The Scottish Dance Awards: Celebrating an Industry

The curtains have risen on Scotland's dance community with the inaugural Scottish Dance Awards, and we were there to capture every meaningful moment.

From seasoned veterans who've shaped generations of dancers to bright-eyed students taking their first steps into the spotlight, this celebration brought together the entire spectrum of Scottish dance talent.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome and Introductions
• 1:52 The Scottish Dance Awards Begin
• 4:08 Meeting Dance School Representatives
• 6:42 Interviewing Young Dancers and Teachers
• 10:12 Dance Education and Mentorship Stories
• 15:30 Awards Night Reflections and Takeaways
• 21:15 The Dance Community Connection

Transcript

Welcome and Introductions

Speaker 1 0:00

Welcome to another episode of In the Club. And we've got another face. That's new kind of new Kind of new yeah. Because you've been all over socials forever.

Speaker 2 0:07

Yeah, people are sick of me there.

Speaker 1 0:09

People are very sick of me. We are getting comments that people are very sick of her.

Speaker 3 0:12

She's not like her again so we had to move her from the social sphere and we're bringing her on the podcast.

Speaker 1 0:15

So you've been kindoted, demoted. That's it demoted to work with us. Welcome to being on the podcast. Thank you so much, caitlin.

Speaker 2 0:29

Yes, caitlin, introduce yourself so I'm the social media manager here at Class for Kids. In case you hadn't guessed from that introduction demoted social media manager yeah, demoted ex social media manager yes just the intern, but yeah, but yeah, it's her podcast at first, because you also had the youngest ever that's right.

Speaker 1 0:48

Oh, we're going to go into this podcast with the youngest person ever on it and it's not you, that's not me, no, it's not. It's not her at all. You're very old. She's deceptively old as well. I think we're in our 40s it's very weird experiment.

Speaker 2 1:00

That's it.

Speaker 1 1:00

I'm like benjamin button ah god, that's a reference that not a lot of people get. No, anyway, we have a really good podcast today we do we do. As you'll know if you're a listener, we recently sponsored the scottish dance awards yep, and something we are delighted to be involved with with hazel, who's the organizer for that, who was on the podcast a few months ago. She was yep.

Speaker 2 1:19

Well, now it's been it's happened, yep, and she's been on it. Again's been on it again.

Speaker 1 1:23

She's on this one that we're about to go into Yep. This is live from the Scottish Dance Awards.

Speaker 2 1:27

It is, yeah, so we had a nice kind of roaming podcast set up Roaming podcast I don't know if that's the official term but that's what we had kind of just outside the awards room and you chatted to lots of great people, lots of great people.

The Scottish Dance Awards Begin

Speaker 1 1:44

Lots of people were lining up to come and talk to customers and non-customers and, as Caitlin said, the youngest person we've ever interviewed on the podcast. So let's jump into this one the Scottish Dance Awards live. We are here at the Scottish Dance Awards, the inaugural Scottish Dance Awards, and I am very lucky to have the organiser of this entire event with me Hazel Hello Hello. How are you? I am with me. Hazel Hello Hello, how are you? I am very good. I'm very impressed. I was just talking to you there about looking out the windows and seeing just people dressed to the nines all coming towards this one location and you've done this.

Speaker 4 2:15

Oh, you must be very proud. It's just started. It's so great to see.

Speaker 4 2:19

Tell us a little bit about this Tell us why you're doing it and tell us a little bit about the awards. So, yeah, welcome to the scottish dance awards 2025. This is our first year and, um, we have just brought together all of the best that there is in scotland in the dance industry, um, and we have representation from across the board. So, like edin, glasgow, aberdeen, dundee, sky, the Borders and you know I was thinking earlier it's great to have that true snapshot of what the current dance landscape looks like. That feels really special and I think everyone here tonight is here because they are saying that the work they do has value. They are recognising that, we are recognising that, and the energy in the room is just, oh, it's phenomenal right now. Yeah, absolutely excitement, anticipation and yeah, I think we're in for a special night.

