The Studio

Attracting a lovely community of like minded souls, it’s an urban sanctuary, a New York loft style dance studio (and when the sun goes down, a naughty party den). It allows you to escape the demands of modern life and the city and clients always comment that their troubles are left behind at the door.

It’s home to Disco Barre™, The Lotte Berk Technique (the original barre class) and a range of other fun, barre concepts all taught by exceptionally brilliant teachers.

Signature classes:

  • Created by studio owner, Sophie Ritchie, with the aim that you feel more a slave to the rhythm than the treadmill, Disco Barre is the hardcore barre workout to underground house and disco with its roots in club, not gym culture.

    It combines the discipline of ballet with strength training, isometric holds, circular movements for mobilisation and small but intense and sexy, choreographed sequences. Bridging the gap between a dance and a fitness class, you will feel like a dancer and get strong  fast.

    The music gets as much attention as the moves as each class is set to a personal selection of sublime underground disco, house, boogie, funk, pop, Balearic, Italo and acid - anything that will help you get into the groove and help you forget just how hard you’re working -your muscles will be literally pulsating to the beat.  Close your eyes, feel the burn and you could be in The Paradise Garage or be taken back to the best night of your life.

  • *Trigger Warning for the Trans and Non Binary Community.

    The original barre class, Lotte Berk invented this powerful, fiercely feminine and fun series of exercises over 60 years ago and we are thrilled to be the only studio to bring the ORIGINAL barre class back to London. 

    Lotte Berk  was a contemporary dancer with a fascinating history and character and when she retired, devised this stunning regime with the help of an orthopaedist to help women achieve the body and poise of a dancer whilst supporting spine health.

    Often working in a pelvic tilt to decrease the range of movement, muscles are deeply targeted and there’s something almost magical  in it’s biomechanics that helps you lose inches from your waist and move with greater fluidity and grace. This method works you from the inside and out, your energetic and erotic body as well as your physical.

    Sophie is the UK Master Trainer in the technique and trained under Esther Fairfax, Lotte’s daughter.

    *This class is woman empowering and was designed with the female body in mind and welcomes anyone who identifies as a women in part or whole. There is mention of female genitalia within a section on the pelvic floor called 'the inner spirit'. This section is performed with eyes closed.

  • Disco Barre Flow, Floor and Restore with is a mindfully moving, flowing and expanding, floor based barre class set to some seriously good, grooving house rollers. Each class finishes with deep restorative, myofascial release stretches. Sophie and Felicity have created a class to become part of the Disco Barre brand and to compliment the other barre classes at the studio.

    Whilst drawing on Felicity's Vinyasa and Yin Yoga training, we are conscious not to appropriate the practice of yoga. It's a new way of moving, featuring signature Disco Barre moves with The Lotte Berk Technique exercises. Expect a strong, full body workout. Sophie says, “it’s been a complete joy to create with Felicity and to share my knowledge with her. Felicity has such an understanding of the Disco Barre brand (and its house heritage) and has intelligently drawn from it and The Lotte Berk Technique".

Other classes:

  • As a singer, musician and DJ, Olivia Lumb has always taken a conscious approach towards using music to create an atmosphere in a room. Spending hours a week collecting records and finding new music, Olivia stitches together carefully curated mixes of underground dance music which all exercises are in synchronisation with. Expect a lot of sweat and some serious burns in a super fun environment. A strong believer that we should exercise because it makes us feel fab and not to punish our selves, a high class record collection and infectious energy and warmth, it’s clear why Olivia is a girl after our own hearts.

  • Graduating from The London School of Contemporary Dance, Courtney Thompson, is big on technique, posture and alignment and draws influence from The Merce Cunningham Technique, although no dance experience is needed to enjoy his classes. It's a tough and high spirited class with an uplifting soundtrack. Courtney has great energy and really cares for his students. He is such an asset to our team.

  • Are you ready to live your best life? Singer, dancer, actor and model, Kage Douglas, has performed in many West End shows and he may break into song during class if you’re lucky!

    Kage’s classes are fun filled with high energy, positivity, good vibes and banter, but they are also challenging and empowering. He instils you with confidence and will really push you to believe in yourself. Or ‘feel yourself’ as he puts it. And trust me, you will.

  • This class needs to be part of your weekly fitness regime and is ideal for barre addicts who want to learn the stretching techniques of professional dancers. It really is the perfect finish to a week of barre. Classically trained professional ballerina and contemporary dancer and now actor, Simona Martini, who trained at Teatro Dell'Opera di Roma school in Rome and then the Royal Ballet School in London, has danced in everything from Swan Lake to The Nutcracker, but is now so passionate about the benefits of these exercises, that it’s become her favourite class to teach. Expect stretching at the barre, foam rolling for myofascial release and to increase range of movement and each class will finish with splits practice. This is no gentle stretch class. You will be amazed at how quickly your flexibility improves after even one session.