Learn To Dance In A Day Experience – Manchester, Birmingham, Berkshire
Learn the most popular Ballroom & Latin dances in Donahey’s fabulous Learn To Dance In A Day Experience
Learn to dance the Waltz, Cha Cha, Foxtrot & Jive in a friendly, relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere.
Our Learn To Dance In A Day Experience is especially designed with the absolute beginner in mind.
Our expert instructors will teach you all the steps in a relaxed & enjoyable way, plus with limited numbers in our exclusive spacious venues, this experience is a great introduction to dancing, and perfect for up-coming occasions.
🎁 Perfect gift for someone special 🎁
Learn To Dance In A Day Experiences
⭐ Manchester
Saturday 23rd January 2027 Dukinfield Town Hall, Cheshire SK16 4LA – Jct 23 M60
⭐ West Midlands
Saturday 30th January 2027 Landrover Sports & Social Club, Solihull B92 9LN
⭐ Berkshire
Sunday 14th February 2027 Loddon Hall, Twyford, Reading RG10 9JA
Just £60 per person. As of today, 4th September 2026 there are places remaining on all the above dates, limited on some
Book by Direct Bank Transfer You are welcome to pay for your places by Direct Bank Transfer;
Book by Phone Freephone 0800 160 1770 Mon – Fri; 9am – 4pm
All Donahey’s venues are chosen for their large expansive Ballrooms.
Our experiences take place between 11am – 3.30pm. During your lesson we’ll teach you; Waltz, Foxtrot, Cha Cha & Jive
Course notes are included, practice at home DVD’s & Online lessons are available to purchase .
If you’ve always wanted to learn all the fabulous dances seen on TV, but don’t have time to commit to a weekly dance class, then come along and join Donahey’s for some fun and learn to glide around the dance floor with confidence.
Our 1-day ballroom dancing lessons offer you the ultimate fast track dance lesson – an enjoyable experience in a relaxed and social environment.
Had a great time with Freda & the team learning to dance in a day, location was great being at JLR, great size dance floor, lots of learners, all age groups, teaching methods were fun & not strict, four dances covered, foxtrot, cha cha, waltz & jive, a full on day from 11-3.30, lunch could be ordered in advance & was very nice & well organised - well done team, most enjoyable day, came away having learnt the basics & would recommend to anyone wanting to give it a go.
Attended the ‘dance in a day’ workshop in reading on sun 8th Feb. My husband and I have never danced before but I’ve always wanted to and never been brave enough !! The whole day was amazing starting to learn the foxtrot, cha cha cha, waltz and jive. Vickie and Andy who took the course were amazing and such great teachers, the group was fairly small and all people who had no or not much experience at dancing, I was so nervous and vickie and Andy picked up on that and made me feel at ease and helped me loads !!
If you want to learn to dance and get the opportunity to do one of these classes do it as it’s brilliant, I wish I lived in the area of the country where vickie and Andy live as I would definitely go to their classes.
I am booked on a dancing with the stars weekend and now feel a little bit more comfortable about going to a bigger event to learn a bit more about dancing.
Thanks again to Vickie and Andy for being brilliant and so lovely
We had a fantastic day. Vicky and Andy were really good. They explained the steps well. We came away feeling that we could at least dance a few steps, better than when we started. Excellent intro to the Donaheys Dancing with Stars weekend. Can’t wait!
Paul and Vicki, plus all the assistant teachers, are so good at creating a fun and relaxed atmosphere where everyone feels safe to learn - even my ryhmically challenged husband. And the social nights are great for practising our dances and making new friends. Would highly recommend
We so look forward to dance lessons on a Monday. Paul and his team make the lessons fun, entertaining and have a winning teaching style which makes you feel relaxed, welcomed and unjudged. Take the step and come and join the fun, you certainly won’t be disappointed - Whoosh💃🕺
Response from the owner:HI Graham, thank you so much for your fab review of Donaheys weekly Plymouth Ballroom & Latin Dance Lessons. It's lovely to read how much you look foward to our dance lessons at Plymstock School. Keep up the great dancing, we warmly look forward to teaching you more fabulous dances seen on Strictly, best wishes Paul & the team
Paul and the team at Donaheys offer weekly hour-long sessions of group instruction in Latin and Ballroom Dancing from beginner upwards, at several venues around Plymouth. Paul and Vicky are always very clear and encouraging, and demonstrate points of technique as well as the basic steps. Mostly we dance with our own partners, but there are opportunities to pair up if you come alone. I would like the professionals to help us to lead and follow more frequently, as well as encouraging us to copy their moves when they dance solo or in pairs.
