Roos Academy of Performing Arts is an excellent dancing school. My…read more daughter's progress and achievements over the last 3 years have been amazing, but more importantly, she absolutely loves her dancing lessons and the friends she has made there. I cannot praise Helen and the other teachers highly enough, they are very enthusiastic and patient with all the children, enabling them to achieve their very best, whilst having fun. There is a wide range of lessons to choose from including Ballet, Tap, Modern, Singing and Drama and lots of opportunities to perform if your child wants to, including festivals, competitions, shows and school fairs, together with a large number of children who have appeared in West End shows. If you are looking for dancing lessons for your child, I would highly recommend Roos Academy of Peforming Arts.

From the owner: The Greenwich branch was opened in September 1995, quickly expanding with a Saturday branch opening…read moreat Shrewsbury House Bushmoor crescent SE18 in January 1996.

I'm fed up of gyms. They no longer interest me…read more So I've decided to take up ballet. I did a bit of research for dance schools in London and struggled to find somewhere that taught adults and wasn't too intimidating. Manor Ballet's website reassured me that it was ok to be an adult learner and that they get both enthusiasts and newbies. I called them up to find out more and they were so helpful and totally understood why i would be apprehensive. They advised me which days would be better for me to come in as a beginner and suggested i try 'Russian Workout' (like doing ballet stretch exercise class to music) as the moves are all new to me. The studios are in a nice street within walking distance of trains, tubes and buses. They are clean, bright, airy and modern and big enough to accommodate the class sizes. The staff knew i was new and apprehensive and gave me a tour of the studios and explained how things work there. The class moved at a nice pace but was busy and popular. I would have liked the teacher to help me out understanding some of the positions (he wasn't always at the front demonstrating). I struggled at times to understand/hear the teacher but i think that's more a reflection on me than him! Classes are around £10 an hour and there's no membership fees to pay, unlike some of the bigger dance studios. I enjoyed the class and have decided to do a few more of the Russian Workouts before i move on to Adult Beginners Ballet.

I'm French, have a professional level but no stamina at all as I have stopped regular training for…read more2 years now. I have the body for ballet so I love the Russian method that pushes the body and joints to their maximum. My best teacher I've had is Russian (Mariinski, defected stayed in the US, principal at ABT) and I've also had workshops with a lot of great Russian teachers even 1 soloist from the Bolchoi (Irina Piatkina). I was very positive when I arrived at that school but it didn't work out unfortunately. The lady who welcomed me seemed to be nice at the start, but I found her a little bit arrogant at the end, when I told her that I wasn't sure whether I would come back or not. She took it personally (I think she's the teacher's wife) and suggested that I would be entitled to some privileges (like the use of the beautiful bathroom on the lower ground of the school) only if I decided to get on board "permanently" with them. I felt pushed in a rather peculiar way because it was done through suggestions. She was fine but mentioned the fact that he had been a principal at the Bolchoi etc... not very constructive as it had to do with his reputation and not with the quality of his teaching. I can't remember exactly the level of the class I took, but I think it was intermediate. Students: The students seemed to be very nice, very respectful towards the teacher which I liked at the start. There were mainly amateurs but there was and one professional, definitely Russian trained, very nice guy. He understood the unpleasant remarks the teacher made about me (so, because you're smarter than the others, you're going to do it again...) and was really a positive presence. There was also another female dancer, I would say, semi professional who rehearsed a pas de deux with the nice guy at the end of the class. So the atmosphere was of an amateur school but with a professional touch. Teacher: Former principal of the Bolchoi, and not very modest. Not interested in what you have to offer as a dancer, on the defensive and suspicious about your capacities - exactly the opposite of the majority of my Russian teachers. Not very encouraging to me; more focused on his regular students but even with them, not very "demonstrative" either. A little bit sarcastic, quite rough, made me think of the old school and tough boys teachers. Not encouraging but rather bringing you down to push you - which doesn't work with me personally; I noticed he did that especially after I did triple turns. I'm sure he is a nice guy but I didn't feel his teaching was so good that it would compensate his rather authoritarian style - I would have kept on going to this school if it had been the case. Barre work: Excellent, very slow, no "breaks" between 2 exercises (pure russian method) very down to earth (no fancy stuff that will put you off balance) thorough, very hard but excellent for stamina and posture, excellent for building muscles again, excellent for coming back to class slowly and find the correct position, build the right muscles. Center: Less "grounded", some fancy stuff that might put you off balance, strengthening exercises that can seem a little bit out of the place or boring (usually done during flexibility classes/floor barre, like standing a long time holding your leg in your hand, trying to stay on balance). Not especially "dancing", not especially pleasant. Too much to think about for trying to really work on your dancing; you will probably be too focused on trying to pick up the steps and won't really be able to dance them. Quite contrasting compared to the barre, and I thought it was not in line with the "announced" level of the class. I mean, it can always be flexible, but still, I though some exercises were far too difficult for this level, and for the majority of the students. There were some "choreographic explosions" here and there that I found out of the place. Class in general: No pianist, not much accent put on the musicality. The focus is on the work, basically the work of the legs (less emphasis on the upper body). The atmosphere was fine, nothing special, not particularly fun, not boring, not really something to be remembered. Room: On the smaller side even thought the exercises given are adapted to the studio's size. We had no jumps at the end of the class - no grand allegro. Floor: Extremely soft. I was afraid to twist my ankles because I found it far too soft for me. Good for jumps but not for turns/balances. Good for floor barre too probably. Atmosphere was ok Price: A little bit high if you just drop-in now and then. Small discount if you become a regular student. No discount for professionals. So, I was disappointed as I thought I had found my teacher in London, but it was not the case. Like I said, I'm sure they're good people but somehow it didn't work out with me. I suggest you tried them out and make your own decision only after a class there. :)