Speaker 1 3:20

No, I think you've knocked it right in the head and I think that we spoke on this podcast with you before about just the need for this type of thing here in Scotland. I mean, you're really, really knocked off Totally.

Speaker 4 3:32

I know, do you know, sold out, and I actually feel a bit emotional about being in the dance industry and everybody kind of stepping up and the dance industry taking its place for recognition of all the work that goes on, because so often it goes unnoticed. So I suppose that's what tonight is really about.

Speaker 1 3:51

Well, I cannot wait. I mean I'm looking forward to After this, I get to sit down. I don't often get to just sit down and relax for a bit. So, I'm really looking forward to it, just enjoy it. Just really enjoy it Amazing. Thank you for having us here and we look forward to an amazing night. Same, here we go. Let me know your name and your dance school.

Speaker 5 4:08

I am Joy. I'm from J Fusion Dance, so where's that based? It is based in Bucky up in the northeast of Scotland. Oh, so you have a bit of travelling. We've travelled 200 miles to be here today. Really, where are you staying Across the road at the hotel? Right, okay, that's good, that's good.

Speaker 1 4:25

I wonder who the furthest traveller is. So that's what I'm going to do when I'm talking to people figure out where they're from. So have you been nominated.

Speaker 5 4:31

Yes, we got nominated for two awards Dance School of the Year and Competitive Dance School. Okay, two awards is good. Yeah, it's very good. It's very good, it's very good. So what are you going to do if you win? I don't know? Celebrate, yeah, okay, celebrate. And so how long has the school been going? We opened five years ago. Five years ago, right, okay, so we're still new. After pandemic during covid during covid.

Speaker 1 4:58

Yeah, okay, we're not talking about that part. No, how many kids have you?

Speaker 5 5:03

got. I have 170 students at the studio, so have you got your own location?

Speaker 1 5:09

Yeah, we've got our own dance studio. Okay, that's always the best way to do it, isn't it? That's brilliant. Well, I won't keep you much longer at all. Right, our fingers are crossed for you. You're a Class for Kids, customer, apparently. Yes, oh, we'll double cross to you In fact. Yeah, anybody else, we'll keep shouting for you.

Speaker 5 5:23

They don't know what they're doing. No, if they're not in the class for kids, they don't know what they're doing.

Speaker 1 5:28

We'll see if we can have a word yeah and change a few things. But thanks so much for talking to me. Thank you for having me. My my Tell me who you are. I'm Aria, and where's that? Is that in Glasgow? No, it's actually Socoats. Is it Socoats? How did you get down today? My dad dropped me off, right, okay, and are you just here for the awards? Are you performing? Are you here for the awards? I'm here for awards. Wow, like what do you think of this?

Speaker 8 5:59

I thought it was going to be like something like fancy but not too fancy. But then I came in here I was like whoa, super fancy.

Interviewing Young Dancers and Teachers

Speaker 1 6:09

Yeah, have you been in there? No, wait till you see in there. That is the business in there. That's really cool. You've got to be the youngest person that we've had on this podcast, so well done, congratulations. Yeah, congratulations. And so you're in a dance school as well. Yeah, yeah, what's your favourite dancing? Erm, well, you don't know just everything. Yeah, now, this is the big question, right? Aren't you meant to be at school tomorrow? Yeah, are you still going to go? I'm going to go. Is that your mum? Yeah, he's now going to go. I'm going to go. Is that your mum? Yeah, okay, I'll ask her in a minute. I'll ask her. I don't think you need to go to school tomorrow. She can get tomorrow off school. Yeah, she's off school. That was a yes. That was a yes. She's off school. I managed to get my first cup of that. We've done that Good. Well, thank you for coming to talk to me, and I hope you have a great time and get a wee dance.

Speaker 8 7:06

Okay, hello guys and welcome to Class for Kids. Are you with Class for Kids? Yes, we are with Class for Kids.

Speaker 1 7:12

Oh really, oh right.

Speaker 8 7:15

Okay, well, let's just get right into the nitty-gritty. Yeah, I was literally just saying Now I've got a class for kids.

