London's CWS Dance School
CWS Dance is a dance school based in Canada Water, London, offering ballet, contemporary, modern and lyrical dance classes for children from age 2½ and adults of all ages. Classes run across three venues: Canada Water Studios, Dockland Settlements and Canada Water Leisure Centre.
The school is led by Angelina Spurrier BA Hons AISTD (Cecchetti) AISTD (Imperial), a professionally trained dancer and teacher with over 25 years of teaching experience. Whether you’re looking for dance lessons in London for a young child, a structured ballet course or an adult class to start something new, CWS Dance has a place for you.
The Story of CWS Dance
CWS Dance grew from a simple belief: that excellent dance training should be rooted in the local community and open to everyone. The school takes students from their very first class at age 2½ all the way through to advanced level, following the internationally respected Cecchetti method ballet syllabus under the guidance of the ISTD.
We’re proud of what our students achieve. Some go on to gain places on professional dance training programmes. The majority dance because they love it, and that’s exactly as it should be. Our aim is to develop a passion for dance that stays with students for the rest of their lives.
Meet Angelina Spurrier
Every great dance school has a heart, and ours is Angelina Spurrier, our Director of Dance. Angelina’s experience in the world of dance brings depth and care to every class we offer, but her focus has always been on how that experience benefits her pupils.
Angelina began her training at the age of three with Molly Wright and Phyllis Adams at the Phyllis Adams School of Dance in Great Yarmouth, the same school where Royal Ballet choreographer Kenneth MacMillan first trained. By six, she had gained a place at Merle Park’s School of Ballet in Chiswick. At just eight years old, her dedication earned her a scholarship to the Paris Opera Ballet School, where she trained as one of the school’s “petits rats de l’Opéra,” the traditional name for the school’s young dancers. During her time in Paris, she had the opportunity to perform for President Mitterrand and to take part in Rudolf Nureyev’s rehearsals for Romeo and Juliet.
Angelina's Training and Career
One of the memorable moments of Angelina’s early career was meeting and dancing with the legendary Gene Kelly in a tribute to An American in Paris. Her training continued back in England at The Royal Ballet Upper School TTC and the Central School of Ballet, eventually leading her to professional stages across Germany, where she danced with the Braunschweig Staatstheater in a range of classical and contemporary ballets.
Today, Angelina brings that training and experience to Canada Water with a commitment to supporting each student’s progress. She is a mentor who has successfully run her own schools for decades and holds a first-class honours degree in the Theory and Practice of Dance, alongside Distinctions in both her ISTD Imperial and Cecchetti method teaching qualifications.
She is also a member of the Royal Academy of Dancing (RAD), I-Path, ISTD (Imperial and Cecchetti) and Rambert Grades. Despite this breadth of knowledge across multiple disciplines, Angelina specifically chose the Cecchetti method for CWS Dance, having witnessed first-hand over the years how it shapes not just dancers, but confident, creative young individuals.
Rooted in the Local Community
Angelina started her teaching career in 2000 at Seven Islands Leisure Centre in Surrey Quays, returning to the area she originally trained in when CWS Dance was established. Over the years she has taught across London from Swiss Cottage to Clapham, and further afield including Surrey, giving her a broad understanding of the different communities and families she supports through dance.
She subsequently became the owner of the Vacani School of Dance, one of London’s best-known ballet schools, with branches in Clapham and Swiss Cottage. She remains a Director of the Clapham branch today.
Angelina has guided thousands of children through both class examinations and grade examinations in the Cecchetti Classical Ballet Method, and she is delighted to be back working alongside a wonderful team of teachers in the beautiful studios at Canada Water.
CWS Dance School FAQs
Our Dance Classes
Babies Ballet &
Ballet for 3 Year Olds
Find out more about our baby and toddler ballet dance classes.
Babies Ballet &
Ballet for 3 Year Olds
Cecchetti Classical Ballet
(ISTD Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing)
Find out more about our Cecchetti Classical Ballet dance classes.
Cecchetti Classical Ballet
(ISTD Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing)
Rambert Creative Movers
& Contemporary Dance
Find out more about our Rambert Creative Movers dance classes.