The Grand Theatre in Blackpool has welcomed some of the most exciting dance performers in the world to our stage, and we have ongoing relationships with some of the best dance schools in the area. If you want to learn to dance locally in Blackpool, then these are our recommendations…

Phil Winston’s Theatreworks

Phil Winston’s Theatreworks is located very close to Blackpool Tower, overlooking the sea front, and aims to provide an all-round grounding to help the talent of the future realise its potential. Theatreworks College has 7 purpose-built studios, a music room and a studio theatre. The College training uses intensive classes over a 3-day period, allowing students to spend half the week at home.

College Theatreworks students are regularly given the option of performing at both local and national events, meaning there are ready-made opportunities to become more experienced in various forms of dance and theatre at regular intervals.

Barbara Jackson’s Theatre Arts Centre

Blackpool Grand has been working with Barbara Jackson’s Theatre Arts Centre since 1999, when their students performed in a pantomime. Some of their young stars who’ve performed at the Grand have gone on to achieve huge success, such as when Lucy Fallon (of Coronation Street fame) picked up Best Actress at the Inside Soap Awards 2017 at the age of just 21.

Students at the Theatre Arts Centre range from ages 2-18, and can learn all dance genres for the purposes of fitness, musical theatre and drama. Because of this, there are also available classes in drama, singing, and festival competitions like gymdance. The Centre is based in nearby Fleetwood.

Whittaker’s Dance and Drama Centre

Founded on February 11th 1952 by Beryl Whittaker, Whittaker’s Dance and Drama Centre offers classes in dance for all ages. It also provides speech and acting classes for certain ages in both group and private settings. All levels of ability are welcome!

From 3-years old, children can enjoy Ballet and Tap, with Modern Dance available from 5, and Irish Riverdance and Street Dance on offer from 10. There’s also a full range of adult dance classes for all of these styles and more. You can even catch The World at Your Feet production on stage this March at the Blackpool Grand if you’d like to see some work from Whittaker’s elite students in person!

Langley Dance Centre

The Langley Dance Centre is based on Plymouth Road, Blackpool, and covers Modern, Tap, Rad Ballet, drama, singing, musical theatre, Acro dance, limbering and commercial jazz. The Centre opened in 1967 when Ruth Langley – the Tower Company ballet mistress – and Joan Langley – a dancer from London – joined forces to found what’s now one of Blackpool’s oldest dance schools.

The Langley Dance Centre was based in Coronation Street for 38 years, but it moved to new premises in 2018. Thousands have benefited from their excellent teaching over the years. It’s fair to say that the school has come a long way since sisters Ruth and Joan opened their doors to just 4 children!

Skool Of Street

Skool of Street’s mission statement is ‘Inspiration Without Discrimination’. Offering young people aged between 7-19 years old one of the best varieties of Hip-Hop workshop we can think of, a big difference with Skool of Street is that it obtains funding, allowing services to be provided free of charge.

Covering hip-hop dance, Breakdance, Beatboxin’, Graffiti, Spoken Word and Emcee/DJing, the Skool runs workshops and projects during school holidays. There are also longer projects going on during Easter and summer weeks, and it’s these projects that usually lead to a performance at a local theatre, like us!

Don’t forget that if you’d sooner watch others dance than learn yourself, or would like to enjoy both, then you can enjoy a wide variety of dance shows here at Blackpool Grand in the coming months.