| Pineapple Dance Studios | |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1979 |
| Type | Dance Centre |
| Purpose/focus | Educational |
| Headquarters | 7 Langley Street Covent Garden London WC2H 9JA United Kingdom |
| Location | Covent Garden, London |
| Director | Debbie Moore |
| Website | http://www.pineapple.uk.com/ |
Pineapple Dance Studios is a dance studio complex based in the Covent Garden area of central London, England. It was founded by the English model and businesswoman Debbie Moore in 1979. The studio is used for castings and rehearsals by dance companies, record labels, television networks, film studios,[1] West End shows, cruise lines, talent[2] and model agencies. According to BBC London, it is "one of the world's premier dance studios".[3] Ballet.co.uk called it a "mecca for dancers".[4]
The studios are primarily a venue for dance training. Pineapple Dance Studios has an associated clothing brand. Pineapple Dance Studios are commonly referred to simply as Pineapple.
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Pineapple Dance Studios was founded by the English model and businesswoman Debbie Moore. Having retired from modelling, a sudden weight gain led Moore to be diagnosed with an underactive thyroid. After her first marriage ended, she gained three stone and started dancing to stay in shape.[5] The Covent Garden dance studios she was attending closed in 1979 and she bought a former pineapple warehouse on Langley Street, in Covent Garden, where she set up Pineapple Dance Studios.[5]
Having been regularly employed by the clothing and textiles company Courtaulds, Moore was also experienced in clothing design and manufacture. During the early 1980s, she began developing her own line of dance-wear, 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.
Pineapple Dance Studios launched the Pineapple Eye-wear range of glasses in August 2010.
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 new series is currently being recorded under the title Louie Spence's Showbusiness and is scheduled to air in early 2011.