Tag: Woking

News

Dance Woking Announces Closure After 30 Years of Transformative Impact

It is with great sadness that the Trustees of Dance Woking announce the closure of the charity, marking the end of an incredible 30-year journey. Despite tireless efforts by the CEO and Trustees, the organisation has been unable to overcome the challenges presented by the loss of critical funding from Woking Borough Council and has begun an orderly wind-down process. Unfortunately, it is impossible for Dance Woking to sustain the quality of provision and engagement that the charity is renowned for with project funding alone.

Founded in 1994 as Woking Dance Festival, Dance Woking has impacted the lives of over 300,000 people through its diverse programming and initiatives. In total, more than 90,000 individuals have participated directly in the charity’s various dance activities. Over the years, Dance Woking has been a key cultural institution, offering a wide range of artistic experiences for all ages and backgrounds.

The charity’s mission has always been to engage the local community with high-quality dance, fostering artistic ambition and participation. Through its festivals, educational programs, and partnerships with local schools, colleges, and care homes, Dance Woking has offered countless opportunities for creative expression and inspired the next generation of dancers. For 30 years Dance Woking has enriched the lives of people young and old, improving quality of life, reducing isolation and enabling access to dance for all.

From championing the pioneering work of celebrated choreographers, delivering education projects in schools and holiday clubs, producing community dance platforms and tea dances to workshops in care homes; Dance Woking has supported both the professional dance industry and the local community.

One of the organisation’s key highlights was its involvement in the highly successful Party in the Park one day family festival, which ran from 2012 to 2019. At its peak, the event attracted over 20,000 attendees, bringing the community together for a day of vibrant, family-friendly entertainment. This event was just one example of how Dance Woking connected people through the power of dance and arts, building an enduring legacy of cultural engagement.

Despite shifting to a more localised focus in recent years with its Spring, Summer, and Winter Shorts programs, and continuing to work with talented freelancers and volunteers, the loss of crucial funding has left the charity with no option but to close.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Woking Borough Council, Surrey Community Foundation, Active Surrey, Arts Council England, and all of our local partners, including schools and community organisations, for their invaluable support over the years. Without their help, Dance Woking’s success would not have been possible.

Dance Woking has made an indelible mark on the community, and while we are saddened by the charity’s closure, we are incredibly proud of the lasting impact we’ve had. For the past thirty years Dance Woking has been at the heart of cultural activity in the town, delivering a series of highly valued programmes for all ages, adapting and changing over time to best serve the local community and environment. Through the promotion of dance, well-being and fitness the organisation has enriched the lives of individuals throughout Woking and Surrey. Dance Woking will always be remembered for its dedication to transforming lives and communities through dance.

News

Dance Woking celebrates 30 Years of dance focussed activity on Saturday 22 June

Join us on Saturday 22 June as we celebrate Dance Woking’s 30 Year of providing dance centred activities in Woking & Surrey. We will be in Jubilee Square, Woking Town Centre with a programme featuring opportunities to perform, watch & take-part in dance. 11.30am – 3.30pm.

At 11.30am we open with our first community dance platform featuring Bellytricks Belly Dance, Dance Woking’s Eastwood Dance Club sponsored by Freedom Leisure who represented Woking Borough Council at last weekend’s Active Surrey Surrey Youth games in Guildford, Alexandra Dance Company and Amala Dance

This will be followed by Maypole Dancing with Dance Woking, led by Nicky Norton; this is an opportunity to connect and have fun, no experience required!

At 12.30pm we welcome Levantes Dance Theatre with their fun and highly entertaining piece High Tea (with a twist)

Break: 1pm – 2pm

At 2pm we are back with Levantes Dance Theatre with their fun and highly entertaining piece High Tea (with a twist) opening the afternoon session.

2.30pm our second community dance platform featuring both dance and school groups; joining Bellytricks Belly Dance & Amala Dance is BKD Performers, Sythwood Primary School Dance Club, Jubilee High Dance Club and Broadmere Primary Academy Dance Club.

We close the celebration at 3pm with Maypole Dancing, led by Nicky Norton.

Do come and join us.

