Perform Drama, Dance & Singing Classes

Perform has been running at 4 Marlow Road Youth and Community Centre since January 2013, with both classes taking place on Fridays. The 4–7s session runs 4–5pm; the 7–12s follow from 5:05–6:05pm. The current term runs from 17 April to 17 July, with no session on Friday 29 May. Producer Catherine and teacher Natasha lead the classes week to week, and Area Partner Gemma visits regularly.

Each hour-long session moves through three distinct sections. For the 4–7s, that means movement and dance — rapid-reaction games, yoga-inspired mirroring and coordination work — followed by a singing and speech section built around original songs, tongue-twisters and raps, then a creative drama segment focused on character exploration, storytelling and role-playing improvisations. The 7–12s cover similar territory at a higher level: acting and improvisation work — vocal projection, physicality, accents and leadership presence — alongside movement and dance, and a speech-and-singing strand where small groups mean most children get a solo or featured moment. This summer the 4–7s are sailing aboard the Jammy Dodger in Mermaids & Pirates, while the older group is retelling Shakespeare's most popular play in The Dream.

Class sizes are capped at 22, with two Perform staff present in every session. The curriculum is structured around what Perform calls the 4 Cs — Confidence, Concentration, Communication and Coordination — woven into every activity rather than treated as separate goals. Because Perform runs a rolling curriculum, children can join at any point in the term rather than waiting for a new block to start. Parents receive a weekly email from the Producer outlining that week's focus, as well as a personalised written feedback form at set points in the year, signed by Perform's principal.