Dancing back after the pandemic

South London Dance School moved to the former Royal Mail Sorting Office in Herne Hill back in 2009 and has since become a well-established local institution.

A wide range of dance classes are offered for children from 18 months to adults of all ages and levels of experience. The school prides itself on catering for a range of abilities, providing the best possible classes for each child to enjoy dance as well as develop cognitively and socially.

The school recognises the mental health issues many young people face, especially now and how dancing and the dance studio environment can help.

Principal Zoe Dawson was honoured to be given the rights to adapt The Scarecrows’ Wedding by Julia Donaldson. Composer and musician Stuart Rush and Zoe created a one-act ballet which was choreographed by the ballet teachers at South London Dance School.

It was a thrill for the young dancers to perform in front of a live audience after so long on Zoom; and for family, friends and teachers to enjoy the spectacle crafted for the occasion. Staging the show in early January was a great fête of discipline and determination for all, to overcome the obstacles presented by Covid-19 in putting on the show safely and successfully.

During the pandemic the School filmed individuals dancing at home and editing it into a group dance piece. This became the backdrop to a live piece once they were again able to perform expansively on stage. This moving piece highlighted the feeling of isolation and confinement that so many children had experienced during the pandemic; it resonated strongly with the audience.

Thankfully, lessons at the school are finally back to normal and student numbers are once again increasing. Students are grateful to be able to dance with their friends without the need to distance from one another or dance in a restricted space of their own.

Zoe and her team are now planning for future shows, competitions, auditions, examinations and performances in 2022 and beyond. They are currently busy preparing for several days of ISTD (Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing) examinations in July and the All-England Dance festival regional finals in May. You can catch some of their students at Dulwich Park Fair on Sunday 15 May at 1pm.

Zoe Dawson & Becca Thackray

For more information about South London Dance School’s ballet, tap, modern, commercial, street, national and contemporary dance classes, go to www.southlondondanceschool.co.uk or call 020 7978 8624.

Premiere of ‘The Scarecrows’ Wedding’

March 2022 – after two years parents are finally able to see their children’s progress first-hand ‘This is Me’, performed by 180 students in January at the Langley Park Theatre