What Classes Does Studio One (DCPA) Offer for Children and Adults?

Updated

Studio One (DCPA) in Ferndown, Dorset, offers training in three main areas — Dance, Performing Arts, and Musical Theatre — for both children and adults. The school has been established since 1981 and describes itself as one of the leading performing arts centres in Dorset. If you want to see the current class timetable and age groupings, the site's CLASSES page is the place to check, and the school also invites prospective students to book a free trial class.

The three training areas

Based on the school's own description, its programme is built around:

  • Dance — dance training is the foundation the school highlights, alongside its other disciplines.
  • Performing Arts — broader performance training for students of all ages.
  • Musical Theatre — combining acting, singing, and dance styles within a musical theatre format.

These are offered as training for Children & Adults, so the school serves both younger students and grown-up learners rather than a single age group.

What's included beyond weekly classes

Studio One states that students get opportunities beyond regular training, including:

  • Annual shows — performance experience in front of an audience.
  • Examinations — structured assessment of progress.
  • Theatre trips — watching professional work as part of learning.
  • Workshops with industry professionals — guest-led sessions.

The school frames these as part of a wider development package: alongside performance skills, it says students build confidence, communication, teamwork, self-discipline, organisational skills, time management, motivation, and perseverance.

Who it's aimed at

The school describes its environment as "professional and encouraging," with teachers who aim to nurture performers of all ages and help them build confidence while learning new skills. A parent testimonial on the site describes a shy toddler developing into a "confident, competent, happy performer" after several years of classes, and notes a strong sense of community with older students helping younger ones.

If you're deciding whether it fits you or your child, the practical next steps are:

  1. Check the CLASSES page on lacombe.co.uk for the current list of classes, styles, and age groups.
  2. Use the free trial — the site offers a "BOOK A FREE TRIAL CLASS" option, which lets you try before committing.
  3. Use the CONTACT US page if you need to ask about specific age ranges, adult class times, or availability, since the site's summary doesn't list individual class schedules.

One caveat: the information available describes the types of training and the extra opportunities, but not the detailed timetable, fees, or exact age brackets for each class. Those details are best confirmed directly through the CLASSES or CONTACT US sections.