It is always great fun. The social dances enable us to put what we learn into practice; I hope that more people will get off their couches after Strictly to experience the joy and satisfaction of mastering the moves; and that societies, clubs and wedding venues will revive structured dancing as an enduring alternative to Dad (and Grandma) Dancing at discos. Actually, a sexy rumba can fit quite unobtrusively to pop music on a crowded dance floor... give it a go!
Response from the owner:Robert. thank you for your fab review for Plymouth Ballroom & Latin Dance Lessons. Absolutely, we’ll certainly look to try and include leading & following more in our weekly classes, thanks for letting us know. We look forward to teaching you more fabulous Ballroom & Latin dances, best wishes Paul & the team
Amazing - just a wonderful time and an escape from the world
Response from the owner:Thank you for your kind review of Donaheys Plymouth Ballroom Dance Lessons. It's great to hear you are enjoying our weekly dance lessons at The Woolwell Centre. Keep up the dancing and we look forward to teaching you more fabulous Ballroom & Latin dances, best wishes Paul & the team
We’ve been learning to dance with the Donaheys team for 3 years and we thoroughly enjoy our weekly lessons. Paul and the team are patient and encouraging and the lessons are great fun. Would absolutely recommend Donaheys if you’re thinking about learning to dance
Response from the owner:Robert, thank you so much for your lovely review of Donaheys weekly Plymouth Ballroom & Latin Dance Lessons. Its been a pleasure teaching you both for the past three years, and long may it continue! best wishes Paul & the team
We would highly recommend Paul’s dance lessons! He makes them easy to follow and great fun, and we feel we’re making good progress after only a few weeks!
Response from the owner:Hi Sara, thank you for your kind review of Donaheys Plymouth Ballroom Dance Lessons. It's great to hear you are enjoying our weekly dance lessons at Plymstock School. Keep up the dancing and we look forward to teaching you more fabulous Ballroom & Latin dances, best wishes Paul & the team
We have been dancing with the Donaheys team for over 3 years and we still really look forward to our weekly lessons! We know we have improved under their excellent team tuition and they continue to make it fun and fresh.
Response from the owner:Hi Jo, thank you for your lovely review of Donaheys Plymouth Ballroom Dance Lessons. It's great to hear you are enjoying our weekly dance lessons at Plymstock School. Keep up the dancing and we look forward to teaching you more fabulous Ballroom & Latin dances for many more years, best wishes Paul & the team
We highly recommend dance lessons with Donaheys. The lessons are perfectly pitched for all ability levels. We benefit from excellent tuition from experienced and friendly Dance Instructors (Vickie, Alice & Paul) with help from Chris, Adam and Andy at Plymstock who coach us step by step and make the learning experience so much fun. There is lots of support and tips and they engage with everyone in the group. The pace of learning is fantastic because you can tailor your level to what you are comfortable with and there is no pressure if you make a mistake (which we often do) but the patience and knowledge we have been given has been great for building our confidence to develop our technique and we really look forward to each dance lesson. If you asked us 12 months ago whether we would feel competent to attend a dance weekend or social dance evening (organised by Donaheys) we would never have believed we would be able to dance such a selection of dances , but we have, through Donaheys outstanding training. Our fellow dancers are a lovely group of like minded friendly people and if you are thinking about it...take the plunge..you won't regret it, it's great!
Response from the owner:Hi Gail, thank you so much for your lovely review of Donaheys Ballroom Dance Lessons. It's lovely to read how much you are both enjoying our weekly dance lessons at Plymstock School. We're so glad that you conitnue to join us at our members social evenings and that you joined us at our Dancing With the Stars Weekend this year! Keep up the great dancing and we look forward to teaching you more fabulous Ballroom & Latin dances, best wishes Paul & the team
My partner and I really enjoy our dance class and look forward to going each week.
Paul and team are great tutors and they make the lessons fun while teaching us how to glide around the dance floor ( well, in our case glide would be pushing it but we do try.) There’s no pressure and classes are easy going and fun.
It’s a great way to get some exercise, and meet new people , our group are a great crowd and we always have a good laugh. I’m so glad we joined. As Paul would say. It’s Mar Vel Ous!
Thanks Paul and team.
Response from the owner:Hi Marian, thank you so much for your fab review of Donaheys weekly Plymouth Ballroom & Latin Dance Lessons. It's lovely to read how much you are both enjoying our dance lessons at Plymstock School. Keep up the great dancing, we warmly look forward to teaching you more fabulous dances seen on Strictly, best wishes Paul & the team
Great professional friendly lessons suitable for all levels. A great way to make friends with opportunities for social dances and of course potential to develop those moves. Cannot recommend the lessons and teachers highly enough.
