Sadler’s Wells Dance Club

Carole Edrich tried her hand at samba

Walking through the hall to the Lilian Baylis Theatre was like walking down a portal to another world. Outside was cold, damp and dreary but in the auditorium was a Latin party in full, extravagant swing.

Kingsley Jayasekera, Sadler’s Wells’ programming manager, explained that the Sadler’s Wells Dance Club is a recent initiative and one of several exciting programmes that is intended to attract a new type of audience. The idea is to provide a great night where people of all ages and backgrounds who would not normally visit can have fun and experience a taste of something new. Those who enjoy it might come back to the club, move on to a deeper interest in dance or decide to watch one of the more formal scheduled performances. The theatre’s push to find audiences from new places is working well. I met participants Nicki and Faris during a break between workshops. “It’s wonderful. Like a big workout and great party at the same time!” said Faris, who found out about the club from the website, while Nicki discovered it through her Brazilian Portuguese class. Both were having so much fun they were already planning to come back.

Every Dance Club night follows the same format. Two workshops for absolute beginners and improvers are followed by free dancing for all with a break for a professional demonstration. But to say that the Samba Night began with a class doesn’t begin to prepare you for the full-blown fun and carnival-style celebration that you’ll find in the packed hall. Mariana Whitehouse from the London School of Samba easily transmitted her enthusiasm and understanding of both music and moves to the participants, while the club’s resident DJ Cliffy was in his element. He’s one of the UK’s leading experts on Brazilian music and kept the evening going with a suberb selection of beats, breaks, rhythms and grooves.

Many people come to dance at Sadler’s Wells because it’s an environment that they trust. The workshop approach and enthusiasm of the participants combined to form an atmosphere far friendlier, and more energetic than you’d find in a more conventional club. I’m sure that many of the revellers on this sell-out night would not have thrown themselves into the spirit of the occasion had they not felt comfortable, surrounded in the safety of Sadler’s Wells.

Dance Club nights run on a Friday of each month. February’s samba event coincided with the Rio Carnival, and the forthcoming flamenco-themed night on March 7 coincides with Flamenco Festival London 08. Visit sadlerswells.com to find out more.