Speaker 1 7:21

Right now we've got the clip we're going to use. That's the ad. We can leave. We can go now. Now tell me your name.

Speaker 8 7:25

Amy Lee Cabana. And what school Dance Mafia? Oh, Dance Mafia yeah.

Speaker 1 7:31

That's a serious name. That's an intimidating name, isn't it?

Speaker 8 7:37

And you came from, let me guess, stonecoats. Yes, hi, mystic Meg there.

Speaker 1 7:41

She's the youngest person we've ever spoke to in this podcast. Oh really, I love that. She's absolutely brilliant. But you must, you can't let her go to school tomorrow. I think we should double in the comments for that, nah, yeah well, you might get social service on you, but listen, it was a dance award ceremony. It was really good, so you guys are up for.

Speaker 8 7:59

We're up for Dance School of the Year, dance School for Best Community Engagement. I'm up for Teacher of the Year and Rising Star School Four things. And then we've got Aria up for Rising Star Student. You never told me that.

Speaker 6 8:17

She's up for a wee award as well, with that.

Speaker 1 8:19

Oh well, amazing, right. Well, listen, as a Clash of Kids customer, we hope you win, yay, but we love everybody that's here. It's a big part of the community. But, listen, have a great time. Thank you very much and we hope to see you afterwards. And you've got to get one of those four Hopefully fingers crossed.

Speaker 8 8:35

If not, it's absolutely fine, because, see, when I was looking through all the dance schools that were on it, I was like I can't even believe that I'm on a finalist list with some of these. It's just, it's amazing. My thing I always say is that I'm just happy to be here. Exactly, I'm happy to be here and a wee glass of champagne on it.

Speaker 1 8:50

There we go, that's it, A few more if you do win, but congratulations. Oh, not congratulations yet.

Speaker 4 8:56

Premonition it was a premonition, thank you.

Speaker 6 8:59

Chloe Patterson. Where are you from, chloe? What school? New Generation Dance Company.

Speaker 1 9:03

New Generation. Where are you based, east Kilbride, and is it your school? No, my auntie's school.

Speaker 6 9:08

Your auntie's? Yeah, excellent family affair. Yeah, well, kind of I'm the only family, alright, okay, the rest are like extended people, excellent.

Speaker 1 9:15

And are you guys here tonight? Because you're up for?

Speaker 6 9:19

an exams, one of them's exams, you don't know? No, there's two. Ah, this is brilliant.

Speaker 1 9:25

Cancelled cut no, that's really good there's two, there's two, there's two that's brilliant.

Speaker 8 9:30

I did beat them this morning.

Speaker 1 9:31

I've just got bad memory ok, cool, and have you enjoyed it so far? I mean, everybody's just went in, so have you seen them there yet?

Speaker 6 9:37

I've been here before.

Speaker 1 9:38

Yeah, looks good yeah, looks good, always looks good. And so how many kids On the school?

Speaker 6 9:44

About 180. That's a huge amount. We're getting there. We're getting there. How long have you been going? 10 years this year, right, okay, yeah, rather, 10 year anniversary Very good.

Dance Education and Mentorship Stories

Speaker 1 9:54

Well, winning tonight Would cap that Exactly. It sure would. I'll let you go in, because it's going a bit nuts. Yep, we have got our fingers crossed for you. Yep, thanks. If you do win, we're going to come up and see you when you're probably a little worse for wear. Hopefully not, okay, no more wines. No more wines. Okay, too many already? Nope, never. Well, plenty of bottles on those tables in there. That's what. I like to hear Indeed, enjoy, have a good time.

Speaker 9 10:18

Thanks a lot, Thanks. So I started dancing when I was seven years old and then finished dancing officially when I was 30. Right, OK, Kept it going for quite a while and my friend was like you're too good to give it up, Come on, we need to. You know, give back a bit. Were you doing productions and things like that? Were you in shows? Yeah, I mean just still in your run of the mill kind of a dance school show. I wasn't doing anything big, massive productions. I had started a family and stuff. So it was just something more like a hobby for me at that point and I just didn't want to give up dancing.

