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.

Senegalese director and choreographer Diene Sagna moved to the UK four years ago to run his own dance company, Yaye Dib Sabar. He also holds sabar dance classes in London:

“Sabar is the drum, and also the dance – they go together. Of all the dances in the world that I know, it’s only sabar where you have to be in the air all of the time! You have to be light but also energetic and powerful. In the past it used to be just women who danced but now men are dancing sabar too.

“I’ve been dancing for a long time. When I was six years old I won a competition and after that, even though I was also going to school, dancing was my focus. When I was 17 I started to work professionally, going to Europe and working with big artists. I’ve worked with Youssou N’Dour, dancing on his video for 4444. I’ve also toured and performed with [bestselling Senegalese singer] Coumba Gawlo Seck.

“There are a lot of different African dance classes in London. They used to be mainly from Ghana or Nigeria, but now I can see the interest in Senegalese dance is increasing. It’s hard to make African dance respected in Europe – people think it’s just for fun. You can find contemporary and hip hop dance in the big theatres, but not this West African dance. I want to bring it onto the stage, that’s my fight.

“In London this June we held the first Yaye Dib Sabar International event, a weekend of Afro-dance workshops called Jump for Joy! We will be holding this every year in memory of my mum (who died in 2009) as a way of celebrating not only her life but also West African culture and in particular Sabar dance and drumming.

“I invite all students, from London and the UK as well as Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Belgium where I do workshops every year. I also organise an annual two-week dance training holiday in Dakar, Senegal, called Kaye Fecc, meaning Come Dance. The next one will be from 23 January to 4 February 2012.

“When my students see sabar they say it’s powerful, fast, fun and energetic also. But some people also say sabar is harder because they cannot understand the timing, the breaks. People also say sabar is the most difficult West African dance because it’s changing every week in Senegal. If I stay in UK for two years without going to Senegal I’m going to be lost! That’s why I go every year and spend two or three months there, finding out what’s new.”

The next Yaye Dib Sabar dance and drumming class in London is on Sunday 23 October 2011 at Studio 68 dance studio. More information

Here’s a great video from Westfield’s YouTube channel to celebrate the arrival of Westfield Stratford City later this month.

There are so many fantastic things about this vid. I love the music, the dance, and of course, seeing all the brilliant, iconic East End fashions through the ages.

Last week was my first time at Battersea Arts Centre, a grand old town hall that hosts a wealth of arts programmes and performances. Currently showing is the macabre and menacing The Red Shoes.

This production of The Red Shoes is by quirky and innovative theatre group Kneehigh who originally had success with the play 10 years ago. Here, Hans Christian Andersen’s folktale conjures a strange, nonsensical world filled with dark secrets.

The cast are a motley crew, in uniforms of plain white men’s underwear, all with shaved heads. Their eyes are circled with dark make up, their numb expressions creepily dehumanised.

Patrycja Kujawska is strikingly scary as the play’s main girl. She is mute throughout but speaks volumes with her glaring eyes and spooky smirk. She dons red clogs that although feminine, look extremely heavy and cumbersome. The Girl is obsessed with and eventually possessed by the shoes; they force her to dance continually and relentlessly with demonic animation.

Of the four male actors (who make up the rest of the cast) I was entranced by Giles King as Lady Lydia, the eccentric cross-dressing compere. Oddly sexy and mischievous she/he reminded me of Tim Burton’s Willy Wonka but armed with a long fishing line, which turns the character into a cruel puppeteer.

The Red Shoes is at Battersea Arts Centre until 9 April, book here.

For the latest in our World in London series, we put on our dancing shoes and spoke to Deanna Michel-de Sousa, leader of African performing arts ensemble Nzinga Dance, which teaches African drumming and dance at south London’s Horniman Museum

What does Nzinga Dance do?

Our main remit is bringing African history, culture and tradition to life – telling its story with dance and music. The classes are about coming along and learning traditional dance and drumming – and about their importance in African culture – but in a fun and creative way.

We do lots of performances at the museum and elsewhere too – for Refugee Week, Adult Learners’ Week, at summer festivals… We’re not just at the Horniman!

Are all the Nzinga teachers Ghanaian?

There’s a mixture of people, mainly Ghanaian and a couple of us from St Lucia – the one person that isn’t is from Pakistan, so there you go! We’re an African-Caribbean group but a lot of what we teach and perform is from Ghana.

Ghanaian dance is a big part of what we do. In terms of African dance culture, Ghana has prolific dancers and musicians. You have one country but within that country so many different nations – whether it’s Ewe, Ashanti or Ga – and each has their own style. You find literally hundreds of dances and that’s what’s quite unique about Ghanaian dance and drumming – there’s a lot to learn and pick from as well. So within one course, we may say to people we’re teaching Ghanaian dance but that can include completely different styles.

Who comes to your dance classes? Ghanaians living in London or a mixture of people?

We get a mix of people, although we do have Ghanaian students who come along that haven’t learnt so much about their culture in that respect and just feel that they really want to touch base and learn.  It’s nice that people want to come along – both Ghanaian and non-Ghanaian – and learn about African culture in a creative way, and in a really social atmosphere.

What do your students think about the course?

Most of them say they enjoy coming along because it’s a non-competitive atmosphere and they feel that what they’re learning is authentic. We can be specific – we can say you’ve learnt Kpanlogo dance from this place in Ghana – and they like that feeling of knowing what they’ve been taught and the significance of it in history and culture. For example, that when I’m dancing this step, it means this or that.

