The Lucy Griffiths Dance and Theatre Academy has recently celebrated their first successful year in their new studio in Orpington and has exclusively shared exciting plans about the studio’s future.
Located at Homefield Rise, across from the Market Square, the Lucy Griffiths Academy operates out of a purpose-built studio on the ground floor of the Wellbeing Centre. For Lucy Griffiths it marks another milestone in a journey that started over 28 years ago when she first began teaching dance classes at Farrington’s School in Chislehurst. Shortly after this she took over the classes in her own right and from there the Academy has grown and flourished.
The Academy has been running in schools and church halls for many years now, but for Lucy it had “always been my dream to have our own building.” However, it wasn’t an easy process, taking many years to find a suitable building until finally moving into their new premises in October of 2022. “The new facilities are fantastic,” she says. Students now can train in an air-conditioned studio, which makes it a more comfortable environment for the dancers. In addition, the studio has been specially equipped with sprung floor, ballet barres and mirrors “which offers professional style facilities for our students”. Although Lucy goes onto to say that “with this comes responsibilities, such as keeping the studio clean and safe to use.”
Lucy Griffiths, who is “very proud of our Academy as it currently stands”, wants to continue offering high-quality dance and theatre training. She is currently studying for an advanced teacher qualification, so with more training, it will allow her to become a tutor for students who would like to teach professionally.
When asked about her plans for the future, Lucy explains that next term she is introducing a Ballet Associate course for students who wish to specialise and develop their skills further in Ballet training. Furthermore, “we will be starting to make plans for our first-year anniversary show which will be held in 2025.” The Academy also hopes to return to Disneyland Paris to perform at the resort, as they have done in previous years. With so many initiatives planned, the future certainly looks bright for all of those involved with the Lucy Griffiths Dance and Theatre Academy.