News

Boys take to the stage

Thursday 25 May saw Dance Woking produce its first platform ‘Moving Beats’ focusing on Boys Dance since the Covid19 pandemic in 2020. Groups had travelled across the South East to perform. Nine different groups featuring 68 dancers took part. FuzzyLogic Dance, from Southampton attended with choreographer Zoie Golding, MBE. Smikle Dance Studio and Boys Company travelled from Brighton. Leading vocational College based in Bracknell, Artemis College, brought over 26 dancers led by Woking based choreographer, Carla Crowley (Streetvibes Dance). The college brought two very different pieces, the first ‘Artemis Legion’ used Hip-Hop dance style, the second a musical dance piece, ‘Backstage Romance’ from Moulin Rouge featured a mixed group. Both celebrated boys in dance with lively energetic performances. Soloist, Adi Detemo, an Ethiopian refugee, showcased his skills using a traditional Ethiopian dance style incorporating it with Hip-Hop. Jakob Ujczak, from Kingston University, on a work placement with Dance Woking, created a very moving duet called ‘The Choice’ with a fellow dance student. Vital Signz Dance also hailing from Kingston-Upon-Thames took part with two male duets, ‘Everybody Dance’ & ‘Stronger than ever’. Also performing was Tom Brown, a student from The Brit School, who joined Dance Woking on a school placement. Tom showed his multiple talents by sharing compering the night with Jakob, whilst also reading a very moving piece he wrote about the stigma he experienced as a male dancer to singing a powerful version of ‘Proud of Your Boy’.

Dance Woking Trustee Lisa Samos said ‘Moving Beats was an incredibly enjoyable and enlightening evening of dance, presenting sophisticated choreography with inspiring content and young male performers’ dedication to their craft. Each voice on the stage was bursting with enthusiasm that connected with the audience. Exhibiting movement from a brave and personal speech about the stigma of boys’ dancing, to a solo Abyssinian hip hop piece, and a wonderfully creative moving forest; Sam (CEO/Artistic Director) brought together an excellent diverse talent pool. In my opinion Moving Beats deserves to grow as an important annual event to highlight the thought-provoking progress and celebration of boys in dance’. 

Dance Woking’s CEO and Artistic Director Sam McCaffrey said, ‘It’s great to be back at Rhoda McGaw Theatre hosting a sold-out show. The dance schools performing had worked hard on their pieces which were creative and imaginative; themes ranged from celebrating the freedom felt after lockdown, celebrating greats such as Janet Jackson, Missy Elliot & Chris Brown, to routines that were due be performed last year and just waiting for an opportunity like this. The audience was appreciative, loud and encouraging. The groups all joined each other on stage to close the show to Run D.M.C & Jason Nevins ‘It’s Like That’. A great way to end the evening, more please!.’

Smikle Dance Studio and Boys Company, Brighton – Forest

Artemis College – Artemis Legion

Artemis College – Moulin Rouge

Kingston University – The Choice

Black Abyssinia – Raya

Tom Brown – Proud of Your Boy

Vital Signz Dance – Everybody dance

Vital Signz Dance – Stronger than ever

FuzzyLogic Youth Dance – ATTENTION!

Finale led by Jakob Ujczak

News

Sleuth opening night in Woking a hit!

Woking town centre was a hive of activity on Thursday 20 October, with a colourful and bright Diwali parade in Jubilee Square as well as being the opening night of ZoieLogic Dance Theatre’s Sleuth at Christ Church Nave, also in Jubilee Square. Dance Woking hosted Surrey Dance Networks first gathering, which was well supported and highlights the desire for dance professionals to come together to enhance and build on the strong dance community in Woking & Surrey.

‘Sleuth didn’t disappoint. The performance was humourous and highly engaging. The performers stylising their characters as if in the 1950’s with ease. The use of the set by the performers was really quite something, with dancers managing to maneuver around the space effortlessly. The ensemble pieces were highly explosive, with fast and furious fight scenes, just like in the comic strips of old. I enjoyed how the company allowed the audience to direct the sleuthing and dictate the direction, no two shows are the same.’ Sam McCaffrey, Artistic Director Dance Woking

Tickets are still available for Saturday 22 October to see this incredible show in an a highly unusual setting. https://www.dancewoking.com/event-category/zoielogic-dance-theatres-sleuth/

A highly enjoyable evening rounded off by a Q&A with Artistic Director Zoie Golding, who was recently awarded an MBE for her work in communities. The Surrey Dance Network were treated to some insights into Zoie’s world and work.

To learn more about Surrey Dance Network go to: https://www.facebook.com/groups/surreydancenetwork