The opening of a new performing arts centre in the West End Plymouth has been hailed as a catalyst for a livelier and more diverse high street by the Plymouth City Centre Company with a knock-on benefit for other businesses.
The Groovement Project Dance Company has opened the centre on the upper floors at 94-96A, New George Street, and provides more than 40 weekly dance and performing arts classes for children and adults for fun, fitness, or high-level dance training.
With its entrance via the Plymouth Market car park, the new venture is expected to attract more visitors to the area and customers for neighbouring businesses from dancers and parents dropping off and picking up their children.
Crowned as the Street House Championships top scoring dance school for 2023/24, the Groovement Project Dance Company gives dancers the opportunity to learn a range of styles, including street dance, contemporary, jazz, Acro and musical theatre with opportunities to perform locally, nationally and internationally.
Students have performed at Disneyland, California, and the Universal Studios in Hollywood as well as on stage at some of the biggest venues in the UK, including the London 02 Arena and the Birmingham NIA Arena as well as appearing in films and on stage in the West End.
Performers from the company will be dancing at this year’s West End Carnival at 1.30pm on Saturday August 23 as part of a fun-filled day of FREE family entertainment in the streets around Plymouth Market. For full details, go to: West End Carnival – Visit Plymouth
Co-owner Drew Shears said:“ We are excited to be in the heart of the thriving West End Plymouth community and our dancers and performers are looking forward to the next chapter in our new building.”
Steve Hughes, chief executive of the Plymouth City Centre Company, which looks after the interests of city centre businesses and organises a city centre programme of events, including the West End Carnival, said:“ This is exactly the kind of new business we need in our high streets, bringing culture and creativity into the heart of the city centre, alongside our cafes, restaurants and shops and new customers every day.
“We were delighted to help them set up with a small grant via the government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund and look forward to them doing well and playing a full and active part in our business community.
“ We are talking with other creative businesses and expect more openings soon.”
The West End and Plymouth Market is home to almost 200 independent traders and is earning a growing reputation for its vibrancy and many international food businesses, with several new businesses opening in the last few months and more to follow soon.
It is undergoing significant regeneration with work progressing well on a new £25m Community Diagnostics Centre in Colin Campbell Court which is due to open next March or April, more health services expected to follow and plans for hundreds of new homes.
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