Dance to this Podcast

DAVID DANVILLE - West End sets, passing on your passion and keeping fresh after 25 years!

• 22 Media • Season 2

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It's our FIRST time moving our little podcast studio on wheels!! We LOVED the energy and positivity of David and seeing how his passion rubs off on his younger dancers.



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Find all the songs mentioned in our spotify playlists!

https://open.spotify.com/user/31t7e7ibcbntq6ziwbonzbra7ape?si=L0XQuZlnTYq8_ybkvlliaQ

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SPEAKER_02

Hello!

SPEAKER_01

Welcome back to Dance This, the podcast with Zoe Francesca and me, Jessica Faye, the podcast where you can find great songs to dance to. Guys, we've made it to a field. Oh, we've moved the caravan for the first time. Yes. We've made it to a field. We are in Hull. We're in Hull. We're in Hull. On the way here. It's quite funny. We had we were making a driving playlist and we were looking through songs to do with driving. I love a good theme. And Highway to Hell came on. So we've rebranded it as H wana Hull. You don't say that about the Hull. Hull Wayne Hull. I love it. We're excited if you can't tell because we're just not excited to be in Hull. We're just so excited to be in Hull in a field. So we have got David Danville, the lovely David, coming on the podcast today. Which is quite funny that we've just asked this person we've never met before to come meet us in random fields.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, I said on the way here, I was like, that's the kind of thing my mother would have told me not to do is to go and meet two random strangers in a field.

SPEAKER_01

And then he's turned up, and then we've got these cushions sat here. Like it's all a bit weird. But do you know what? It's worked. This is what the caravan was doing. We are trustworthy guys. It's David.

unknown

David, it's a proper thing.

SPEAKER_01

But like it's worked. The whole idea of bringing the podcast around the country. This is the first one. How iconic. Iconic? What's the word? Historic.

SPEAKER_02

Historic, yeah. It's like it's a historic. Do you know it's a historic moment for the dance to this podcast? There we go, that's what I mean.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

We all remember the 1st of June 2026.

SPEAKER_01

Oh 01, 06, 26. I don't know why I thought you were gonna say that. Oh no, that's not no, sorry, I thought we made a pattern. Moving on, we're excited. Um excited to be here in a field with our first guest on rudd. Um and it worked. We got it here with no problems. Yeah. Let's hope we can get it back with no problems. But yeah, it's it's actually working. The whole idea of coming around the country to find the guests, it actually works. So the podcast plan works, guys. Yay! Um before we chat to David, who was just so lovely and so passionate. I'm really excited for you to hear the chat, everyone. But foundation files, it's not a physical thing this week.

SPEAKER_02

Because you got the foundation files.

SPEAKER_01

You forgot the foundation files, guys. It's not a physical thing. It's stretching, that's going in the foundation files. I personally think, well, I personally couldn't live my life without stretching mostly my legs every day. But stretching is such a key thing, I think, to dancing. Not even just to get flexible, just for your muscles and cooling down. Yeah, I wanted to say rehab, but I didn't know whether that was the right word. Like just looking after your muscles. Is that is that what you say? You know, just just looking after your muscles, basically. Just looking after your muscles. I know. I feel like someone said once, right, I was quite early in my career on a job, and someone was like, Oh, when you get past 30, it's like, oh, you're aching, you need a full warm-up.

SPEAKER_02

They weren't wrong.

SPEAKER_01

They weren't wrong. That's what I mean. I just sometimes don't, and then just the next day. I'm like, my neck. I'm like, why did I not do that? And especially with Taylor Swift when we're headbanging. I mean, not you would never think Taylor Swift and headbanging. But the British my neck last week was like uh Yeah, which is what the muscle gun is handy for. Yeah, definitely. But another foundation files, muscle gun, mostly, yeah, yeah, that is a good one too. But stretching, like I love stretching. I stretch for a few stretches and then I'm like, I want to do my whole body. I could sit here and stretch for hours. Like, I love the feeling of it, and you're like, ah, it just like ah, it just feels so good. I love it. I love just putting on some music. We've got a good playlist actually, cool down, calm. Check that out. Put that on and just like stretch.

SPEAKER_02

Oh, it's so good. This is another one of those things where I think we spoke about it when you put the five-minute abs or whatever. This is another one of the things that Zoe does at the end of the bed after a gig when we're like staying in a hotel, and it's again quite quite scary.

