Hello,

I'm French and I'm 17 years old.
I'm sorry for my bad English ,but I just would ask you where I can find a good dance school in London?
After my French A-Levels ( baccalauréat in French) I would go 1 year in England, for learn English and find a Dance School where I can dance several hours a day.
When I come back in France I want to take the Teacher Dance Exam.
I wish find a dance school where I can practise different style :Classical, Modern, Jazz and Tap dance... Where there is ( it's were great)a boarding school...
If you have adresses can you tell me please - here or in a private e-mail : t-lambert@wanadoo.fr
Best wishes,
Laura

PS: My message in France if you want to better understand
Après mon bac, c'est à dire dans 1 an, je souhaite aller 1 an en Angleterre ( à Londres si possible) et entre dans une école de danse pour suivre une formation serieuse en danse ( classique, et contemporain au minimum) pour à la fois atteindre un bon niveau en danse et pouvoir progresser considérablement en anglais. - en revenant en france je souhaite passer l'EAT -diplome de professeur de danse-.
Je souhaitais savoir si vous connaissiez de bonnes écoles de danse correspondant à mes désirs et où il y aurait un internat pour les éventuels étrangers comme moi?
Vous pouvez me répondre ici ou par message privé : t-lambert@wanadoo.fr
Si vous connaissez des sites internet d'écoles de danse aussi... n'hésitez pas à m'en faire part!

Je vous remercie d'avance pour votre gentilesse et vous prie de bien vouloir m'excuser pour mon mauvais anglais...
Amitiés
Laura

Hi Laura

I read your message on criticaldance.com. I'm sure others will have their own ideas about where you should try but here are mine.

So far as I know, there are no dance schools in London that have boarding facilities. The students always have to find their own place to live.

It may be that you will be better taking classes at different studios. As always in a new city it will probably be a case of trying out a few classes and teachers and seeing who works best for you. For contemporary dance you should definitely try The Place, but they don't have classes during the day. For daytime ballet I would recommend Danceworks.

A good general website that lists dance classes and has lots of internet links is LondonDance.com at http://www.londondance.com/content.asp?CategoryID=174. Always check out the details with the centre or studio's own website though.

Probably the best known places are:

The Place - This is the base for the London Contemporary Dance School but they also have a range of open classes in the evening in contemporary dance and ballet. There is also an open professional level contemporary class at 9.00am each morning. You can pay a class at a time or termly. They also have an intensive week at Easter and three intensive weeks in July/August when you can take class all day! The studios and facilities are superb. I always find the atmosphere really open and welcoming. The contemporary dance teachers especially are about the best in the city. There's also a theatre with several, mostly contemporary, performances each week. The Place is near Euston station. The website is at www.theplace.org.uk

Laban also has evening classes but is rather more difficult to get to. Their website is at www.laban.org

Danceworks - This is a more commercial dance centre in Balderton Street (off Oxford Street) near Bond Street underground station. They have a wide range of classes in all styles. They probably have more ballet that anywhere else in the city. It can be crowded but, in my experience, the teachers are good. If you are coming for a year you should become a member which will cut the costs. Their website is at www.danceworks.net

Pineapple - Another commercial dance centre in Covent Garden (near the Royal Opera House) offering a wide range of classes at all levels. It always used to be very crowded and I haven't been for ages. They have a membership system like Danceworks. Their details and timetable are at www.pineapple.uk.com

A bit less well-known are the open classes at the Urdang School, also in Covent Garden. Apparently their website is being redesigned and is not available at present.