Speaker 1 10:51

It was still. That's when we find it, the ones that the passion. So you've turned your hobby into an actual business, Absolutely yeah, I mean, that's got to feel amazing.

Speaker 9 11:00

I mean, sometimes it's like a pinch me moment, especially, you know, I've just had a big production myself in the Hamilton Townhouse on the 26th of April and I feel like that's at that point, that's when I have that overwhelming. I've put this together like this is a part yeah, I've done this, like this is.

Speaker 9 11:16

I've done this. So up until that point I kind of just I'm in like go mode, if you want to call it like tunnel vision. I'm just focused on, you know, making sure these kids are coming to class, they have a safe space, they're having fun, most importantly. And then it gets to that time of year when we have an annual show. And it's like wow, and how often do you do that? Just once, just once a year, yeah. And when is that? Usually around about April time. We have our show. So ours is yeah, we've just had ours, just been okay, well, this is a nice show.

Speaker 1 11:41

Well, here, I should say, we're at the Scottish Dance Awards. I know, are you up for it tonight?

Speaker 9 11:50

I am. I am actually being. I'm a finalist in the, which again is another pinch-me moment, because I've only really been doing competitions for about a year now, right, okay, so yeah, I'm overwhelmed. Just to be named on that list, that's a win.

Speaker 1 12:05

I mean everybody here, every single person that's going to be named at all. It's just a testament to that. It's strange for us that this hasn't happened here before In Scotland or Glasgow, you know, or at all, because we've got other dance awards that we go to and support in Ireland and in London and things but it's been right on our doorstep. We this is the shortest we've ever traveled our offices around the corner. It's been great. Well, listen, I hope, I hope, I hope it goes well and I hope I see you later on and then that you can. Um, you're gonna have a wee drink?

Speaker 9 12:36

Yeah, I have you started Something to calm the nerves? Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 1 12:41

We'll do a cut at the end, right, I'll come and see you and see what one of those here she is now, particularly if you win OK fingers crossed.

Speaker 9 12:47

for me, then, fingers crossed indeed. Excellent thank you very much. Thanks for having me.

Speaker 1 12:51

I have with me here today Hayley Winchester. Hello everyone, you're not up for any awards tonight no, I'm not so where are you from? I'm from Clash of Kids. You're from Clash of Kids. I should have known that, because I've worked with her now for about five years. How is this looking for you tonight? This?

Speaker 10 13:04

is incredible. It's absolutely exceeded my expectations. I did realise there would be so many people. Everyone looks lovely, all very excited to be here, everybody scrubs up.

Speaker 1 13:13

Not bad, it turns out and even I mean people watching.

Speaker 10 13:15

No, I'm in a suit and the funny thing is. So this podcast table's been set up and I was so surprised that people from the off have been queuing up to visit it.

Speaker 1 13:24

I thought it would have taken a couple of times no, no, we'll get them now, we'll get them again later. That'll be much better. But what's good as well is everybody's here because they've been nominated. So they're all super excited and stuff, and I want to see if I can get somebody that's been nominated and wins and then bring them back later on maybe, or even just get them on camera to talk to see, because I think they're going to be a little worse for wear if they win.

Speaker 10 13:43

Definitely or just keep an eye on someone that's been drinking a lot would be so who have we got here?

Speaker 1 13:53

what's your name? I'm Margaret.

Speaker 6 13:54

Bunton and what school are you from? Margaret Bunton School of Dance very original. I love it, and where are you guys based?

Speaker 1 14:01

in Kilmarnock, kilmarnock great, okay, I'm filling in my mind map of all the different places. So that's excellent. And are you here tonight?

Speaker 6 14:07

you're nominated yes, I am. What are you nominated for mentor? A mentor of the year? Excellent. And how many kids are in the school? About 300. That's huge for a dance school. How long have you been going Over 40 years? So 40 is shown next year, right, okay, cool. And was that like a family business then? No, no, I just started it as a hobby. My dance teacher was fed up with me being the only senior that was left and said why not start your own dance class? I started off with eight kids for an hour on a Saturday and it just snowballed and grew. That's amazing. That's absolutely fantastic.

