Autumn term 2026 first half: Friday 11 September to Saturday 24 October

Lantern was founded in 2005 by dancer and choreographer Helen Pettit as a repertory company to perform her new work. Since then Helen has made many new pieces for Lantern, from short numbers to full length ballets. We work with, and commission new work from, guest choreographers, musicians and visual artists. Lantern’s Honorary Patron is Solomon Golding , the first Black British male dancer at the Royal Ballet and a founder member of the company, who began his ballet training with Helen. Full length works include The Running Hare, Tiddy Mun, Clear Space, Shakespeare’s Flowers, Fenland Suite and Tela. We hold a free Lunchtime Concert in the Lady Chapel of Ely Cathedral each August.

About half Lantern’s members have a disability and the group is about 50:50 F/M. At Lantern everyone is on equal terms, training shoulder to shoulder and performing together. Our dancers are aged 12 and up. There’s no upper limit. Carers and parents are welcome. Lantern is all about participation, enjoyment and achievement. For us, integrated means that everyone does everything together, all the time. It’s active, energetic and fun. There are just three basic rules: come to class every week, train hard and perform full on. Simple!

Having trained at the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance in London, it’s not surprising that Lantern’s Artistic Director Helen Pettit is also Founder and Principal of Lantern Dance Theatre School, which runs a full timetable of classes in Ballet, Contemporary / Jazz and Balletone in Ely. Children can start at around 3 years old with a fun and involving half hour of Playdance, and there’s a whole range of classes after that. If you’re thinking of dance classes, come in to take a look. There’s a free tryout for every class. See the timetable Read more about the school

Lantern Dance Theatre School