Summer Term 2026 Recap
7 August 2026
Another year has flown by, and the Summer term has now come to a close. Whilst we host students from across the world for our Summer Course, the summer holidays are an important time for our full-time students to rest, recover and reward themselves for a fantastic year of hard work. Continue reading for a summary of the achievements of Central over the last several months.
Performance opportunities are at the heart of our training, and this term did not disappoint. To mark the end of the Spring term, our second year students presented their annual Choreography Showcase at The Mack, Mountview. Ballet Central then returned to The Mack after the Easter break to kick off their tour with a successful production week. Ballet Central continued their season around the UK with 10 further performances. You can read more about their achievements here – Ballet Central 2026: In Review.
The Foundation and BA(Hons) students came together to perform in the Summer Showcases at the Britten Theatre this July. A delightful recap of the performances can be read in the latest edition of Dance Europe. This year’s programme featured a diverse range of work, from classical, neo-classical to contemporary and jazz pieces. You can view this year’s Summer Showcase programme here. The Summer Showcase is also a great opportunity for us to introduce two members of our new MA cohort. Yeji Kim and Ruaidhrí Maguire, as well as Joseph Powell-Main, join us for the next year on our MA Choreography course. Discover more about them here – Introducing Central’s 2026 MA Choreography Cohort.
Our graduating class of 2026 have now completed their studies and are already beginning professional contracts. Their talent, work ethic and dedication were celebrated at the Britten Theatre with their graduation solo performances and ceremony. They were welcomed on stage by Glenn Graham, Senior Take Part Creative Lead with New Adventures. Addressing the students in her graduation speech, Artistic Director Kate Coyne praised the Class of 2026: “You’ve really shown the very best of yourselves, every single one of you. Rounded individuals, not just performers, willing to really work with the artists. You are adaptable, confident people, and a pleasure to be with.”
In other areas of the school, a vibrant calendar of events took place led by our Widening Participation and Access team. We had a fun-filled week of one day courses during May half term, now followed by our International Summer Course, where last week we accepted young dancers from over 29 different countries! Over two full days in July, we also welcomed around 300 young people into our building for our Southwark Schools Performances. 11 local schools were able to participate in workshops and also see several performances from our degree course students.
On 4 July, Central opened its doors to the friends and family of our Associates, who presented their work in the Associate sharing day. Our Associate and Junior Associate programmes continue to train talented young dancers who secure further training in vocational schools around the UK. This September, we will be proud to welcome 7 students from our Associate course into our Foundation degree, plus 118 students into our Associate course and 105 students into our Junior Associate course.
We had many important guests join us in our studios and at theatres for performances this term. Lord Peter John of Southwark accompanied the Minister for Skills, Rt Hon Baroness Smith of Malvern, to The Countess of Studios in early July. This visit was an opportunity for Central to share what a world-class vocational Higher Education training entails and to have an engaged discussion about what is needed to ensure that young dancers and the UK dance industry continue to thrive.
Earlier in the term, Central also welcomed the Office for Students into a variety of classes. Philippa Pickford, Director of Regulation, and Sarah Stoney, General Counsel, took the opportunity to better understand what high-quality and high-intensity vocational HE training looks like. We were grateful for the opportunity to show our students in action, and to discuss the importance of vocational training.
We also got the chance to meet our incoming students who will be joining us in September at the Online Orientation day. On 14 September, Central will re-open for a new academic year, and we will say hello to a new cohort of first year students who have come from 15 different countries.
If you are interested in training on our degree courses, then make sure to mark your diaries! Central is opening applications to its Foundation and BA(Hons) Top-Up degree on Monday 28 September. Whilst you’re waiting for applications to open, find out more on our Degree Courses page.