Speaker 1 14:44

Listen, they've just called everybody in. Okay, I don't want to keep you much longer. That's fine. We really fingers crossed for you. Thank you, and if you win, we'll come and Maybe a wee video afterwards. Are you going to have a? Oh, your husband's saying you're having a few drinks. She's sneaking downstairs to get the cocktails. I love this woman. Next time, give us a shout, okay, okay, thank you, take care, thank you, okay, thanks. Okay, firstly, tell me your name and what school you're from. My name's Nicola and we're with you. Hold in the dancing.

Awards Night Reflections and Takeaways

Speaker 7 15:13

I'm a health, well-being and injury prevention lecturer. Tell me a little bit about that. Basically, everything I do is to help strengthen the dancers with just the risk of injury. Help them from a mindset perspective, going into the industry to complement all the amazing work that all the other teachers do. How long have you been doing that? I don't know. I've been in the space for maybe like five, six years, maybe, right.

Speaker 1 15:39

And how. So health and wellbeing within. So obviously you were a dancer, yeah, right, okay, so it's just unique. I've never heard this before, I know right, isn't that so cool? Yeah, yeah, it's really really good. I mean, pretty much every school should probably have that. How many kids are in the school? It must be big.

Speaker 7 15:55

Yeah, well, next year we have. Well, next year we have. Well, we've almost doubled our students in the next year. So next year we'll have just around 80 kids, 80 students how many?

Speaker 1 16:04

80. Oh right, geez. Oh, I thought you said 8. I thought that's 10. That's really small. Well, that's brilliant. And where are you based? Glasgow, you are based in Glasgow. Okay, I'm trying to figure out who the furthest travelled is. I've talked to people I've had so far Aberdeen. It's not bad.

Speaker 7 16:19

We have actually students that travel to us daily from Dundee and Fife. That must be a testament to how good these are.

Speaker 1 16:25

Right, so at the awards thing you guys must be nominated, yes, but our students are performing, oh really. What time's that? You don't know. I've seen people rehearsing earlier on. Yes, might have been there. Yeah, excellent, I like that. I like a bit of entertainment with it. Now listen. Thanks for taking a couple of minutes to talk to us.

Speaker 3 16:47

Have a great night and fingers across for all of you Amazing, thank you. I'm the director of Dance for All in Edinburgh.

Speaker 1 16:55

Wow, edinburgh. Ok, I'm trying to map out everybody that I speak to. I've had Glasgow, edinburgh, saltcote, I've had Dundee, a pretty broad swathe of the whole. Yes, yes.

Speaker 3 17:04

How long has the school been going? I've been teaching for 45 years. Dance for All has been going since 1985. Wow, and then I've also been running a full-time professional dance dance performance and dance teacher training course since 2000, and many of the people here today are actually graduates of mine, it's so strange this to me, because obviously what we do, our software kind of helps support dance.

Speaker 1 17:37

The backstage side of things, what we do travel right about the UK I've seen Halstom everywhere, everywhere we go. I'm like, oh so we're kind of, we've been kind of welcomed into this dance community it's amazing.

Speaker 3 17:49

Well, that's what I feel like tonight. I've come here because we've been nominated, but then so many of my graduates are coming up to me.

Speaker 1 17:56

They've been nominated. You're afraid for every one of them as well. It's not just so what are you?

Speaker 3 18:01

nominated for um, nominated for leadership, um dance education, dance teacher training, right, and um excellence in dance examinations. Wow, that's not bad, is it? Not too shabby? And one of the organisers, hazel, is a graduate of mine as well. Oh, hazel, that's who we've been doing my last year, right? Okay, yes, so it's just been. You know, it's just lovely, because I yeah, as you, but it's something that I'm just as proud of.

