Archive for the "Classes" Category

16 May
2011

Gorilla Circus Flying Trapeze School

Posted by Jo G in Classes, Open Spaces, Sport No Comments

Since seeing Les 7 Doigts de la Main at the Peacock Theatre last year, I have had a burning desire to run away and join the circus.

This Sunday, I got as far as Walpole Park in Ealing and spent an afternoon flying upside down at the Gorilla Circus flying trapeze school – one of the only two flying trapeze schools in the UK that are open to the general public, and the only circus school in London that takes place outside.

A quick warm-up on the practice bar and we were up the ladder ready to have a go. Under the instruction of Erza and Debs, who have 20 plus years of gymnastics and circus performance experience between them, the group were ready to fly within minutes.

The below video shows my final attempt, where you get the opportunity to be caught by Debs who is on the other trapeze. As you can see, it’s all about the timing, which wasn’t my strong point on this attempt!

The classes are a really fun couple of hours and open to people of all ages and sizes. With a maximum of 10 in each group, you get a good few flights in each session. Flying trapeze classes this summer cost £22.50 per person and will be held at Acton Green, Regent’s Park and Battersea Park – booking essential.

See www.gorillacircus.com for more information.

5 May
2011

Silver Metal Clay Taster Class at the London Jewellery School

Posted by Lettice in Classes 4 Comments

Do you fancy making your own bespoke designer jewellery? Check out the classes at the London Jewellery School where you can learn to make jewellery from beads, silver, wood, perspex, glass, resin, haberdashery and recycle vintage jewellery.

The London Jewellery School is located round the corner from Hatton Garden, an area known for being the centre of London’s jewellery trade, so there are plenty of places to look for inspiration on your way to class.

I took an evening taster class working with silver metal clay. We were each presented with a tiny lump of silver clay which we rolled flat, embossed, cut into shape with a little cookie cutter and decorated with a sparkly stone. Finally the piece was blow-torched. This left a small white blob with a crust which brushed off leaving a shining silver pendant.

Making a silver pendant from scratch in two and a half hours initially felt rather ambitious, but the class was well paced and everyone had a lovely pendant to take home. Tutor Sima Vaziry was reassuring and experienced, explaining each step clearly and making sure everyone finished their pieces. Most of my coursemates had some experience of jewellery making, and a couple were regulars at the school, but as a beginner I didn’t feel overwhelmed.

Often craft classes require little more than tables, chairs and biscuits, but the London Jewellery School workrooms are set up like a well-stocked professional studio. The taster class was a fun and friendly introduction, but the school was equiped with the facilities and expert tuition to give you the skills you would need to embark on jewellery design as a career.

The silver metal clay taster evening class costs £35. www.londonjewelleryschool.co.uk

28 Jan
2011

One-to-One Pilates Class at Triyoga

Posted by Hannah in Classes 2 Comments

I’ve been going to Pilates classes at my local gym for ages, but I’m not sure I’ve improved much over the years. So I booked myself in for a one-to-one session at the specialist Triyoga centre in Primrose Hill.

This is where London celebrities come for their yoga and Pilates fix. On arrival, everyone is asked to remove their shoes, before walking into the incense-scented reception area, where clients relax around a big wooden table.

Like many Pilates teachers, my instructor, Yalckun Abdurehim, trained as a dancer, and his posture and flexibility are definitely something to aspire to.

Instead of launching into exercises, Yalckun asked me to walk up and down the corridor, catwalk-style, while he observed my posture. Apparently my feet aren’t flexible enough and this is affecting the whole of my body. Despite going to the gym regularly, I’ve never thought much about foot flexibility before.

The rest of the hour-long session was devoted to retraining my muscles through exercises on various scary looking machines. I was also given a routine to practise at home, which involved lying on the floor and walking my toes up and down the wall, a movement known as the caterpillar.

The one-to-one session gave me a new perspective on the way I move my body. Who knew that feet were so important? If you’re new to Pilates, feel stuck in a rut with your current workout, or want to improve your posture, a one-to-one class at Triyoga could be the way to go.

Triyoga has centres in Primrose Hill, Soho and Covent Garden, offering one-to-one and group classes in yoga and Pilates

22 Dec
2010

Win! Day 22: City Academy Performing Arts Course Worth £300

Posted by Visit London in Classes 1 Comment

Do you sing into your hairbrush? Want to bust out a dance number at times of high emotion? Is Glee more of a lifestyle than a TV show to you?

Then make your theatrical dreams a reality and enter our competition to win a course at leading performing arts school City Academy.

Whether you want to learn to sing, dance or act, City Academy has most disciplines covered. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve got previous performing experience or are a complete beginner. City Academy teaches courses at all levels.

So make 2011 your most creative year yet – we’ll see you on the West End stage soon!

Enter our competition to win a course at City Academy

9 Oct
2010

London Photo of the Week: The Knitting & Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace

Posted by Lettice in Classes, Shopping 1 Comment

Looking for something to do this weekend? Why not pop up to the Knitting and Stitching Show at Alexandra Palace? Yesterday the sewing machines were out under a canopy of fabric scraps!

The biggest craft show in London is packed with stalls selling sewing and knitting supplies, there are exhibitions of work from craft guilds, textile graduates and artists, and you can even take a class to learn something new!

The show is open today and tomorrow. Find out more at www.twistedthread.com

What did you do this weekend? Add your photos to the Visit London Flickr pool.