Response from the owner:Paul, thank you for your kind recommendation for Plymouth Ballroom & Latin Dance Lessons, great to hear you are enjoying our weekly dance lessons at Plymstock School. We look forward to teaching you more fabulous Ballroom & Latin dances, best wishes Paul & the team
We love our classes with Paul and his team.
Classes are relaxed and a lot of fun.
We leave on a high every week!
Social evenings are great too.
Response from the owner:Dear Rose, thank you so much for your fab review of Donaheys weekly Plymouth Ballroom & Latin Dance Lessons. It's lovely to hear how much you are enjoying both our dance lessons and members social dance evenings at Plymstock School. Keep up the great dancing, we warmly look forward to teaching you more fabulous dances, best wishes Paul & the team
Fab, fun classes. We’ve learned so much and look forward to it every week. To top it off we’ve made new friends and enjoy the social aspect of the members evenings too.
Response from the owner:Hi Leah and Chloe, thank you so much for your fab review of Donaheys weekly Plymouth Ballroom & Latin Dance Lessons. It's lovely to hear how much you are both enjoying our dance lessons and members social dance evenings at Plymstock School. Keep up the great dancing, we warmly look forward to teaching you more fabulous dances seen on Strictly, best wishes Paul & the team
Fantastic day, we came in total beginners and weren't sure what to expect but it was a great format, easy to follow on a fraya had a lovely style that made it fun
A wonderful experience with a very patient and knowledgeable team, led by Freda
So looking forward to Alton Towers in a couple of weeks, now well prepared
My sister and I had the best time during this session! We didn't really know what to expect but it exceeded any expectations. It was intensive, but the instructors were engaging, fun and really supportive. We came away feeling on cloud 9 and just wish there were other sessions like this throughout the year. We would definitely book again and look forward to Strictly weekend in the summer. Thank you both!
Response from the owner:Leanne, thanks for your lovely review of Donaheys Bristol Ballroom Dance Lessons. It's lovely to read you enjoyed our Learn To Dance In A Day workshop at The Greenway Centre in Bristol. Keep up the dancing and we warmly look forward to welcoming you later this year for Donaheys fab Dancing With The Stars Weekend – thank you so much for recommending us. Best wishes Paul & the team
Incredible day learning four dances. As total beginners, we were a little nervous that the lessons would be way out of our comfort zone.The reality was completely different; the instructors were amazing and led us carefully through the Waltz, Foxtrot, Cha cha cha and Jive. Didn't think we could do this but now are much more confident to step onto the dance floor.
Response from the owner:Mike, thanks for your fab review of Donaheys Ballroom Dance Lessons. It's great to hear how much you enjoyed learning the Waltz, Foxtrot, Cha cha cha and Jive. We hope you keep up the dancing, and look forward to hopefully welcoming you back onto the dance-floor for more fun dance lessons. Paul
Locations of Donahey’s Learn To Ballroom Dance In A Day
Below are some comments from our most recent beginners Ballroom dancing lessons;
‘Really good teaching and an enjoyable relaxed atmosphere’
‘Best thing i have ever done’ Ian & Wendy
‘We come a long way for our beginners class & it’s worth every minute on the M60! Brilliant!’
‘Total beginner, made to feel at ease, enjoy the experience, meet new people – fun’ Cathy & Mike
‘Great fun! Great company! The dancing’s good too’
‘Love the classes, so much fun. Look forward to them every week’ Alex
‘Great value – really enjoy it’ Deon
‘It never occurred to us that the whole of Tameside was learning to dance – this is where the party’s at!! Thanks!’ Michaela & Ryan
‘Easy to follow classes with a good atmosphere, look forward to the next dances’ Vicci & Jon
‘Great fun and great teachers. Really good exercise too!’ Andy
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
I’ve never danced before, is this suitable?
Absolutely, all our Learn To Dance In A Day Experiences are especially designed for beginners so don’t worry we’ll be teaching you to dance one step at a time.
What shall I wear?
We recommend wearing something comfortable & light.
Suitable footwear with a non-slip sole should be worn; For gents we advise leather soled shoes. For ladies, footwear with a low heel and a fairly smooth sole.
Regular sport trainers are not advised as they tend to stick to the floor, strictly no high heel or stilettos, sandals, sling backs, flip flops, steel toe-caps or barefeet.
Do I need a Partner?
You are very welcome to join us without a dance partner. During our lessons we teach all the steps solo for both leads & follows. You’ll benefit from learning all the dances, style & technique plus of course have a great fun workout for the mind & body.
Our team of dance teachers and dance assistants are on hand throughout the day to partner with solo dancers during the lessons. If other solo dancers attend and you and they are happy to partner together you are very welcome to do so.
Do you change partners?
I confirm you will dance with your partner for the duration. During all our lessons, we start by teaching the steps solo, then partner you up together.