SPEAKER_01

I just need to stretch, especially on gigs when we've sat in a car, got out and done a dance, and then got back in a car again.

SPEAKER_02

But when everyone's going to sleep and the lights are off, and you're sat at the end of our bed, like lunging. Sleep paralysis again.

unknown

Me again.

SPEAKER_02

There she is. When you need to sleep, she's just there. And when you're like love it, love it.

SPEAKER_01

But yeah, I definitely think it's an essential as a dancer. We know that to get flexible, but just like looking after yourself when you're getting older, and like, I sound really old, don't I?

SPEAKER_02

No, but it yeah, that person that told you that they weren't wrong.

SPEAKER_01

It's essential, yeah, definitely, 100%. Um, and also the benefits of getting more flexible staying in those, like being able to kick higher and all that kind of stuff, all that jazz um also is a benefit. But yeah, definitely that's going in the foundation files for today. Welcome David to the podcast. Thank you. Yay! Right, tell everyone what you do in the industry now.

SPEAKER_00

So um, my name is David Danville. I work in dance, uh, I own Skyline Dance Studios, uh, I teach at Wyke Six Farm College, and I also run a competition called MBDA.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, nice, you run it. I run it, yeah. Oh, exciting. We'll get into all of this. So we're gonna start, take it from the top, all the way back to where you first started dancing. How old were you?

SPEAKER_00

So I I was quite late. I was 16 before I'd ever ever done any sort of dance. Yeah. I um I think like from where I was from, like people just didn't dance, like boys, especially. Like, so I just kind of did a bit of drama at school, then I kind of went into performing arts, but chose like the acting route, and then used to like watch people kind of dance, and I was like, I really want to do it. And everybody was dancing to Michael Jackson, and I was obsessed, and then I just was like always watching it, and I think people's like that guy over there is so weird. What's he doing? He's just like watching us all the time. But I was just fascinated. I was fascinated that people danced in Hull, and I was like, because I'd not been around it, and then they was like, Do you want to join in on this dance? And it was it was thriller, and I was just like, Yeah, I've never danced before ever. And yeah, I just was from then I was just hooked and like was that a dance school or was that at school? It was it was uh like a like a B tech in in performing arts, yeah. Okay, so yeah, I was gonna go and do like bricklay and all mechanics because that's all my friends were doing, and I was just like, I really don't want to do this. I did like a little taster of it, and then I was just like, this just didn't for me. So I just like snuck off and went and did performing arts on the slide and told nobody. Um and then yeah, just fell in love. I was always like okay with drama, but then dance. I was just like hiding it from everybody. I was like, never told my friends I danced ever. Oh yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_01

Until when did they not know you did it really?

SPEAKER_00

For years, like I just yeah, just didn't tell anybody for such a long time because I was just so embarrassed, and also just where I was from, I was like, you'd get chinned, like somebody wouldn't you just didn't dance, but but yeah, like I say, I just I just loved it, and like Michael Jackson was just like what I used to like watch all the time. I was obsessed with thriller, and like I just I thought like I didn't know people could do that as like a career. So like when I saw people dancing to that, like Michael Jackson at college, I was like, wow, like I I want I'm in.

SPEAKER_01

So I'm in, let me let me get let me join in with this. Oh so Michael Jackson was a big inspiration for you when you were younger.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I think like just being a kid, like I was obsessed with thriller, like I just watched it non-stop, but it also petrified me. So I like back in my day, Sadek and all my back in my day. Um like you had to go to obviously like the like the blockbusters and stuff. It was called Pharaohs, this video shop, and we just every weekend, like my parents would take me, like, what do you went out? I'd be like, Thrill and like, not again, it gives you nightmares. And I'd be like, I just want to watch it again, and I would just obsess with watching like him dance, and then I'd have nightmares because he's his scary face. But I was just obsessed with a movie. Yeah, please tell us, you know, all the choreo off my heart. I mean, yeah, I've danced to that's that routine so many times, but then seeing the film recently, I was just like, there were certain little things, and I was like, wow, like there was so many little key features, little moves that I didn't that I didn't know existed. Like, and I was just like, I just still think that routine's timeless and just incredible. Like, yeah, 100%.

SPEAKER_01

Do you mean the new Michael movie? Yes, is that possible?

SPEAKER_00

I haven't seen it yet. Have you not?

SPEAKER_01

No, have you?