10 Sep
2010

Sewing Classes at Homemade London

Posted by Lettice in Classes 3 Comments

A gorgeous new craft workshop space called Homemade London has just opened in Portman Village. Last night I popped along and learned how to make a fully lined designer tote bag, made new friends, and did a vanishing trick with a piece of gooey chocolate cake.

Everyone was having so much fun that friendly passers by kept popping in to see what we were up to, admire our bags and find out how they could sign up for the next class!

The class includes tuition, fabric (vintage and designer – my bag above is made from a Marimekko print) and, bliss, a light supper, which is very welcome when you’ve just dashed from work to a class and won’t get home till late.

Homemade London has plenty of sewing machines and space for creating. You can learn how to sew bags and lingerie, make jewellery or sniff out your perfect perfume.

As well as classes, Homemade London also offer a sewing café – you can rent a sewing machine or overlocker from £10 an hour during the day or evening and work on your own projects. And if that wasn’t enough, it’s worth a visit just to see the astonishing sewing machine wallpaper!

Even the location is perfect, if you’ve been shopping on Oxford Street all day and found nothing but inspiration, you can pop round the corner and whip up your perfect accessory!

Classes from £99, Sewing Cafe from £10.
www.homemadelondon.com

28 Jul
2010

Salsa at Park Plaza Westminster Bridge

Posted by Jo G in Classes, Dance 3 Comments

Friday night I went to the launch of the new salsa club night at Park Plaza Westminster Bridge.

I attended the beginners’ class taught by Nathan Brade in the Primo bar, which has a great view over Westminster Bridge. We went through the basic moves and beats and after a few practice runs of the steps we were paired up.

With more ladies then men (always the way), it was great to see some of the pros step in and expertly lead the way.

What I didn’t realise about salsa was how glamorous it is– forget dancing in flats – here the higher the heel the better!

Dressing up to dance makes it into a real occasion and a fun Friday night out. The best thing is that you can be totally comfortable going on your own as it’s not at all imposing and everyone was super-friendly and just wanted to dance.

The teacher was great, and the band were incredible, as were the regular salsa goers who really knew their stuff.

The bar also served some wicked Cuban cocktails, which really gave me some confidence to get dancing when the band started. I didn’t really have much choice as the instructor, Nathan, twirled me around the room!

The best bit of the night came when he told me to relax my knees and suddenly my legs were in the air and my head near the floor. I had been professionally salsa “dipped” and even though it probably looked a complete mess, I felt so graceful and it was brilliant fun.

Salsa night at Park Plaza Westminster Bridge is every Friday from 8pm. Free for hotel guests and £8 for everyone else

8 Jul
2010

2010 Streatham Festival – Corsage Making with Flaming Nora

Posted by Lettice in Classes, Special Events 3 Comments

The 2010 Streatham Festival is in full swing! South London is buzzing with music, comedy, crafts and fun this week. The festival finishes on Sunday, so there’s still plenty of time to join in the fun this weekend.

On Tuesday night, I popped along to a festival event – Flaming Nora’s corsage making class in the Earl Ferrers pub. The class was a roaring success – more and more people arrived and soon the entire pub was full of over-excited sewers rummaging in boxes of fabric and producing amazing floral creations!

Nora is running a second fun workshop for the festival week – making scary sock monsters, this one is for kids over the age of 5.

The Streatham festival runs to the 11th July and there are talks, walks, quizzes, photography and more. (We think Shakespeare in the Rookery looks brilliant!)

Streatham Festival 3 – 11 July 2010. www.streathamfestival.com

3 Jun
2010

BBC Blast: Calling All Creative Teenagers in London

Posted by Jenny in Classes No Comments

If you’re aged between 13 and 19 and are looking to hone your creative skills, don’t miss the four-day BBC Blast event this June.

BBC Blast is coming to London and is looking for enthusiastic teens to take part in a programme of free creative workshops at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) and the Natural History Museum.

Workshops are available in a wide range of topics including set design, spoken word, DJing and a festival Q&A with Bestival founder Rob Da Bank. There are limited places available so apply now.

See the full programme and book your place at www.bbc.co.uk/blast/events

BBC Blast in London 17-20 June 2010

3 Jun
2010

Half-Term In London Ideas

Posted by Angie Greaves in Attractions, Cinema, Classes, Kids, Open Spaces, Sport, Theatre No Comments

Have you been wondering what to do with the kids over this half term? I’m normally full of ideas and raring to go, but I just drew a complete blank this time around. As I am covering Magic’s More Music Breakfast, I thought I would ask the listeners what their ideas were, and some very interesting suggestions came back.

Here are just a few ideas for half-term activities with kids:

Bake cakes together
Go swimming or hire a boat in one of London’s lovely parks
Help your kids plan and cook a meal, and let them invite a few friends over for dinner
Look at local sports centres they often have half-term events you can get involved with
Arm the kids with digital camera and go for the Elephant Hunt around London! It’s especially cost-effective if you bring a packed lunch
The National Theatre is running backstage workshops for families all week

I’m pretty sure my girls will want to do a bit of 10-pin bowling followed by the cinema. Whip It, Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut (as opposed to what I thought was Whippet – about a dog), is on their list.

Half-term in London is as adventurous as you can make it, and by the look of all the suggestions above that came in from Magic listeners, I think I’m going to have a busy one!!