Yorkshire Dance is throwing open its doors to new dancers for the launch of Let’s Dance. This national initiative, spearheaded by Angela Rippon CBE, is all about raising awareness for the benefits of dance on both physical and mental health, bringing people together through dance and encouraging those that don’t usually dance to give it a go.

Our Dance On programme, targeted at over 55s, is designed to be a fun way to meet new friends, move to music and have a laugh. With 24 classes across Leeds and Bradford, participants don’t need any experience of dance and everyone is welcome from seasoned dancers to people with limited mobility who can take part seated.

96 year old participant Margot says “Dancing has been big part of my life and it’s what’s kept me going. I really enjoy it. For me, the adrenalin starts and I just love it. It keeps me mobile because if you don’t you just stiffen up and you can’t do anything.”

New participants can sign up for a free Dance On taster session by emailing Hannah on DanceOn@yorksiredance.com or phoning 0113 243 8765. Find a session near you.

We are also offering free tasters for our popular Saturday Superstars dance sessions for ages 0-16. With classes including street, ballet, tap and creative pop there’s a dance style to suit everyone. This year TEMPO Street Crew for ages 12-16 have been selected for Sadler’s Wells prestigious Making Moves performance project. Making Moves aims to raise the profile of dance being created in school and youth settings, and offers a chance to perform on one of Sadler’s Wells stages. Young dancers joining TEMPO will have the opportunity to work with leading choreographer Khloe Dean.

Find out more about Saturday Superstars and book a free taster by contacting Chloe on sss@yorkshiredance.com or phoning 0113 243 8765.

Hannah Robertshaw, Creative Director at Yorkshire Dance, says, “We’re passionate about sharing the joy of dance with people in our communities. Every day we see the huge impact of dance on health and wellbeing. Our dance programmes offer people opportunities to connect, make friends, keep fit and have fun. We believe every body should benefit from dance so all our programmes are low cost and accessible. We’re delighted to support the Let’s Dance initiative by welcoming new dancers with a free taster.”

Strictly Come Dancing’s Shirley Ballas and Dianne Buswell visited us in January and want to keep Yorkshire Dancing!