Adult Ballet Classes in London and Silver Swans
Adult Ballet Classes in London and Silver Swans at CWS Dance
Ballet is not just for children, and it is never too late to start. At CWS Dance, our adult ballet classes welcome complete beginners and returning dancers at our Canada Water studio in SE16. Whether you danced as a child and want to come back to it, or you have always been curious about ballet and never had the chance, our Thursday evening classes are designed with you in mind.
Classes run on Thursdays at 6.30pm during school term time at Canada Water Studios. A single class costs £12, or you can book a bundle of five classes for £50.
Ballet for all Ages 6.30pm on Thursdays during Term Time
Everyone is Welcome
Our adult ballet classes are open to all ages, all abilities and all levels of experience. There is no minimum fitness requirement, no expectation that you have danced before and no pressure to keep up with anyone else in the room. Some of our students come to us having not danced since childhood. Others are trying ballet for the very first time in their 40s, 50s or 60s. All of them are welcome.
If any of the following sounds familiar, this class is for you:
- You danced as a child and have always wanted to return to it
- You have always been curious about ballet but never had the opportunity to try
- You want a full-body workout that also feels creative and genuinely enjoyable
- You are looking for something that gets you away from a screen at the end of the day
- You want to understand ballet technique, terminology and musicality more deeply
- You are simply looking for something new to try
What Happens in a Class
Each session works through a structured sequence of exercises at the barre before moving into the centre of the room. The barre work builds strength, balance and correct alignment, while the centre exercises introduce turns, travelling steps and more expressive movement. Throughout, Angelina teaches technique clearly and patiently, giving you the tools to understand what you are doing and why, not just how to copy the steps.
Classes are accompanied by piano music and follow the Cecchetti method, one of the world’s most respected classical ballet syllabi. You do not need to know anything about this before you arrive. It simply means that the progression is carefully structured and that the technique you are learning is grounded in a serious, internationally recognised approach to classical ballet.
Silver Swans: Ballet for the Over-55s
CWS Dance is a licensed Silver Swans provider. Silver Swans is a ballet programme developed by the Royal Academy of Dance specifically for people aged 55 and over. It adapts classical ballet exercises to focus on posture, mobility, strength and balance, and is designed to be both physically accessible and genuinely sociable.
Many Silver Swans participants have no prior dance experience at all. The classes are taught at a pace that suits the group, with exercises adapted where needed, and the atmosphere is warm and encouraging. For many of our Silver Swans students, Thursday evenings have become one of their favourite parts of the week.
If you are over 55 and have been thinking about trying ballet, Silver Swans is one of the best ways to begin. Get in touch to find out more or to book your first class.
The Benefits of Adult Ballet
Adult ballet is one of the most complete forms of exercise available. A regular class improves posture, core strength, flexibility and coordination, while also requiring concentration and musicality. Many of our students find that ballet gives them something a gym session does not: a sense of craft, of learning something worth learning and of making real, visible progress over time.
There is also a mental dimension that surprises many new students. Learning and retaining sequences of movement exercises memory and focus. Moving to music releases endorphins. And finishing a class feeling slightly more upright, more coordinated and more alive than when you walked in is quietly satisfying in a way that is hard to explain until you have experienced it.
About Your Teacher
Adult ballet and Silver Swans classes at CWS Dance are led by Angelina Spurrier, the school’s founder and principal. Angelina’s introduction to ballet came early: in 1979, aged eight, she was offered a scholarship at the Paris Opera Ballet School, where she trained and performed in professional productions. Her career included working with Nureyev, dancing for President Mitterrand and performing alongside Gene Kelly in a tribute to An American in Paris.
She continued her training at Bush Davies, the Royal Ballet Upper School and the Central School of Ballet, and danced professionally with the Braunschweig Staatstheater in Germany, performing roles across the classical and contemporary repertoire including Giselle, The Nutcracker and The Rite of Spring.
Angelina holds a first-class honours degree in the Theory and Practice of Dance and has earned Distinctions in both her ISTD Imperial and Cecchetti method teaching qualifications. Now in her mid-50s, she continues to teach ballet to adults and children of all ages. The depth of her experience informs every class, and her teaching style balances high standards with genuine warmth and patience.
