Sadler’s Wells Will Host Free Dance Classes and Online Workshops in January 2026

Sadler’s Wells brings in the new year with a range of free in-person dance classes and online workshops, widening access to the artform and encouraging the public to get active.

From Monday 12 January, the popular free lunchtime dance classes on The Dance Floor at Sadler’s Wells East start up again in a range of new styles. On Mondays, audiences can learn Flamenco with Lucia Caruso; on Wednesdays, Indian Contemporary and Bollywood with Showmi Das; and on Fridays, Lindy Hop with Korantema Anyimadu. Offering local residents, workers and anyone who would like to join in an opportunity to get up and move, the dance classes are perfect for all ages and skill levels. All sessions are adapted for seated exercise too.

The free lunchtime classes on The Dance Floor are designed to boost energy, connect people with a shared passion of dance, empower people to learn new dance skills and connect with rich cultural heritages and learn historical insights into different dance styles. Lunchtime dance classes take place between 1pm and 2pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Showmi Das also leads a weekly session on Wednesdays at 11am-12:30pm as part of the Get Into Dance programme. This class blends vibrant Bollywood routines with the elegance of Classical Indian dance and the dynamic rhythms of Folk traditions. Drawing inspiration from Shobana Jeyasingh’s We Caliban, which comes to Sadler’s Wells East in April 2026, Das explores how to craft contemporary choreography using classical Indian dance vocabulary. These sessions will culminate in a performance on The Dance Floor during the Get Into Dance Festival in April and the performances of We Caliban.

From Thursday 15th January visitors can bring their children aged 2-4 years along to Family Freestyle sessions on The Dance Floor each week at 10am & 11am. Children can discover a wide range of dance styles, developing coordination, creative thinking and social interaction. 

On Saturday 31 January Fly-Kid presents a daytime event on The Dance Floor from 12-3pm. Suitable for all ages, this free event welcomes visitors to a party featuring DJ Emily Rawson from BBC 1xtra and Pavlos & friends playing a range of music including hip hop, R&B, soul and pop, alongside activities for children with street dance lessons, hip hop face painting and games.  

Sadler’s Wells Digital Stage also launches a brand-new salsa workshop online from Monday 5 January 2026. Through four short films Luanda Pau, globally recognised as Cuba’s “Afro-Cuban Dance Queen”, teaches one of the most popular Latin dance styles in the world. Known for leading community and dance education programmes for the Carlos Acosta Foundation, Pau runs through basic salsa footwork in the films which culminate in a short routine. https://www.sadlerswells.com/take-part/online-workshops/taster-dance-workshops-salsa/

The new salsa workshop joins a series of 5-minute workshops on Digital Stage that teach the basics in a range of dance styles. From contemporary to kathak to breaking, there’s something for all ages and abilities. The full series is available here: Taster dance workshops - Sadler's Wells

Academy Breakin’ Convention, which offers the UK’s first free Level 3 Diploma in Performance and Production Arts specific to hip hop dance theatre and is based at Sadler’s Wells East, holds an open day for prospective students on Saturday 16 January 2026. The two-year course teaches talented 16–19-year-olds a range of elements of hip hop culture. On the open day participants will be able to try out free taster workshops in Emceeing, Hip Hop Social Dance and Graffiti and take a tour of the building.

MimeLondon 2026 kicks off the live performance programme at Sadler’s Wells with two cutting edge performances. At Sadler’s Wells East, celebrating its 25th anniversary, physical theatre company Gecko invites audiences to consider the contracts and commitments that shape our lives in The Wedding from Wednesday 21 – Saturday 24 January.

At the Peacock Theatre, Sadler’s Wells’ home in the West End, Compagnie le Fils du Grand Réseau presents BIGRE / “Fish Bowl” on Wednesday 28 – Saturday 31 January. The production follows three neighbours living in small attic apartments in Paris, as they navigate comedic chaos, objects fly around, characters fall flat on their faces and the whole stage is in disarray from fires, leaks, storms and other unexpected accidents.

Also available on Sadler’s Wells Digital Stage is the latest in the Confessions of a Ballet Star series, featuring Isabela Coracy, Senior Artist in Cassa Pancho’s Ballet Black, which recently made its Sadler’s Wells debut last month. The film explores key moments in Coracy’s life from learning capoeira with her dad, joining Ballet Black as a junior artist in 2013, to winning an Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance in 2024.