Recently I took a trip to London and while I was there I decided to try a drop-in ballet class at the famous Pineapple Dance Studios. Since there was so much to do in London, I wasn’t sure at first that I would get a chance to take a class, but I’m so glad that I was able to, as it’s one of my favourite things to do in a city I’ve never been to before. As a bit of background, the owner of Pineapple Dance Studios is former model Debbie Moore who decided to open a studio in 1979 after her local studio closed down. One of the most interesting things I learned about the studio was that its name was based on the fact that the location of the studio used to be a pineapple warehouse!
Despite the fact that there are quite a few drop in dance classes available in London, this studio is one of the most popular studios as it holds over 250 classes a week in multiple different dance disciplines such as ballet, jazz, hip hop, contemporary, tap, world, and more. Along with that it has been used extensively for rehearsal space for celebrities like Beyonce, Madonna, and Kylie Minogue. It also holds auditions and rental space for TV networks, film studios, Broadway, record labels, and so much more! In fact, they even had a TV show documentary soap that aired in 2014 called “Pineapple Dance Studios”. The dance studio is located in Covent Garden, UK, along with dancewear clothing store in the same area, where I was able to buy two shirts as a souvenir.
The owner, Debbie Moore, has also written two books called “When a Woman Means Business” and “The Pineapple Dance Book” about the studio, and is an established businesswoman. In fact, she was the first woman to take a company public to the London Stock Exchange in 1982 and has also been appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2010, as well as winning multiple businesswomen awards.
The studio itself is both a drop-in dance centre with 12 dance studios, as well as containing the Pineapple Performing Arts School. The dance class I ended up taking was a drop-in ballet class at the general level with Amber Doyle. Upon research, I found out that Amber Doyle has trained at the Royal Ballet School and Central School of Ballet and graduated with ‘A’ level in dance history and has performed with the English National Ballet Company, as well as working with artists such as Madonna, Jessie J, Calvin Harris, and Black Eye Peas. The studio the class ended up being held in was Studio 79, which is on the very top floor (online it will call this studio 7).
Transportation/Getting to the Studio:
In terms of transportation, I would recommend taking the tube or a bus, but the tube is generally faster due to above ground traffic, and if you're close you can walk, as most things in London are situated fairly close together. Other options include taking a taxi or bicycling, but keep in mind the roads are fairly congested in London and isn’t the easiest for bicycling due to many pedestrians and other cars. As for Uber, it is currently non-operational in London due to its recent stripping of licence in November 2019, however, this may change over time, so make sure to look at the news before planning your transportation to London. Personally, I found their transit to be significantly better than Vancouver’s, so I would use the tube if there were a station nearby or walk if it’s close.
Payment/Membership Fee:
In terms of payment, there is a required membership fee to take any of their dance classes, which range from 1 day (2-4 pounds; depending on day/time), 1 month (32 pounds), 3 month (80 pounds), 6 months (130 pounds), and 1 year (125/200 pounds option). Since I only had time to take one dance class during my time in London, I chose to buy the 1 day membership. Upon arrival at the front desk you must pay in cash (British pounds), which is in addition to the class fee or you can buy membership ahead of time online.
As for the fee of the class, this is paid to the teacher before class in cash as well, and can range from 7-10 pounds per class, depending on the style and duration. The class I ended up taking was a morning/afternoon class and cost 8 pounds and was 1-1/2 hours long, however, initially I thought it would be only 1 hour, as was indicated online, but you’re free to leave at any time, so it’s not too strict in this regard. However, I decided to stay anyways, as I thought since I was there anyways I might as well continue the class. Initially the main reason I wanted a shorter class was due to trying to fit in more sights of London, but fortunately I was still able to see everything in addition to staying for the class.