SPEAKER_00

No, no, it has literally like just made me fall in love with Michael Oliver. Well, I never lost the love love for him, but like what I'm loving is like I'm just loving this like like revamp of Michael Jackson. Like, I walked into a class the other day, and like all my kids was doing the moonwalk, and I was just like, there's like, sir, David, can you do the moonwalk? And I was like, I haven't been asked that question for like 20 years.

SPEAKER_01

Like, but also you're like I've been practicing this for 20 years, yeah. I've got it now.

SPEAKER_00

Like, I literally was just like, This is ace, like I love it. Like, I love seeing this. Like, and obviously for the past month, I think I've danced to Michael Jackson songs in classes, and I love that. So I'm like, Yay, I'm cool again.

SPEAKER_02

I'm cool again. That was like happening all over the place. So the studio I go to all the time, like they're using MJ like all the time, like yeah, it's proper, it's all in the charts again, isn't it? Like, but yeah, it's all in top.

SPEAKER_00

I've always brought in a Michael Jackson song into my shows, like one or two every year, just like, but this year, I think there's literally about like 12 Michael Jackson songs in it.

SPEAKER_01

They're just iconic, they'll never go, they're timeless, they will never exactly.

SPEAKER_00

But everybody's requesting them like, please can we dance to Michael Jackson this week?

SPEAKER_01

I'm like, don't have to ask me twice, yeah. That's singing. When we went to Move It as well, we did like an episode at Move It and asked people their favourite songs about one every three songs that was Michael Jackson.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, they were always like, Yeah, it was always MJ songs.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, so it's back, it's back or um when you started dancing then in your B Tech and things, what aspirations did you have for it in the future, or were you just doing it for fun? Did you think, oh, maybe I could do this if you suddenly thought this could be a career, or was it still for fun?

SPEAKER_00

I I never saw it as a career to be honest, and the reason because of that is we used to get like a uh a newspaper about like that was called The Stage. I don't know if you've heard of The Stage, but basically it was the only place you knew about like dance auditions and acting auditions, it was all just in this newspaper, and it was always like dancers must be five foot ten, dancers must be five foot twelve, and I'm such a rule follower that I was just like okay, well that's not I'm not gonna be able to do that. That's me out, and that's how things used to be. So I just was always like, okay, I'm not I'm not I'm not gonna make it as a dancer. So I was just always like it was just always for fun, and I loved it. And I thought about those auditions, and I just thought, nah, I'm gonna go into the more acting route. So when I actually went into my later degree, which was my like HND, which is your two years, I just chose acting because I thought I'm too short to be a dancer, but I was just like missing like I was focusing on acting for two years, and I was just missing dancing so much that I made my top-up degree, I made it in performing arts so I could do a bit of dancing again. And then and then after that, it was just dance all the way. The acting is just like just gone. Just gone, yeah. It's been dance, dance, dance ever since then.

SPEAKER_01

Oh yay! Your song for this one, Blood on the Dance Wall. When I heard the title, I was like, I don't think I know that, but you do when you play it. Okay. Do you think the same? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, it's not one of the like people one people know the most. We'll skip in.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Do you know it? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, just yeah, just this song for me in particular. It's just it's the first time I ever choreographed a dance. So I'd like I'd started dancing with like the cool kids to Michael Jackson, and then we had this unit at uh college where you had to do your own choreography, and I chose that song because everyone was dancing to Michael. I didn't you didn't do anything else. And it was just like that was the other thing. So I was like, oh, I just chose one off his album and choreographed to that, and then I got like straight distinctions, and I was like, Yeah, I'm a choreographer.

SPEAKER_01

Sunglasses on. I love it. That was it. You were so alive.

SPEAKER_00

I called myself a choreographer layer. Yeah, I just couldn't I couldn't believe it. Like, honestly, I was like, when I got like straight distinctions, and obviously the other people in the course didn't get straight distinctions. I was like, I'm the choreographer of the class. I was like, it just yeah, ego went through the roof, and I just loved it. From then on, it was just like, yeah. So I always just remember that song. If I ever hear it, and luckily I'm hearing it all over again now with this revamp, and it just always makes me smile because it makes me laugh and think, God, that was a who do I think I was choreographing a dance then?

SPEAKER_01

Like it was mad. So the turning point then, when did you then think this is is gonna be my career? I'm gonna teach more, tell us more about the teaching side of things as well.

