Raising the barre in Newcastle-under-Lyme

Improvements are being made at a Council-run leisure centre to make way for an enhanced dance programme. A ballet barre and floor length mirror are being installed in the activity studio, next to the gym so that it can accommodate specialised ballet and dance-based sessions run by Daniel Jones DANCE at Jubilee2 and Staffordshire Youth Ballet (SYB) as well as the hugely popular spinning classes.

Daniel, a former English National Ballet dancer who is from Clayton, already runs a variety of different classes at Jubilee2 five days a week and the centre is used by SYB for its elite training scheme which aims to inspire and nurture young and talented dancers.

Work is expected to be completed by Friday, 17 May. During this time spinning sessions take place in studio 1 and then return to normal. Robert Foster, Head of Leisure and Cultural Services, said: “It’s excellent news that the activity room, which is already a brilliant place for spinning, is becoming a dual purpose area that can also be enjoyed by dancers of all ages and abilities. The existing dance facilities at Jubilee2 are second to none and regarded as among the best in North Staffordshire and beyond. This work will build on that excellent reputation even further and allow us to offer an expanded dance programme. I apologise for the short-term disruption for our many and valued spinning customers – great efforts have been made to minimise this but at the end of the day, safety must come first.”

State-of-the-art dance facilities currently include two large, multi-purpose studios featuring wooden sprung floors, soundproofing, a floor length mirror, ballet barre and moveable wall. Daniel Jones added: “Newcastle is home to many of the world’s greatest dancers, some of whom recently starred in films like Mary Poppins Returns, Mamma Mia2 and Disney’s The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. It’s very exciting that we will now have world class facilities for them to train when they come home as well as being used regularly to train the next generation of dance stars.”

For more information, visit www.jubilee2.com