We have a great team of experienced dance teachers and assistants that will look after you during the lesson. As a team we may occasionally offer to dance with you if we think it may help, acceptance is of course completely upto you – definitely no continuous changing of partners with Donaheys. I hope this helps reassure you.
How long does the one-day experience last?
4 hours.
What times are the one-day experience?
11am – 3.30pm.
Do i need to pre-register?
Yes, you’ll need to reserve your place & make full payment in advance in order to be sure of a place.
Shall I bring refreshments?
Dukinfield Town Hall & Loddon Hall Yes, please bring along your own refreshments and lunch.
Landrover Club, Solihull The bar at The Landrover club will be open from 10.30am offering for purchase hot & cold drinks & sandwiches, jugs/glasses of water will also be available. We recommend pre-ordering sandwiches at the bar for our 1pm lunch. The venue kindly requests participants refrain from bringing drinks & food onto the premises.
What if I need to cancel?
Due to limited places available, once booked your booking is non refundable or transferable, cancellation for whatever reason will result in loss of monies paid. We are always happy to offer a complimentary name change on your booking, however we are unable to offer transfers or refunds.
Which Ballroom Dances could I learn how to dance?
Social Foxtrot
The perfect dance to get you started on the dance-floor.
Easy to pickup, this dance will have you up & dancing around the dance-floor in no time. We dance the Social Foxtrot to all the wonderful Big Band sounds. You’ll love this social dance, especially for all your Social Occasions such as Weddings & Cruises.
Music Suggestions; Robbie Williams – Swing When You’re Winning Westlife – Allow us to be Frank
Waltz
The Modern English Waltz is a slow graceful dance that glides effortlessly around the dance floor.
Characterised by graceful turns, a gentle sway and a rise and fall, once you have learnt how to dance the Waltz, you’ll really feel as though you are dancing. Waltz is one of the most popular Ballroom dances, and danced to some romantic ballads.
Music Suggestions; See The Day – Girls Aloud Under the bridges of Paris – Shall We Dance Soundtrack
Tango
Originally from Argentina, Tango is the dance of passion and drama. Characterised by its instantly recognisable music and staccato action, learning this dance is fun – with music to inspire you.
Music Suggestions; Ross Mitchell Ballroom Dancing BBC Strictly Come Dancing Album
Argentine Tango
Featured on Strictly Come Dancing in the past few years, Vincent & Flavia with their flawless performances of the Argentine Tango have really brought this passionate dance to the attention of everyone. A slow dance, with some good basic steps
Music Suggestions; Marks & Spencer Argentine Tango CD Beginners Guide to Argentine Tango
Quickstep
The quickest of all the Ballroom dances, a fun, lively and energetic dance – you’ll especially love the music to this dance. Combining steps from the Rhythm Foxtrot, once you’ve learnt how to dance the Quickstep, you’ll really start to get the blood pumping, plus it’s a fab dance for burning off those calories!
Music Suggestions; BBC Strictly Come Dancing Album Robbie Williams – Putting On The Ritz & King Of The Swingers
American Smooth
Another dance most recently featured on Strictly. We’ll teach you some nice Foxtrot based Smooth, which includes dancing in close & open hold – you’ll love the showmanship of this dance, great fun and a fab 1st Wedding Dance!
Music Suggestions; It had to be you – Harry Connick Jr Fly me to the moon
Which Latin Dances could I learn how to dance?
Cha Cha Cha
A bright cheeky dance all the way from Cuba, Cha Cha is the most popular of the Latin dances. The energetic rhythm makes this dance a firm favourite for many dancers, once you’ve picked up the basic cha cha steps, you’ll really enjoy dancing this to many popular songs.
Music Suggestions; Pussycat Dolls – Sway to the Rhythm Duffy – Mercy
Rock ‘n’ Roll
A dance floor-filler, this lively dance is always popular at special occasions, especially when the band fires up. Rock ‘n’ Roll is a slow tempo version of the Jive, with lots of great hits, you’re sure to enjoy learning this dance.
Music Suggestions; Shakin Stevens – This Old House, Oh Julie, Marie Marie Showaddywaddy -Dancin Party
Jive
Originating in America, Jive is a combination of Swing dance Jitterbug and Lindy hop. It’s certainly one of the fastest Latin dances with lots of energy, bounce and turns – sure to get your pulse racing!
Music Suggestions; Reet Petite Jackie Wilson Slow Boat To China Bette Midler
Rumba
Originating from Cuba, Rumba uses many of the basic Cha Cha steps. Rumba is a slow dance often referred to as the dance of Love, some nice music can really help you learn how to Rumba.
Music Suggestions; Beyonce If I Were A Boy Robbie Williams Something Stupid
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
