Pineapple Dance Studios

Pineapple Dance Studios
Pineapple
Founded London, England, 1979
Founder Debbie Moore
Headquarters London, England
Parent Pineapple Holdings Limited
Website http://www.pineapple.uk.com

Pineapple Dance Studios, commonly known as Pineapple Studios or simply Pineapple, is a dance studio complex, performing arts school and associated dancewear, clothing and eyewear brand, based in London, England.

Origin

Pineapple Studios was founded by former model Debbie Moore, who had started dance lessons to alleviate weight gain caused by hypothyroidism. Following the closure of her local dance studio in Covent Garden, she failed to find a suitable alternative, so decided to open her own studio in the area. Pineapple Dance Studios opened in 1979, based in a former pineapple warehouse from which the company gets its name. The site continues to house the dance studios, as well as being the headquarters of the Pineapple Performing Arts School and the studios' associated dancewear and clothing brand.

Pineapple Studios

Originally intended as a drop-in dance centre, Pineapple Studios is a complex of 10 dance studios that are used for various purposes. The studios host over 200 scheduled dance classes each week, open to studio members and the public, however the studios have become most notable for their extensive use by the entertainments industry as a venue for rehearsals, castings and recordings. Clients who use the studios include notable dance companies, record labels, television networks, film studios,[1] West End shows, cruise lines, talent[2] and model agencies. It is also well known as a rehearsal studio used by celebrities, which have included Madonna, Beyoncé, Girls Aloud and Kylie Minogue.[3] According to BBC London, it is "one of the world's premier dance studios" and [4] Ballet.co.uk called it a "mecca for dancers".[5] The location, right in London's West End "Theatre Land" was a key factor of its success. In her book, When a Woman Means Business, Debbie Moore wrote "In my case, I knew Covent Garden was the right area".[6]

The studios were the setting for the 2010 Sky1 docusoap Pineapple Dance Studios.

Clothing brand

Having been regularly employed by the clothing and textiles company Courtaulds, Debbie Moore was also experienced in clothing design and manufacture. During the early 1980s, she began developing her own line of dance-wear, the clothing company was called Gamba Timestep and based in Michigan Avenue, Salford most notably using Lycra, which at that time was not a widely used fabric. She sold her designs through a shop at the dance studios and this ultimately lead to the formation of the Pineapple clothing brand. The Pineapple brand now retails dance-inspired clothing through 12 sites in the UK and in 2000, Moore secured a deal with the Debenhams chain of department stores, who now retail Pineapple branded products worldwide. Louie Spence and Debbie Moore launched the Pineapple Eye-wear range of glasses on 4 August 2010 at Pineapple Dance Studios.[7]

Documentary

A docusoap following Pineapple Studios and its employees such as Louie Spence and Andrew Stone were first shown on 14 February 2010 on Sky1. With narration by ex-BBC newsreader Michael Buerk, it was a documentary that included impromptu dancing and the promotional tag-line: "Pineapple Dance Studios: Where careers are made, dreams are broken, bitching is an Olympic sport and everyone is fabulous!".

Although the documentary series will not be returning, production company Pulse Films are currently shooting a follow up series which follows a broader spectrum of people as they attempt to break into the world of show-business. The second series was recorded under the title Louie Spence's Showbusiness and aired in early 2011 on Sky One, with repeats on PickTV in early 2012.

References

  1. ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/film/3330305.stm Article from BBC News about auditions being held at Pineapple for the Harry Potter film series
  2. ↑ http://www.itnews.it/news/2007/0710100002582/universal-studios-japan-tm-looking-for-more-uk-talent.html Article from IT News about Universal Studios Japan holding talent auditions at Pineapple Studios
  3. ↑ http://www.virginmedia.com/tvradio/realitytv/pineapple-dance-studios.php?ssid=5
  4. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2007/01/10/dance_get_involved_feature.shtml BBC article citing Pineapple as a world famous dance studio
  5. ↑ http://www.ballet.co.uk/magazines/yr_01/oct01/ml_pineapple_danceworks.htm Article from ballet.co.uk citing the popularity and reputation of Pineapple Studios
  6. ↑ Moore, Debbie (1989). When a Woman means Business, Pavilion Books Ltd., ISBN 0-00-637529-4
  7. ↑ http://www.pineappleeyewear.com/

External links

Coordinates: 51°30′48″N 0°07′31″W / 51.5133°N 0.1254°W / 51.5133; -0.1254

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