SPEAKER_00

I I think like I after like my degree and stuff, I went down to London for a little bit and I went to some like auditions, and I kind of like put myself in the room with all those professional dancers, and and I even went to some acting, and even a boy band audition, every day, like just all things. I went for a few like random things, and then I was just like, nah, this London life isn't for me, and also everyone was so good, like everyone was incredible. I was looking around the room, I was like, wow, and then I remember I got a call whilst I was in London from my old college that I taught, um, that I'd been a student at, and I said, We really need a dance teacher. What where are you? And I was like, I'm coming home, looking in for me, and I just because I just love whole, I love my city that I'm from. I'm like a big advocate for dance in the north, and I was just like, get me on that course, and I just was like teaching, and I just loved it. Like I loved just teaching dance every day, and went into a bit of musical theatre teaching, and it was just yeah, it was just incredible.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, oh was that then the that kind of age, 16, 17 kind of age?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I taught bizarrely, I was 20 and I was teaching like sad I was teaching 16 to like 21 year olds because I was even teaching like the degree students and stuff, which is crazy, that would never happen now. But um, yeah, I was just really lucky that they'd give me that like straight into like full-time teaching near enough. So I was like just doing what I did, like love every single day, and I've always loved it. And then after kind of like 10 years of that, I decided I was like, Yeah, I want to do my own thing and like set up my own thing.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, that was gonna be my next question. So, Skyline, what was the beginnings of that, or why did you start that?

SPEAKER_00

So, Skyline was just I'd I'd been in education and teaching for like 10 years, and I have this 10-year thing where I think like I don't really like change, but after every 10 years I tend to think something needs to change. And I was like, I I was seeing all these people come in from my like street dance classes on a night, so I would teach in the day at the college, and then I'd set up like a programme on the night, like a street dance course, and like the numbers were just coming in and in and in, and we had one class, and then we had two back-to-back classes, and then we had three back-to-back classes, and then we started doing a Tuesday night, and I was like, There's just this massive demand for like street dancing, hold on, and then I was like, Yeah, I'm gonna set up my own like company and just go across the road from the college, and I just set like hired out a space um and just started like putting on evening classes there. Um, and then really quickly, the people who were in the studios decided they don't didn't want the studios and they just said, Look, do you want to take it over? You literally fill in the space every night, and then within a year I have my own studios, which they actually called it Skyline, and then I've just kept it, yeah, kept it with that, and just yeah, and then I've just ran with it for we're it's coming up to 16 years now.

SPEAKER_01

So that's yeah, definitely. Is there any kids' classes, or is it have you stuck with that kind of age group and adult we have now expanded into every single age?

SPEAKER_00

We start from five, and we've even got someone who's 67 in our classes, and they're all in our production, so we go right across all of the edges, and also levels like we do things like adult beginner classes, and then we do inters level for people that are like working professionally and stuff, so yeah, the the the levels is mad.

SPEAKER_01

And you do a show every year or every couple of years?

SPEAKER_00

We used to do two a year, but now I've decided like I'd sooner just go big and bold, like at the end of the year, every year, and I go all out. Like I hire West End sets and they come. But for a local dance show, like honestly, we we we like I like to think we go above and beyond. Like, I mean, a few years back we had rain on stage, and I think for a local, I know it was just always I'm just living out my dreams.

SPEAKER_01

Like people full productions after people are like, How do you make any money?

SPEAKER_00

And I'm like, I don't. I don't, I'm just living the lives. Like, I literally like when I saw like the rain on the stage, like that's like what I used to see from watching like step up and stuff. And I was like, when the technicians who uh these two technicians that honestly they give me everything like every year, they know how passionate I am. I'm like, can we have rain? Can we have this? Can we have and like he's coming every year? They made it like they made this like machine that like made it rain on stage, then the water fell into a gutter, then like revamped and came on stage, and honestly, it was just incredible. And I was like just watching it from the side, just like wow.

SPEAKER_02

I'd have been like, I want to be in it, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

I mean, yeah, I don't and that's the thing, I didn't even go in the rain, I just made everyone else go in because I was just like watching it from afar, just thinking, wow, I've made it rain on stage, and yeah, it was great, and it did cost a lot of money. And then I remember afterwards, I was like, What did you think to the rain? And one person went, It rained. I thought that was a backdrop effect. I was like, What? But no, you could see it rain. Like you could, it was it once a clear void, but yeah, it was just one of the best memories. But the thing with that is once you've made it rain on stage, every year you've got to think about top it. Yeah, so you've got to like, how can you top that? Like, so every year I'm like, I've just got my setback for this year's show, and I'm like, is it better than last year's? It always has to be better than the previous year.

