, on Thursday 30 November, a new platform featuring dance styles that follow steps! We have an eclectic mix of styles and groups which include 2023’s World Tap champion, Diana Towe. More details to follow.

Dance Woking’s highly popular Innovate Community Dance Platform closes the week on Saturday 2 December. Tickets are available from ATG box office: HERE

News

Hunky Dory December holiday Clubs Bookings now open

Dance Woking is thrilled to be offering a Hunky Dory Christmas Holiday Club in collaboration with Club4.

Come and enjoy a 2-day Christmas holiday club with arts & crafts and dancing for children in primary school years 4 to year 6. There will also be a performance of Roald Dahl and the Imagination Seekers by Get Lost & Found. A mischievous & inventive theatrical family show

Monday 18 & Tuesday 19 December: 9.30am – 2.30pm daily

The Hunky Dory Christmas Club will run at The Maybury Centre, Board School Lane, Woking, GU21 5HD

To book and for more information click HERE

The Hunky Dory Christmas Club will run at Lakeview Community Centre, Hartshill Walk, Horsell, Woking, GU21 3AG

Tuesday 19 & Wednesday 20 December: 9.30am – 2.30pm daily

To book and for more information click HERE

Registration starts each day from 9.30, with a jam packed day of activities until 2.30pm. *

A hot lunch will be provided, you will be able to choose from a selected menu, special dietary requirements can be catered for.

The club is open to all levels and abilities. Where applicable children will be split by age.

Booking fees apply