Within a professional sprung-floor dance studio with its own theatre, 3 dance studios, and specialist drama and music rooms, NHAD's friendly, nurturing instructors help children to enjoy their dance lessons, whether they’re just for fun or being seen as a route to a possible stage career. Importantly though, as with all performance art forms, discipline and a strong work ethic are required, encouraged and rewarded, giving students a genuine sense of achievement.

North Hampshire Academy of Dance principal Kelly Hopkins has a real passion for dance and dance teaching, having herself trained at The Royal Ballet School, Laine Theatre Arts and The Royal Academy of Dance.

Kelly and her equally-experienced assistants Katy (specialising in ballet) and Emily (musical theatre) aim to inspire their students with the same passion for dance and a sense of achievement in their improving skills.

“I have absolutely no doubt that I would not be where I am now had I not attended North Hampshire Academy of Dance. It’s the best dance training I’ve ever had and fully prepared me to move on to higher education in performing arts! …

I fully believe I owe a lot of my career to the training I had at Kelly’s and Kelly herself... [she] encouraged me relentlessly and taught me how to be disciplined and determined to achieve and it paved the way for me to be offered a scholarship at a Performing Arts college and my career in Musical Theatre….

I am truly grateful for Kelly’s guidance and advice, and for giving me the courage to follow my passion.”

- Georgina Hartwell

The dance school’s students take part in many competitions and performances in the Basingstoke area to gain confidence and showcase their abilities; in fact when it comes to competitions, NHAD have an excellent record and reputation at local, regional and even national level.

Disciplines

The dance school broadly follows ISTD (the world’s leading dance exam board) syllabuses, and offers weekly classes in the following disciplines:

Ballet - Students can begin ballet lessons at any age from just 2 years 9 months. Classical ballet is known by the public for its beauty and grace, but within the dancing community it is appreciated for its precise technique, posture, coordination, flexibility and strength. A grounding in ballet is therefore an ideal foundation for approaching all other dance disciplines.

Modern - Students can begin Modern dancing classes at NHAD at 4 years old. These dance classes are fun for energetic youngsters as they start with fun and imaginative movements and over time build up a repertoire of moves, travelling steps, high kicks, leaps and turns as seen in musical stage productions.

Jazz - Jazz dancing is characterised by quick footwork and energetic moves and leaps, and has become increasingly popular recently. NHAD use a combination of the ISTD jazz syllabus and free work to encourage students to learn and interpret moves and steps in their own way. Jazz dance classes can be taken from the age of 9.

Tap - Students can begin ISTD Tap classes NHAD from 4 years old, learning basic movements in a fun way and progressing to solid tap dancing techniques. Tap dance is often seen on stage in musicals and has been reinvented recently as a modern popular dance form by groups such as Tap Dogs.

Musical Theatre - NHAD offers weekly musical theatre classes for children from the age of 6 years old, where they rehearse and perform popular theatrical songs. The classes combine vocal and acting techniques with different dance styles, and offer the chance for children to enjoy acting and singing in musicals such as Hairspray and Mamma Mia. A foundation in musical theatre is essential these days for any student hoping for a career in performance.

Drama - Individual or shared drama classes can be booked for children aged 10+ in order to take LAMDA examinations or to prepare acting audition pieces.

Fees and Timetable

For up-to-date timetable of classes and current fees please refer to NHAD’s website - a full list of upcoming events is also shown if you would like to attend to see current students’ performances.

2 free trial lessons are available to prospective students, and parents are welcome to stay and watch.

Once children are signed up on classes parents can view their progress during regular performances in and around Basingstoke throughout the year, and at the end of each term during “watching week”.

Also Kelly and the team are always available to give face-to-face progress reports and advice on your child’s progress.

North Hampshire Academy of Dance
Basingstoke

Call Kelly on
07795 822254

or click to visit the NHAD website