Lift Youth Hub joins forces with Tidal Architects and Harlequin to create a sustainable, high-quality studio supporting young talent and dance professionals.

Lift Youth Hub, a community space in Islington, expanded its facilities in May 2024 by transforming an underused corner of its site into a studio space.

The new studio is equipped with a Harlequin Activity sprung floor and a Harlequin Cascade performance vinyl floor as well as Harlequin freestanding ballet barres and mirrors.

Based in a former Victorian school, Lift Youth Hub provides extensive support services and facilities for young people between the ages of 12-21, including meeting and training rooms, large multi-use halls, a gym, indoor and outdoor kitchens and a recording studio.

Damien Swan, Head of Operations, who has previously worked with high-end performers, explains the decision behind choosing Harlequin floors for the new studio. He said: "Whenever we plan a project, it has to be both commercially viable and beneficial to young people. By providing them with the best possible floor, we’re able to offer dancers and artists a safe and welcoming environment.”

With several professional dance studios nearby, including Sadler’s Wells, Damien and the team knew they needed to meet a high standard. Their goal was to attract a broad range of users, from community groups to elite dancers. The result being a high-spec studio that offers the ideal rehearsal space for the Hub’s young performers, many of whom take part in community events such as the Notting Hill Carnival.

London Borough of Islington helped fund the renovation as well as Isledon Arts gaining additional funding from the Backstage Trust and the Clothworkers.

Designed by Tidal Architects, the studio was built with sustainable materials to provide an energy efficient and low-carbon building, both in its construction and use. Tidal Architects Director, Brian Heron, said: "Lift Youth Hub was very clear from the outset that they wanted a professional quality dance studio. In early discussions with potential end users, like dance companies and performing arts organisations, it became clear that specifying a Harlequin dance floor was an essential requirement if we wanted to attract professional dancers to hire the space and so, together with the Lift Youth Hub team, we factored this into the brief from an early stage.”

The space has now become the new home of London City Ballet with Sean Flanagan, General Manager of London City Ballet, praising the space as "the best dance studio of its kind in London".

Other dance companies and organisations such as Studio808 and HIPA, also hire the studio space, generating vital income to support Lift Youth Hub’s wide range of services and programmes.

Lift Youth Hub continues welcoming both young people and professional organisations, ensuring the space stays active, inclusive, and financially sustainable.