Central School of Ballet and Delancey Real Estate announce a new partnership, working together for the communities of Southwark

Central School of Ballet, based at the Countess of Wessex Studios in Southwark, is partnering with Delancey Real Estate to give children and young people in the borough the opportunity to experience and benefit from the joys of dance. Both organisations work in the London Borough of Southwark and have a shared commitment and long history of helping those in the borough thrive.

Dance is known to have huge benefits for children and young people. It promotes their physical and mental health, confidence, and ability to work as part of a team – soft skills that help their all-round development. Central’s aim is to make dance accessible to all, especially to those who have little or no access to arts activities.
Delancey’s support will contribute to:

  • Southwark School Days – children from schools in Southwark will visit Central’s Countess of Wessex Studios to see live performances and participate in creative workshops and activities to educate and inspire them.
  • Dance Workshops – in Southwark Primary Schools for children 8-11 years delivered by dance specialists and using Central undergraduate students as mentors and role models.
  • Enabling Central to offer Discounts to Southwark residents for all our Junior and Adult classes and discounted Neighbourhood classes in Beginners Ballet and African Contemporary dance.

Central’s Executive Director, Mark Osterfield, said: “Central champions excellence, diversity, and access to the arts for future dancers and the broader community. Our focus is on creating pathways into dance and sharing the joy and benefits of dance with wider audiences. We are delighted to begin a new partnership with Delancey that will enable our community work in Southwark to flourish.”

Jamie Ritblat, Founder and Executive Chairman of Delancey said: “Community engagement has always been at the heart of Delancey’s work as part of its approach to being a responsible business, and we are proud to support organisations, with a focus on the arts, young people, education and mental health in London and across the UK.  This partnership with Central School of Ballet is particularly exciting and important to us given it is located in such close vicinity to our Elephant & Castle development in Southwark.  I’m excited to see how the funds are used to help further the work this incredible ballet school does for the local community itself.”