I think we get lots of students, too, because of the live drumming [the djembe drummers who accompany the dance classes]. Not knocking anyone who uses a CD, but I think it being authentic is a big part of drawing people. I think that’s why we’re still going strong.

See Nzinga Dance (and their students) perform at the Nzinga Dance Ensemble Concert on 27 March 2011 at Horniman Museum. The next term of Nzinga dance and drumming courses for adults and children at Horniman Museum begin on 1 May 2011.

Do you know anywhere else you can experience Ghanaian culture in London? Let us know in the comments below.

The show features contemporary dance performances from an array of talented new choreographers and allows them to show their pieces to a London audience.

I was fortunate enough to see a preview of one of the works by Shaun Boyle & Artists entitled See, Myself & I which will be performed at Resolution! on 5 February along with Haptic Dance and Beyond Repair Dance.

See, Myself & I is an imaginative and moving piece that examines women’s self-perceptions by questioning the manufactured images of females in society. It is a beautiful work and the New York choreographer, Shaun Boyle, is an experienced dancer and a recent graduate of The Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance in London.

Resolution! is a wonderful show and a chance to support upcoming dance talent. Prepare to be amazed by the quality of the work and performances and treat yourself to an entertaining evening.

Resolution! until 18 February at The Place. Book tickets

Everyone has something that makes them feel specially festive around this time of year. Maybe it’s the Christmas lights going up around London, or your first mince pie, for me it is the English National Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker. Every year The Coliseum hosts this wonderfully Christmassy show, and this year is their best production yet.

The show celebrates 60 years of the English National Ballet in true style and splendour, with a new, world premiere production. Wayne Eagling’s choreography is meticulous but measured and shows the dancers to be confident and daring. Even the youngest dancers stand out as having exceptional talent, tip-toeing their tiny feet across the massive stage. I was delighted to find that the production is, once again, using live singing for the snowflake chorus… 20 or so kids stand tall in the box closest to the stage singing their hearts out.

Peter Farmer has created a magical design for the story that plays with the central themes of fantasy and fun. Last year The Nutcracker had a cartoon feel, Farmer has replaced this with an image of Victorian elegance, and an air of romantic nostalgia. I am so glad that this classic has been returned to its rightful character, attempts to modernise it damage the magic of the show.

The Nutcracker is on until Thursday 30 December, matinee and evening performances available most days. Buy tickets to The Nutcracker

The duo are teaming up with choreographer Javier De Frutos to create a show based on Hans Christian Andersen story The Most Incredible Thing.

The modern fairytale will feature former Royal Ballet star Ivan Putrov and animation by BAFTA award winner Tal Rosner.

Among the other season highlights is a new commission by horse rider, director and stage designer Bartabas, who will appear on stage with four horses.

And – not for the faint hearted – Dave St Pierre’s Sadler’s Wells debut, Peu de Tendresse Bordel de Merde, which will feature 20 completely naked dancers.

See the full 2011 programme on the Sadler’s Wells website at www.sadlerswells.com

Serge Diaghilev caused a storm in the early 20th century with his Ballet Russes – a collective of dancers, artists and designers who shocked audiences and revolutionised the art world. Picasso, Matisse, Chanel, Jean Cocteau, Nijinsky and Stravinsky were among his collaborators.

A new exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum follows the career of Diaghilev and the Ballet Russes, featuring costumes, backdrops, photos, paintings, posters and programmes from the era.

I had a sneak preview this morning and my favourite exhibits were the spectacular costumes, many designed by famous names such as Picasso and Matisse. Some are based on traditional Russian dress, while others are weird and wacky, even by today’s standards, and must have constrained the dancers’ movements considerably.

Another highlight was the enormous back cloth for The Firebird, which is the largest object in the V&A. There’s also a massive front cloth based on the Picasso painting Two Women Running on the Beach.

The Ballet Russes show is a must for art and dance fans. One word of warning: allow a few hours to explore the exhibition as there’s loads to see.

Diaghilev and the Golden Age of the Ballet Russes 1909-1929 is at the Victoria and Albert Museum from 25 September to 9 January

Argentinian dance show, Tanguera is showing in London for a limited run, after selling out all over the world. Sadler’s Wells in Islington is one of London’s most prestigious dance venues and sure enough on Tuesday night the auditorium was packed to the brim and the audience around me were enthralled, with several people on their feet joining in.

The storyline of Tanguera is a bit lacklustre, but there is no doubt that this cast is very talented. Leticia Fallacara is enchanting Giselle, dancing with speed and precision but also creating a seductive lead character. There are some impressive routines from the men and soulful vocal accompaniment is provided by Marianella, who has triumphed in many productions including her critically acclaimed Grizabella in Cats.

The music is beautiful throughout Tanguera, I could have listened to it alone all night. The show begins with a short interlude from the six piece band, which is charming and illustrates the musicians’ natural understanding of the music they are interpreting. The musical ensemble is made up of two bandoneons (a type of concertina instrument similar to an accordion), piano, double bass, guitar and violin, all parts interweaving to create a full and dramatic sound.

Read more about Tanguera on my blog: thoroughlymodernmilly5.blogspot.com

Tanguera continues at Sadler’s Wells until 22 August. Buy Tanguera tickets here.