10 Best Dance Studios for Ballerinas in London

10 Best Dance Studios for Ballerinas in London

There is never an excuse to not take a class. Here is a guide for travelers visiting London who wish to take a ballet class.

Plenty of schools in London offer open ballet classes. At all hours of the day, you can find almost any class of your choosing at one of the main dance studios in London. Whether you are on vacation, a complete beginner, an enthusiastic amateur or a pre-professional dancer who wants to get your ballet technique back in serious shape, you should take advantage of all the options London has to offer!

1. The Royal Academy of Dance

Image sourced from the Royal Academy website

Don’t be intimidated by this school’s prestigious name. Even if it’s one of the world’s most influential dance education and training organizations, the Royal Academy wishes to give everyone the opportunity to learn to dance.

As well as full-time professional courses, the Royal Academy also offers classes for complete beginners. It has a variety of classes where you can find the balance to progress through several levels. All classes are taught by experienced and inspiring teachers in unique dance studios in the historic Burlington House on Piccadilly in Mayfair.

All classes are led by a live pianist. Also note, that while the classes are open, students are still expected to maintain a certain level of professional etiquette at the school, such as wearing proper ballet class attire, following the direction of the instructor at all times, and arriving before the class starts.

Fees: An individual class costs £90 or £105 for 1h15. Registration is required. All classes must be paid online in advance. If a class has a reach its maximum capacity you will be required to choose an alternative.

Location : Royal Academy of Dance – 36 Battersea Square London SW11 3RA

2. Central School of Ballet

Nutcracker production, sourced from their official website

Founded in 1982 by Ann Stannard and the late Christopher Gable. Central School of Ballet is one of Europe’s leading centers for dance training and the only ballet-focused degree course in England. It was created to propose a different experience of ballet training in an education that particularly valued individual artistic expression.

The School is unique in offering a BA Degree in Professional Dance and Performance. Outside of the main ballet program, Central School of Ballet also runs an extensive program of evening and weekend adult classes.

The nearest tube stations are Farringdon and Chancery Lane. Buses 243 and 55 stop are right outside

Fees : Evenings classes take place on Mondays to Fridays and daytime classes take place on Sundays.

Classes are all drop-in only and are £10 cash on-the-door with no membership fee. It’s highly recommended to come half an hour before the class starts in order to book a place. Latecomers are accepted up to 15 minutes into a class.

Location : Central School of Ballet- 10 Herbal Hill EC1R 5EG

3. The Place

Image sourced from The Place website

Located in the heart of London, in Duke’s Road near King’s Cross, surrounded by theatres, cinemas, specialist libraries, galleries, museums, and venues. You are ideally placed to explore the cultural highlights that London has to offer before taking your class.

For four decades the Place’s conservatoire is one of the best dance schools in London. It is well known as the home of London Contemporary Dance but it also includes ballet classes where all levels of experience are covered. The Place gives the widest possible opportunities for everyone to participate in dance, training professionals and enthusiasts of all ages. You can find incredible workshops there with various modern and contemporary dance companies. 

This is a great way to get yourself seen, and often choreographers hold company auditions at the end of the week. It’s an ideal way to feel their movement and improve your technique before jumping into an audition.

Fees: Classes for non-professionals are only in evenings or weekends. Some classes are drop-in with no booking required. Individual classes cost from £15 to £20; a 10-class card saves 10% or more. Student-card holders get concessionary rates.

Location : The Place -17 Duke’s Road London WC1H 9PY, United Kingdom

4. Danceworks

Image sourced from Danceworks website

One of London’s leading studios providing an intimate and pleasant atmosphere for all types of dance. The studios are very conveniently located just off Oxford Street (2 mins from Bond street Tube) and are also available to hire.

Danceworks offers an array of classes from classical ballet to Jamaican dance hall and there are no booking requirements, it is just drop in. Whatever your style or ability you’ll find classes to suit your needs, whether you are looking for an energetic workout, intending to develop your technique, or longing to try something new.

The cloakroom is nice and clean and there is a recreational area with sofas and tables where you can stretch yourself after class. Most of the teachers are renowned internationally, with a wealth of experience and teaching expertise. It has also an in-house complementary therapies center called Natureworks – on the first floor where expert practitioners provide everything from massage and osteopathy to acupuncture, nutritional support and life coaching.

Fees: The entrance is £5 over the weekend / late nights and then you pay the class directly to the teacher which is very convenient for people that can’t plan so much in advance or just want flexibility.

Location : Danceworks – 16 Balderton Street London W1K 6TN, United Kingdom 

5. Pineapple Dance

Image by HomeGirlLondon

Situated in Covent Garden, Pineapple Dance Studios does not have courses but the huge number of classes available makes courses unnecessary. The place has various studios running a huge variety of classes for various levels.