Speaker 1 18:35

Well, listen, I hope that out of four, I hope you get four, but either we get one or you get none. Yes, you know what You're in a position if you get none. Anybody that wins that you've worked with is still getting them, absolutely. So thanks so much for coming.

Speaker 2 18:49

Thank you. What a night that was. It was so good, so so good.

Speaker 1 18:58

It was.

Speaker 2 18:58

I mean, I didn't even have that many beers, I just did a couple of whiskies and it was just a nice kind of yeah, just the food was amazing as well.

Speaker 1 19:01

I didn't really get oh, I did, I had.

Speaker 2 19:04

I don't know how, but I somehow ended up with two desserts, but I didn't complain.

Speaker 1 19:07

I ended up dessertless, so I think we found out how you ended up with two desserts. No wonder you get demoted to your zone. That was fantastic to catch up with everybody. It was some new people there we'd never spoke to before. Speaking to Hazel Hello, Hazel, the organiser of the whole event. We were delighted to be involved with it. We'll certainly be involved next year. What takeaways did you have from it? Because you were super busy.

Speaker 2 19:30

I was, yeah, all over the place Running about I actually got to speak to the pudding thief. That was fantastic. Pretending to be busy so people wouldn't notice there was people looking for you in the night. No, I actually had the honour of speaking to the winners, which was so lovely, so I got to interview them and, yeah, just meant a lot to them and just to see so many kind of schools from across Scotland I mean there was a club from Skye there- that's what I was doing, as you've seen in the podcast.

Speaker 1 19:56

I'm asking, asking them all where they're from, and mind mapping across. But yeah, it was the length and breadth of the country.

Speaker 2 20:02

It really was, yeah, from islands as well. So just really really nice from the islands.

Speaker 1 20:08

You can't sneak in. It's a Scottish dance. How dare they.

Speaker 2 20:10

There's an Irish one coming.

Speaker 2 20:11

stay tuned, there is More to come in that, but yes, but yeah, it was just great and it was lovely to see how much it meant to everyone who was there and that there was kind of a place where you could all kind of celebrate Scottish dance talent I was going to say Scottish dance and it sounds like I'm saying Highland dancing, but Scottish dance talent. Really it was just so lovely. And one thing as well that was a real takeaway for me was just how empowering the atmosphere was. Yeah, so even the people that were you know could be nominated alone as a massive accomplishment. Just everyone was so supportive and really like know how to kind of party, celebrate each other as well.

Speaker 1 20:48

I tried to do a drone shot of everybody partying. I got into trouble, didn't I? You did yeah.

Speaker 2 20:52

But there were some very good dance moves on that.

Speaker 1 20:54

Obviously You'd like to think yeah it would be bad if there was a dance awards and they were all kind of just like just all doing that. The macarena, yeah I mean, for me it just kind of cements our partnerships within this world, and not just with the scottish dance awards.

Speaker 2 21:07

We had other partners there present we did, yeah, we had, yes, yeah, our friends at ids and they were.

The Dance Community Connection

Speaker 1 21:12

They had a great night and we're going to be doing a lot more with them soon. It just feels more and more now that in the dance space, wherever we go whether it be across to ireland, whether it be to England or Scotland, anywhere we can't go anywhere without coming across people that we're already working with or people we're just about to work with.

Speaker 2 21:26

Yeah, it was really lovely because it really does lead towards that. Oh, no, absolutely.

Speaker 1 21:35

They have opened the doors with Welcome Arms to us.

Speaker 2 21:38

And it's such a lovely community to be part of. A little bit crazy but so we but so accommodating and lovely. So do you know how?

Speaker 1 21:45

we end these podcasts, how well this will. This will tell us if she's ever listened to one nope, she hasn't just hiding.

Speaker 2 21:55

No, I have. I'm just don't know what you're going to say.

Speaker 1 21:56

It's just an elongated bye right, okay, okay, we're trying to do it as long as we can, right, okay. So three, two, one, bye, bye, we don't really do it long, we're just making you do it.

Speaker 2 22:08

Oh, great Thanks.