SPEAKER_01

So think about all those kids, what you're giving them, or even the adults who are doing it, like you were saying, you used to watch Step Up, like they are doing that because of what you've done for them.

SPEAKER_00

I must admit, like, the my favourite day is revealing the set. So, like, when I invite them all in and I close the curtains, and then I do like a play tune and then I give them a review and the curtain open.

SPEAKER_02

Showing itself.

SPEAKER_00

I know that's what it is. I look for the reactions and I'm like, what do you think? And then I just go straight to is it better than last year's? Like, it has to always be better than last year's.

SPEAKER_01

I love it.

SPEAKER_00

Imagine if someone went, no, I don't think it is. No, actually, I prefer the rain. Preferred the rain. How come they got rain two years ago?

SPEAKER_01

That is so good. I we love show days. So we both teach at DSL Dance Studio Leeds. We love the show day for that.

SPEAKER_02

It's just I do enjoy like a reveal as well. I always do this. And I was I don't you've probably said it online before, like American like high school when they pull the playbills off. Yeah, we don't because I get so excited.

SPEAKER_00

But they love it.

SPEAKER_02

How often do you reveal uh because I do like one class a week. I've been like spreading out, so I'll take a few off one week and I'll take a few off the next week. So then it's like so everyone gets the changes out when you catch which one's going down. I love it. Like they're just that, they're like, Oh, oh no, and then they're like, Oh, not bother about that one, that's five minutes. Like so fun, and then the reaction is so good.

SPEAKER_00

We did that once because I teach musical theatre at the college, and honestly, the the way to get up with that reveal, it's amazing, isn't it? Yeah, but then when there's like three left, you see some of the faces when you the one they want is taken off, they're like crying, they're like, no, and then you're like sorry. I know, but they they work on it for a year, so like if they don't like that musical, like yeah, that is true. That's it.

SPEAKER_01

So do you do quite a lot of musical things? We're gonna talk about stars in the next section, but quite a lot of musical theatre numbers, or is it more commercially in your shows? Is it mixed?

SPEAKER_00

Not with Skyline, I don't do uh musical theatre. Um with the college I teach at White Six Farm College, I run the college production there. So yeah, I do the the directing and I do choreograph some of the numbers.

SPEAKER_01

So yeah, what's it like teaching in an education setting to teach into uh an extracurricular setting?

SPEAKER_00

It I feel like in a in a college, like you have to like think about them wanting to go into like the dance industry a bit more. So I would say I'm a little bit more stricter in a in a college setting, uh, because they're going on to that next level and that next journey. Um but uh but also a lot of the a lot of the students come to me in the day and then they come to me on a night as well. So that but what's great is they know they see me change, they're like, Oh, you're much friendlier on an evening. And I'm like, Yeah, but I just have to be like, yeah, because I just want I still want great results everywhere, but yeah, I do mix it up a little bit.

SPEAKER_01

Different vibe, yeah, different vibe. You have to jump through the hoops and everything. Yeah, definitely curriculum and stuff like that. What is the curriculum like now that you're teaching?

SPEAKER_00

What kind of luckily I I I was teaching like all the dance, drama, and performing arts at Wyke, and luckily, I mean, I was teaching from nine o'clock in the morning till nine o'clock at night every day, and it was just getting a bit too much. So, luckily, I'm very, very grateful for Wyke College. They've um created a role for me where I can just focus on the college production um and some of the dance aspects, like the competitions that they all attend. So my Slightly different, so I've come away from like the the education side because it's it's really really really tough. Like credit to any dance teacher out there. Like I did it, I've done it for 10 years at uh my previous college, then I went back into it for four years, and it was really hard. I was every evening just up marking, um it's all that side that people don't see. Yeah, tracking and I mean the college production that we I'm doing at the moment, we have like a hundred people signed up to it, and then if you think you've got to like give them a even just a register, you know, just it can take ten minutes. So it's it's it's yeah, it's marking those kind of students and things, it was just getting it was just a lot. And I was coming to the point where I felt like Skyline was taking a bit of a back seat and uh and Skyline's my baby and it always will be. So I was just like, I need to like come away from the educational side a little bit, and it's the best thing I've ever done because I'm so happy because I get I just feel I get to do all the good stuff now.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, that's so nice. Yeah, you're at a point where you're like enjoying every little part of what you do. That's so nice. How good is it though that all those people you said we've got a hundred people who want to do that show, all those people are doing dance from that age and like loving it. It's so good.

