Creative Dance Classes for Children - Autumn Term 2025

Hosted by Chisenhale Dance Space, our fun, creative and interactive dance classes provide a safe and nurturing environment for children to explore movement and express themselves.

What Chiskids parents have to say about our dance classes:

" GREAT, GREAT, GREAT! We can't wait to sign up for next term!"

"Wonderful teachers. Beautiful happy environment."

"Lots of confidence. Has so much fun. It is her favourite class. Beginning to learn the different ways in which she can move her body."

"With a new baby in the family this was a great class my eldest and I to bond and have 'special' time just the two of us. She loved being active and moving and especially the imaginative elements (being a banana wrapped and sprinkled!)."

Classes and timings. Please note the new timings for 2025.

Five separate classes take place every Saturday:

09:15 - 10:00 Mini movers, ages 2-3 with parents / carers

09:15 - 10:00 Wiggle On, ages 3-4 with parents / carers

10:10 - 10:50 Leaps & Strides, ages 4-5

11:00 - 11:45 Rise Up (new for 2025!), ages 6-7

12 - 12:55 Lift Off (new for 2025!), ages 8-11

You can choose the class that fits your child / children via the relevant link once you click on 'book'.

Dates. Term starts on Saturday 13th September and runs for 13 weeks with no classes on Saturday 1st November for half term. The last class of term is on Saturday 13th December, when parents are invited to join us in the studio for 'watching week'.

Pricing. The cost for the 13 week term for Mini Movers, Wiggle On, Leaps & Strides & Rise Up is £130 plus the eventbrite service fee. This equates to £10 per class. Lift Off is £152 for the term plus the eventbrite service fee. Once term has begun, there may be limited spaces available at a cost based on the number of weeks remaining, at £10 per week and £12 per week for Lift Off.

Taster class. During the first two weeks of term you can book a one-off taster session for £10 (plus eventbrite fee) and £12 for Lift Off (plus eventbrite fee) which will then be deducted from your termly fee if you decide to continue.

We offer a sibling discount of 20% off the total cost if you have more than one child coming to our classes. To access this option, use the 'free' rebook tickets and make a transfer for the reduced amount. Get in touch with any questions.

Re-booking payment via bank transfer. If your child is registered for the Summer term 2025 in any of our classes, you can avoid the eventbrite fee by booking a 'free' rebook ticket. Choose the relevant 'rebook' ticket and pay us £130 (Mini Movers, Wiggle On, Leaps & Strides & Rise Up) and £156 for Lift Off via bank transfer (details will have been sent to you). This also applies if you've already booked a taster session and are ready to book for the rest of term, or if you were enrolled in the Spring term 2025.

Low income discount. We aim for our classes to be as accessible and inclusive as possible for the community, and have a limited number of 40% reduced places for low income families. If cost is a barrier, please get in touch with us directly to request a bursary: [email protected]

Please get in touch with any questions: [email protected]

Mini Movers 09:15 - 10am, 2-3 years with a parent / carer, performance studio, gives you the chance to discover the joy of movement alongside your little one. You will roll, skip, and hop through creative exercises and stories designed to inspire children to use their imagination and get moving! Teacher Robyn encourages both you and your child to express yourself and have fun dancing as a team!

Wiggle On 9:15 - 10am, 3-4 years with a parent / carer (research studio) is a stepping stone between our Mini-Movers and Leaps & Strides classes. Children and their adults dance together – a chance for you and your child to explore movement in a friendly, intimate setting – all while encouraging independent exploration to prepare your child to join a class without an adult. Join Olly as you jump, balance, roll and spin through storytelling and adventures to make movement fun!

Leaps & Strides 10:10 - 10:50, 4-5 years (performance studio) will encourage your little ones to express themselves freely through movement. Children attend this class without an adult, and Robyn and Olly create a safe and nurturing environment for them to explore dance and movement independently for the first time! Your child will learn new moves and dynamics, and even learn short movement phrases – all designed to make dance and movement fun!

Rise Up 11:00 - 11:45 , 6-7 years (performance studio) builds on the foundations of Leaps & Strides (4-5 years). Your child will get the chance to experience more challenging movement ideas, working as a group and with partners and building strength and flexibility by learning more complex movement phrases. Robyn and Olly push your child’s imagination even further through story-telling and improvisation. This is a great class for your child to build their skills and confidence in a fun, nurturing environment.

Lift Off 12:00 – 12:55, 8-11 years (performance studio) gives children the opportunity to explore contemporary dance technique more deeply through structured exercises, set phrases and movement games. Building on the foundations of Rise Up, this class takes devising a step further by encouraging children to develop their own choreography through more complex creative tasks. They'll continue to build strength, coordination and confidence whilst working both independently and as part of a group.

This class serves as a stepping stone for children interested in dancing at secondary school or progressing to more advanced levels of training.

Robyn Holder

Robyn is a freelance performer, choreographer, teacher and co-founder of Feet off the Ground. She graduated from London Contemporary Dance School in 2013 and has been the lead creative movement facilitator at Chisenhale Dance Space for eight years.

Robyn is committed to creating spaces where children and young people's creativity is nurtured through movement and can flourish in a safe and supportive environment. Her teaching practice spans from early years to professional level. She has facilitated workshops, classes and has been commissioned to create choreographic works for: Dance4, London Contemporary Dance School, Laban, London Studio Centre, Northern School of Contemporary Dance amongst others.

Olly Otley

After a career in film production, Olly rekindled her childhood love of contemporary dance and gained a Post Graduate Diploma with distinction in Community Dance from Trinity Laban.

She has worked extensively with children and their parents, leading creative movement, play and music activities in the UK and Germany. Olly also teaches at Rambert and Adrenalin dance, runs adults' classes at Wednesday Moving, is a qualified Forest School leader and runs her own dance and nature project, Wild Things. Olly believes strongly that people of any age and ability should have access to the joy and artistic expression that dance offers.

Host or Publisher Chis Kids Dance