20 dance styles and over 250 classes run there every week. Pineapple dance isn’t simply an unrivaled studio centre, it also has bigger timetable and wider range of classes than any other studios in Europe. It’s also a real community, filled with warmth, dedication, and positive energy. Pineapple Dance is for anyone who wants to learn, enjoy and practice dance, regardless of ability, age or anything else you care to think of.

Beginners are just as welcome to take a class there as professionals are. Most Pineapple classes are drop-in. This has great advantages because it means you only pay for the classes you do. You can do as few, or as many classes as you want each week, and there are classes in a multitude of genres, at all different levels, every day and evening.

Fees : Class prices are extremely competitive around £7 to £15 and run for 90 minutes each. You must be a Pineapple member to take class. You can apply for a £4 membership that last one day or longer.

Location : Pineapple Dance – 7 Langley Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9JA United Kingdom

6. Dance Attic Studios

Image sourced from Wikimedia Commons

Based in a lovely Victorian building that once served as the historic public baths. This west London dance school in Fulham offers a good range of best dance classes at very reasonable cost.

Courses at Dance Attict Studios offers a wide variety of classes, so you are certain to find the style that you are looking for at almost any time of day. The usual styles are ballet, jazz, ballroom or Latin dance.

All levels and experience are on offer, so there’s plenty to challenge yourself. It also has a pleasant café where you can enjoy the charming atmosphere, with a delicious lunch. There’s no excuse to not come and try out a ballet class there.

Fees: If you’re looking for the cheapest dance classes in the entire city, you’ve found it ! Dance Attic studios provides between £5 – £10 classes, last for 60-90 minutes, and take place at evenings and weekends only. No booking needed.

Location : Dance Attic – 368 North End Road London SW6 1LY United Kingdom

7. The Factory

Image sourced from The Factory website

Based in a refurbished factory building in North London. This fitness hub offers various classes from aerobics to ballet fusion. This class combines the basics of ballet technique with the gracefulness of movement. It’s a perfect workout for a complete beginner or someone returning to ballet after a long break.

Through this technique, you will learn the basics at the barre and formation techniques. It will help you to increase your flexibility, improve your core strength, master the correct posture and find balance. You will also see your muscular strength improve as your endurance levels increase.

Fees: £15 per class with free access to Gym & Sauna. Book your class between 24-72 hours in advance depending on your membership.

Location : The Factory – 407 Hornsey Road, Islington, LondoN19 4DX

8. Barrecore

Image sourced from Absolutely London

 Searching for the best ballet barre ? Then add this studio to your list of must-trys. Established in 2011, Barrecore Studios since the time of its launch was the only studio teaching ballet barre in the city.

There are now 10 studios across London, in Chelsea, Mayfair, Notting Hill, Hampstead, Kensington, Moorgate, Islington, Chiswick, Wandsworth or Wimbledon. Don’t be fooled by the graceful façade of barre fitness: it’s really tough.

Through this method, you will be able to sculpt your entire body in just a few weeks, creating that famous ballerina shape which Barrecore is known for. Classes are 45 minutes and in that time you can expect the incredible experts to work your core and legs while taking you through some simple stretches and ballet moves. Often a class will focus on a particular body part, but you can always guarantee a full body workout.

Instructors must have done 200-hours worth of training before they can lead a class so expect an high quality of teaching.

Fees : A single class costs £28, with packages starting at £120 a month for one class a week.

Location : Barrecore Studio- 36 Battersea Square London SW11 3RA

9. Ballet4Life

Image sourced from Pixabay

Offering both complete beginners courses, as well as drop-in classes for experienced levels, all skill sets are welcome at Ballet4Life. There are usually multiple classes going on at once. The advice would be to schedule ahead and know exactly what kind of training you want to do when planning your day.

Class is one hour long and is designed to escape from daily stress. It’s also a great place to meet new people. There’s three years of minimum dance training required-class is 90 minutes long. For Beginner and Intermediate Levels- pointe exercise is 15 minutes, and for the more advanced it 30 minutes long. Just come along anytime and take class!

Fees : If you’re looking to keep your budget in check, it would be more appropriate to get a 5 or 20-class carnet, rather than a single class at £18.

Location : Ballet4Life – St. Peter’s Parish Hall, Southfield Rd,Chiswick, London W4 1BB

10. City Academy

Image sourced from City Academy

Located in the heart of London, City Academy is an adult creative and performing arts academy, offering daytime, evening and weekend courses – they have designed ballet lessons for four different levels to cater all needs. There’s also a ballet-inspired fitness class called Barre Fit and Flexibility Course, to develop better range of movement and toned muscles for dance.

All classes are an inspiring way to develop strength, flexibility and coordination. In addition, you should take Pointe classes to enhance ballet technique and performance. If you desire to enhance your current technique and performance or simply learn a new skill, this place is made for you.

Fees: Paiement for class has to be made online. A single class cost £80, with packages starting at £120 a month for one class a week.

Location :  City Academy – 38 Rosebery Ave, Farringdon, London EC1R 4RN, UK