Programme of lunchtime sessions builds on success of first year that saw more than 6,600 people participate at East Bank venue
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A fresh programme of free dance classes is set to begin at Sadler’s Wells East in September.
Held on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from September 14, 2026, the initiative takes place on The Dance Floor at the East Bank venue, a deliberately public-facing space on the ground floor that looks out over the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
“In our first year we had more than 6,600 people participate in these classes,” said Natasha Anderson.
“And that’s just one of the ways we use the space.
“Creating The Dance Floor when Sadler’s Wells East opened was done with the vision that dancing in the foyer, on the stage and in the rehearsal rooms upstairs are all the bread and butter of what we do.
“It’s positioned by the window so there are lots of people passing by who see what’s going on and come in to take a look.
“The floor feels like our most welcoming space, so we spend a lot of time thinking about the dance styles we want to showcase on it, the type of artists we’ll feature and what we’re going to teach people.”
welcoming people in
As Sadler’s Wells head of community engagement, Natasha is tasked with reaching out beyond the organisations’ walls to connect with residents, organisations and visitors, with The Dance Floor central to those efforts in Stratford.
“People might just stop by to visit the café or the toilets at Sadler’s Wells East,” she said.
“No matter how you come into this building, we want you to feel welcome and that this space is for you.
“The Dance Floor is our shop window and it’s one we’re really proud of, whether that’s the classes we’re hosting or the performances we’ve programmed.”
From September 14, there will be free lunchtime classes three times a week, this season covering Afro-Caribbean Fusion, Funky Social Dance and Reggae + Soul Line Dance.
These are suitable for all ages, but under-18s must be accompanied by an adult.
a place where friendships start
“I tell people to expect the unexpected in terms of how they’re going to feel,” said Natasha.
“People who are dancing for the first time often come with hesitation and trepidation, but they leave with such big smiles on their faces because they’ve had so much fun.
“It’s been a place where friendships have started – those interactions are so important for mental health, as well as the physical benefits of getting on the floor and dancing.
“There are so many joyful things that happen to your body when you move to music – serotonin levels rise and it makes you feel good.
“We work with a pool of really talented teachers who work in a variety of different styles. The important thing for us is to set a bar for positivity – that’s really important.
“I encourage as many people as possible to take part in these classes, including our own staff.
“They can be a real jumping off point for people to discover what they like and then to find other places to dance too.
“New this term will be the Reggae + Soul Line Dancing – it’s something that’s really big in the States. We ran a trial session in June and it went down really well.
“People might know the steps to Candy from parties, but there so much more to explore.”
an extensive programme on The Dance Floor
That sentiment is one that also extends to The Dance Floor’s wider programme – for example, its key role as a stage for The Music Is Black Festival’s series of free live weekend performances that have been taking place this summer.
Natasha said: “The community groups we work with use it as a performance space too and we’ve had some really lovely feedback.
“For a lot of the groups we work with, getting the support, the care, being heard, being seen and respected, has been really amazing.
“We’ve even had some dancers ending up on stage because they performed here on The Dance Floor and were seen by artists putting on shows here.
“We also use it in our work with schools across east London for our regular Creative Classroom sessions.
“We have set times when anyone can come and use the space called The Floor Is Yours – people just need to sign in and then they can get moving.”
Natasha, who worked for the Barbican before joining Sadler’s Wells, said she especially enjoyed watching young children dancing with their adults at the regular Family Freestyle sessions, which are also free but need to be booked in advance.
She said: “Early development is so important.
“These are for kids aged 2-4 but the sessions aren’t a drop-off.
“We want the parents, grandparents and carers to dance with their toddlers.
“We teach them how to dance with their child. Especially the older generation love it.”
key details: The Dance Floor
Free lunchtime classes run at The Dance Floor in Sadler’s Wells East on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 1pm-2pm, starting on September 14, 2026.
They are free to join, with participants simply registering on arrival at the venue’s Welcome Desk.
Class listings are available here.
Family Freestyle sessions take place on Thursdays, from September 14 and are also free but must be booked in advance, suitable for ages 2-4 accompanied by an adult.
You can also find the full programme of events taking place on The Dance Floor via Sadler’s Wells’ website here.
Read more: Find out more about Common Threads, coming to Cody Dock in September
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