DanceWest To Unveil World-Class Dance Studio and Plans For Return Of Ignition Festival

London's celebrated dance organisation, DanceWest, will open their first ever permanent home with a world-class new studio this November. The studio is the first community dance space of its kind, boasting 13 square metres of light-filled dance floor and state-of-the-art facilities, along with a star-studded teaching staff. A dance centre with a difference, DanceWest is fueled by a mission to bring dance's health and social benefits to everyone in London through innovative programming and accessible pricing. The studio sits within the award-winning new Sands End Arts and Community Centre in Hammersmith and Fulham.

DanceWest recently secured £49,000 from Arts Council England, in addition to funding from Hammersmith and Fulham Council, which enabled them to finally realise their long-held ambition of a permanent home.

Equipped with the world's best quality facilities, the studio includes a professional standard Harlequin sprung floor, as used at The Royal Ballet School and the National Theatre; a standard which is rarely, if ever, found in community dance facilities.

DanceWest offers a programme led by experts in each dance discipline, many of whom come direct from the stage and screen, including tutors and choreographers from Strictly Come Dancing, the National Theatre, Sadlers Wells, Royal Opera House, Lyric Hammersmith and Bush Theatre.

DanceWest's highly regarded festival Ignition will return in 2022, with a programme of dynamic commissions. An announcement in December will share more information on the plans for residences, commissions and opportunities.

DanceWest's inspirational founder, Rosie Whitney-Fish, grew up in west London and loved dance from a young age but struggled to find chances to take part. She made it her life's mission to provide opportunities for others and established DanceWest in 2015. DanceWest has since found fame through its reputation for delivering life-changing dance programmes to 36,000 Londoners every year, aged from 1 to 100. They also run the revered Ignition dance festival, which provides opportunities for professional choreographers and local dancers to perform with dance stars from around the globe.

Registered as a charity in 2018, what sets DanceWest apart is the ethos "dance for everyone" and a mission to open up the benefits of dance to all - from improving health and wellbeing, to building confidence, reducing depression, fostering happiness and even finding new friends.

The studio will launch just at the moment of greatest need for it, as Seasonal Affective Disorder sets in, COVID-induced social anxiety and depression are skyrocketing, the "loneliness epidemic" intensifies, and society begins to recognise the need for a more mindful approach to the "pandemic pounds" reported in the media. Dance has repeatedly been proven to be the unexpected remedy for these issues for many people.

The new studio is supported and endorsed by both industry experts on the charity's trustee board and returning clients, who share their own testaments to DanceWest's impact on their lives.

Accessibility is at the core of DanceWest's vision. The regular schedule will offer fair and equal class pricing, with means-tested bursaries to ensure the classes are accessible and open to everyone. Rosie Whitney-Fish states: "We want to ensure that price is not a barrier to participating."

Chair of the DanceWest board, Anya Todd, says: "With huge thanks to support from Arts Council England and Hammersmith and Fulham Council, we have been able to redevelop the space at Sands End Arts and Community Centre to offer professional facilities for the local community. This is a new and really exciting era for DanceWest'.

Outside of the studio, the charity's 42 innovative live programmes are taught in locations from sheltered homes and libraries, to theatres, schools and youth centres, across seven London boroughs. Through their work, west Londoners from the tiniest tots in nursery to the elderly in hospice care are embracing the power of dance. Their dedication to serving everyone in west London's community includes creating partnerships with leading charities, including Age UK, Action on Disability and Peabody Housing to deliver specially tailored programmes. A staggering 80% of DanceWest's programme is free to attend.

The charity's successful tailored programmes include Bolder Not Older for senior citizens, Move It Mondays for disabled and learning-disabled young people, and Dancing Books for the tiniest community members. This summer, DanceWest was nominated for a People's Choice: One Dance UK Award in recognition of their impact on the UK's dance landscape.

Kerry Whelan, Executive Director of Frantic Assembly and DanceWest trustee, says: "DanceWest's new home is world-class; what it offers is unrivalled by any other community dance space. It's an asset for London. I've seen first-hand the positive impact that dance can bring to people's lives and I can't wait to see the transformative effect this space will have on London's communities."

DanceWest founder and Chief Executive, Rosie Whitney-Fish, says: "During the pandemic, we've seen depression, ill-health and social anxiety reach record levels. We are thrilled to be able to offer Londoners a welcoming, nurturing and joyful space where they can discover the limitless benefits of dance, develop their confidence and make new connections."

The new studio will open with a month-long taster programme offering Ballet, Ballet Fit, Barre Core, Ballroom and Latin, Contemporary, Creative Dance, Dance of the African Diaspora, Dance Fitness, Dance Cardio, Flamenco, Salsa, Hip-Hop, Popping & Locking, Musical Theatre & Jazz, Pilates, Yoga & Meditation, Zumba and more. Their regular classes and programming will begin on 1 November 2021, including a chance for film-lovers to learn one of the iconic dances from famous dance movies like Footloose and Billy Elliott before watching a screening at Christmas.

The charity's holiday programmes will return this December, supporting some of west London's least privileged children to have an active, creative holiday. DanceWest's ambition is to open this opportunity up to children from all of the seven boroughs they serve: Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, Hounslow, Kensington & Chelsea, Richmond and Westminster.

During the pandemic, DanceWest reached 12,000 people through innovative programming, including 'Dance in the Park' outdoor sessions and online discos.