Where to Leave Your Belongings During Class:
In terms of leaving your bags and belongings, you can put them inside of the classroom to the side, so you don’t need to worry about losing anything, as they are within your sight. Outside of the classroom, there are also benches and a waiting area with windows to wait before class begins. However, by the time I arrived I didn’t need to wait outside and was able to walk right now. The class size ended up being around 30-35 people and since it was a general level, the difficulty level was able to accommodate most levels. The class format itself was easy to follow and similar to drop in classes in Vancouver and I would take a class again.
Ballet Class Clothing Attire and Hair:
As for clothing and hair, I wore my hair in a classic ballet bun along with a black leotard, ballet shoes, and tights, as I find this outfit works for most dance classes universally. Other dancers wore similar attire or leggings, a fitted t-shirt, ballet shoes, and a ponytail. However, I would still recommend if you have a leotard, tights, ballet shoes, and a hairnet and pins, I would still stick with that. But don’t let it stop you from a taking a class if you don’t have them on hand and only have leggings, a fitted t-shirt, and ballet shoes since the experience is what matters most!
Ballet Class:
The class was enjoyable and Amber Doyle was a great teacher. However, since there were quite a few people it was a bit difficult at times to find space for exercises but luckily the more space occupying exercises ended up being done by groups of dancers instead of all at once. After the class was over I was able to take a selfie next to the Pineapple sign, so I could show you all for the blog (I’m still not great at these but eventually I’ll figure it out haha). I think next time I would try taking an intermediate or an intermediate/advanced class, but since I was trying to fit in so many sights in London it became difficult to do both. Also, since it was becoming close to Christmas time, this was the last Sunday class before holiday break. But that’s just more reason to go back, which I’m sure I will since I had a wonderful time in London!
One of the coolest things they had in the staircases with multiple posters from past musicals and Broadway productions that previous dancers from the studio had participated in. Along with photos of Debbie Moore and some of her dancers, which are shown in photos I took down below. Overall, I had a great time and I would recommend checking it out if you get a chance to go to London and are looking for a dance class. All of the people at the studio were very warm and welcoming and with its history alone it’s worth a visit.
"The Next Step":
As a side note, the day I was there was super busy outside with dancers taking photos next to the pineapple sign, which I found out later was due to the TV show “The Next Step” dance workshop that was occurring at the same time. So for those of you, who are a fan of the show, check out their workshops online before you go to see if one of them are occurring while you’re there. Coincidentally, “The Next Step” is a Canadian TV show, so it was like a piece of home was there with me, especially since I’ve met a few of the cast members taking workshops in Vancouver without knowing who they were until someone told me afterwards (they were all really nice).
After class, I ended up buying two shirts at the Pineapple Dancewear store as souvenirs and fortunately my hotel was close by and I was able to walk back no problem. Overall, I hope you enjoyed this review and that you are able to use this information to plan your visit to Pineapple Dance Studios! Thank you to those of you who took the time to read this very long article, as I know I can write fairly long and detailed at times, you’re the best! Keep on dancing :)
Here is the link to the website: pineapple.uk.com
Here I am after taking the ballet class with Amber Doyle at Pineapple Dance Studios.
Pineapple Dance Studios store.
The famous Pineapple sign/logo.
Photographs of Debbie Moore and some of her dancers at the studio.
Posters of past show productions students from the studio have been in.
Thanks so much for reading and I hope that if you plan on going that this article is able to help you out a bit to plan your trip!
Also, make sure to check out my two previous articles on dance in London: "Inspired to Dance in London"-where I talk about all things dance related as a general overview, and also "Royal Ballet's 'The Sleeping Beauty' Review in London"-where I give a detailed overview of my personal experience.
Make sure to be on the lookout for upcoming articles on my review of seeing the musical "White Christmas" at the Dominion Theatre in London, as well as my review of the Alberta Ballet's "The Nutcracker" in Vancouver!
Happy dancing! :)
Studio Location: 7 Langley Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9JA, UK
Pineapple Dance Store Location: 8 Mercer Walk, Langley Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9FA
All photos are taken by Lauren Tang for (c) Dance News BC 2019