At DanceEast, our classes have always been about more than movement, they’re about connection, growth, and community. This past year, we’ve taken a deep dive into the heart of our class programme, looking at how we can make it even better: clearer, more accessible, more impactful, and more enjoyable for everyone involved.
We’re excited to share what’s changing, why we’re making those changes, and, perhaps most importantly, how we got here.
The Process
Over the past year, we’ve gone through a detailed and collaborative process to evaluate our class offering. This included:
- Class Observations – Spending time in sessions to really see the learning environments, teaching approaches, and participant engagement in action.
- Team Meetings – Bringing together staff across departments to discuss what’s working, what isn’t, and where we want to go.
- Participant and Tutor Feedback – Gathering valuable input from the people at the heart of the classes: those delivering them, and those taking part.
- Focus Groups – Engaging with different participant groups to dig deeper into their experiences and needs.
- 1-to-1 Conversations – Taking the time to have honest, open chats with tutors, participants and team members to understand challenges and opportunities from every angle.
This process helped us make informed, thoughtful decisions and we’re super proud of the progress we’ve made so far.
What’s Changing?
We’re introducing a number of exciting developments designed to improve clarity, progression, and participant experience across the board:
Class Programme Strands! We’ve introduced four distinct strands:
- For Families (0–4)
- For Kids (4–11)
- For Youth (12–18)
- For Adults (18+)
This makes it easier to navigate our programme and helps us support participants at every stage of their dance journey.
- New Class Names – For example, Creative Dance 4–7s will now be called Dance For Kids, to take away any confusion and make it clearer what to expect. We want new families and dancers to feel confident and welcomed from the moment they read the timetable.
- Fresh Offerings for Ages 8–11 – We’re replacing Creative Dance 8–11s with three style-specific classes: Ballet, Contemporary, and Hip Hop Dance. These options allow young dancers to explore different styles, while building technique and confidence.
- Restructured Timetable – To support both tutors and participants, we’ve grouped similar classes together on the same day. For example, all Hip Hop classes will now take place on Thursdays, which helps tutors get the most out of their teaching and gives families a simpler, more predictable schedule.
- New Marketing Strategy and Materials – We’re refreshing our website and brochure to reflect these changes, with updated copy that’s simple, accessible, and aligned with the new structure. This makes it easier to find and understand what’s on offer.
What We’re Working Towards
All of these changes are steps toward a bigger vision:
- A High-Quality, Participant-Centred Programme – We want our classes to be more than a transaction, they should be experiences that inspire and nurture.
- Progression Pathways – Whether someone is dancing for fun or with ambitions for performance or training, there should be a clear journey forward. From toddler classes to CAT (Centre for Advanced Training), we’re working to make every stage of that journey visible and supported.
- A Stronger Sense of Community – DanceEast is a place to move, but it’s also a place to belong. We want our programme to support connection, not just through dance, but through shared experiences and a strong community.
- Increased Accessibility and Engagement – The decisions we’ve made have been shaped by those who know our programme best, our tutors and our participants. This has helped us create a more cohesive, inclusive, and diverse offering that reflects real needs and real voices.
- Clarity and Retention – By improving structure and communication, we hope to retain participants for longer, supporting their growth while making DanceEast a consistent and trusted part of their lives.
Looking Ahead
This isn’t a one-time fix, it’s the beginning of an evolving process. As we move forward, we’ll continue to listen, learn, and adapt. Our goal is to ensure DanceEast’s class programme remains dynamic, inclusive, and deeply valuable to our community.
We’re incredibly proud of the steps we’ve taken, and we’re even more excited about what’s to come.
Thank you for being part of our journey, let’s keep moving, growing, and dancing together!
Daisy Wyatt (Programme Manager) and Hayley Lemon (Programme Coordinator)
Explore our new class timetable and book your next session here.
We’re always open to hearing from you, get in touch with feedback or questions: info@danceeast.co.uk
