We start with an upbeat warm up and stretch; the ideal way to shake off the fast pace of London living. We then go straight into a recap of the moves we learnt the week before – and build up from just a handful of steps to a complete dance. All the while the music is loud enough to drown out the noise of London for an hour and a half, so you walk out feeling energised and ready to go again.

Our teacher Daniel was superb, really approachable and very patient, getting us all in the mood to have fun. The class was paced to cater for all levels of ability with Daniel adapting and adjusting the routines by speeding things up and adding harder moves. 

City Academy’s Street Dance class was extremely rewarding – especially when you surprise yourself and get a few moves right!  The class is also a great way to meet people, this it what some of the class had to say about the experience:

“I loved it and found it amazing. Dancing in front of other people really helped me come out of my shell.”
Michelle, 27 

“Better than Star Wars”
Dave, 32 

“It’s really good fun, makes you feel happy.”
Freya, 29

“Let your inner Sasha Fierce out!”
Blair 24  

“Daniel is the best and nicest dance teacher. He made us laugh so much, I’m in love when I watch his dancing! Everyone was amazing and really supportive – great atmosphere!”
Min, 28 and Carol, 27

“Everyone works better as a team. This class was something completely out of the norm for me, a personal risk that was really worth it.”
Iain, 27

“Best dance class I’ve found in London. You think you can’t dance? Think again. I’ve done other dance classes and this was the best.”
Karen, 29

Fancy a go? City Academy offer a range of dance, theatre, comedy and performance classes in London.

Fabrications in Hackney is hiding an exciting secret in the basement – a brand new Imaginerium workshop space for craft classes and fun.

Established over a decade ago in Broadway Market, Fabrications is a studio, gallery and shop that has already made a mark in the London craft scene, bringing contemporary textiles to a wider audience and actively supporting craftivism – using craft to change the world for the better.

On Saturday I was invited along to an open day to see the new space and sew a grocery bag based on the design of a standard a carrier bag, but from pretty offcuts of fabric – a perfect example of recycling and modern design. (You’ll need a large grocery bag if you go to Broadway Market, especially if you love fresh walnut bread from artisan bakers and your willpower is enfeebled by the siren song of a nice bit of cheese.)

The room is kitted out with all the essentials you’ll need to make beautiful things, including new sewing machines and tea. A large glass roof at the back lets in lots of natural light. The new space is a warm, welcoming and friendly place.

The classes reflect designer and Fabrications owner Barley Massey’s passion for upcycling, eco design and passing on useful traditional skills. You can learn to knit, sew, quilt and make clothes. There are also classes where you can transform the boring things in the back of your wardrobe into something new and personalised, make yarn from old clothes and a craft club where you can bring along your latest project for advice.

fabrications1.co.uk

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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