Today’s post is one that I know people have been looking forward to for a little while- my honest thoughts on Claudia Dean’s brand new online platform. I took the Class With Claudia summer intensive in London last summer, and in those three days I learned so many amazing corrections and exercises that transformed my…
Author: jessicadaretodance
Ballet and Contemporary Dancer in London. Author of Dare to Dance.
Dance Studio Photoshoot
Hi dancers! I hope that you’re all holding up OK during this very unusual time. Here in the UK we’re beginning a second week of enforced quarantine, but for most of us we are actually entering the third week. I’m really glad that just before all of this happened, I had the opportunity to do…
Dancing During Quarantine: Why Doing Barre In Your Kitchen Isn’t Enough
Hi dancers! What a very strange time we’re experiencing right now. With many countries experiencing some form of lockdown, most of us are finding ourselves having to work from home. As dancers, working from home unfortunately isn’t as simple as logging in remotely from our laptops and sitting by the phone. Most people’s home environments…
How ‘Message In A Bottle’ proves you can be an incredible dancer with the body you have (not the body you think you should have)
Hi dancers! So sorry about the lack of posts over the last couple of weeks. I have been dealing with the loss of one of my teachers and it has been a difficult time. I will write about this in a little more detail eventually, but not yet. In the meantime, though, I’m happy to…
Secret London: Barbican Conservatory
Hi dancers! I really hope that you have been enjoying my Secret London series. I’ve been posting dance photo galleries here for a couple of years now, but this series is a way for me to add another element and share with you some of the places I love in my home city. I’m trying…
Defiance in the face of Brexit at Sadlers Wells
Maybe in years to come, people will ask me what I was doing on the night the UK left the EU. I’ll be proud to say that I was at the Sadlers Wells theatre in London, embracing a diverse programme of dance featuring dancers and styles from all around the world. As the last few…
Secret London: Mercato Mayfair
Hi dancers! I really hope that you enjoyed my first post in the new Secret London series I have introduced. If you didn’t catch it, click HERE to read about The Garden at 120 Fenchurch Street, where you can enjoy stunning views that are completely free whilst avoiding the crowds. Today I want to share…
My Surgery Experience
If you’ve been following my story on this blog or my social media channels, you will know that for me, 2019 was really defined by my being injured. I say “being injured” because it most accurately describes the state I was in; I was in pain, I had swelling and inflammation, I was unable to…
Secret London: The Garden at 120- Photo Gallery
Hi dancers! One of the benefits of having a photographer boyfriend is that my Instagram feed is never short of great professional photos. We really love to collaborate on fun experimental photoshoots- in the past we’ve thrown around paint powder, and glitter, I’ve gotten my pointe shoes out in Notting Hill, and we’ve been kicked…
Become a Better Dancer in 2020: The Habits that will Get You There
Happy New Year, dancers! 2019 was a strange one for me- mainly because I spent 9 months of the year out of dancing due to injury, eventually undergoing ankle surgery. My main goal for 2020 is to get back to full fitness and back to dancing fully again (at the moment I’m only managing a…