Dance Easy, originally known as Priory Hall, is nestled in a central area of Folkestone called the Bayle. It has been at the heart of the community since it opened in 1935. It served the community during WWII hosting dances, weddings and ration book collection.
The last tenant used the hall as recently as 2017 for dance classes on its maple sprung dance floor, yoga, beer festival, comedy club, art talks, poetry recitals, knitting classes, discos and concerts featuring local and international acts. It was a location on the Folkestone Living Advent Calendar.
It now sits empty waiting to be brought back to life.
The plan has 3 stages: Rescue, Renew, Retain.
Rescue: we'll buy the building, saving it from demolition and development.
Renew: with an army of supporters (already signed up!) we'll renew the building and bring it up to date considering new uses.
Retain: we'll manage the building offering community hire, classes and social events.
We are a determined group, help us succeed!
What we'll deliver:
- Repair the roof
- Improve access for everyone to enter the space
- A new cafe for public use
- Install a sound system
Why it's a great idea:
We'll create a vibrant place for people of all ages to enjoy. Local school pupils will meet with the residents of the retirement flats next door. Families and friends will be able to meet and enjoy activites, classes, and social occasions. There are so many people with memories of the space and we will bring them all back for more fun, dancing and social occasions.
We will provide a place for people to learn new skills, make new friends and have pride in their local community. Dance Easy was a place that has served our community of all ages and we'll bring that back. When it was open in 2017 it attracted up to 4000 people a month and we want to increase that even more by inviting new people from our community to get involved as volunteers and attend events.
Folkestone has a low number of community venues, let's not lose another one!
Steps to get it done:
We want to make sure Dance Easy is a friendly and inclusive place for all to enjoy. We welcome anyone who would like to help.