SPEAKER_00

And what what's amazing about that college production is literally the students that have danced since they were like four, and then these people that are doing like science and biology and then and drama, and they're like, I just want to go dance, and it's like they're just starting dance, and I think, well, that's what I was like. I was 16 when I started dancing, so who knows? We might be able to turn around into dances.

SPEAKER_01

There we go, you're passing it on. Yeah, so your song for this section is a we're staying with the Jackson family. Oh, it's absolutely really All Night Brackets Don't Stop by Janet Jackson.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, it's just one of my favourite Janet songs ever. I just think that whole era of like those videos where she starts it like running through a dusty building and like with a torch, and like it just reminds me of like like I had me and I choreographed to that song like every week for months and months. I just wouldn't let it go. I was just obsessed again. I think what she was just like, still this song, and it's just like it's got an amazing dance break, and like I just miss like music having dance breaks, and like every time that dance break like happens, I'm just like wow, like Janet's just I I went from Michael very closely to Janet, obviously, and then we're gonna on yeah, icon.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, that's funny that he said that about having a dance break.

SPEAKER_00

Not many songs now have a full dance break, like they always have bridges, but with no legs out, and then that's like oh my god, like yeah, you think back in the day, like all pop songs near enough had a dance break, like Jennifer Lopez, Christina Milian, all those songs, like you waited for the dance break, and as dancers, that's like that's what we used to love. Like we used to wait for bring back the dance breaks, please.

SPEAKER_01

Oh Sabrina did what we said, didn't she?

SPEAKER_00

They are coming back, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

But we need more, we need more. We need more dance breaks. So there wasn't any other option at that point in your life to like, shall I go bricklay or shall I?

SPEAKER_00

It was dance straight through, or it was honestly, it was a really, really scary decision to go and do performing arts for me because I I don't know, just because nobody did it, and everyone's and everyone like at school, nobody I never knew anybody that went and did like dance on an evening as such, so it was a scary decision, but yeah, there was no looking back.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, one road I'm going down there, and we're gonna stay there. Um, you have taught for 25 years. You've taught I'm only 23. Um, what is the secret to the longevity of your career?

SPEAKER_00

Oh, the secret, do you know? I just think remaining passionate about what you do, like I still love going to work. I drive my friends mental because I'm literally excited. I've got a class classes this evening, and I can't wait to like get in that studio and see what we create. Like, and I think if you love it that much, like you will continue. I mean, I I don't know how long I can teach dance for, but I know I'm I have no intentions of giving up just yet. Good. So I just think, yeah, I would say like remaining passionate about what you do and loving what you do, I would say.

SPEAKER_01

Oh do you see yourself going into more choreographer teachers a bit? Because you are choreographing and you're teaching at the same time, but more choreographer solely, or do you know my question? Is that making sense?

SPEAKER_00

Like, would you be interested in going to more choreography?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, more choreography rather than just teaching your classes, or is it you're fine with doing that? You could just you could just teach forever.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, it's fine. I think like there has been some opportunities uh in the past where I've come up to like choreograph things, and I just I don't know. I don't know if I'm that person. Like I would get extremely I get starstruck by anybody, like literally cheeky girls. I'm like, wow, the cheeky girls! Like I would be no good in a setting choreographing for like a star. I would be I'd be just I'd scream and go mental, and I'd like I can't treat celebrities like as normal people to me. Like, I'm just like, I just don't think that goal is ever for me.

SPEAKER_01

I actually relate to that so much. We did a gig once and blue were there just performing us separately, and I was like, it's blue, it's blue.

SPEAKER_02

I couldn't like put it in on we're in this like dressing room, and I was like, you need to chill, and like you you're embarrassing now like let's get ready, let's put some blue music on.

SPEAKER_01

She was like, Stop!

SPEAKER_00

I'm like, no, no, don't do that. That's exactly how I am. Exactly how I am.

SPEAKER_01

I don't know how people keep their coven, which is funny because they're just people, but they're not listening.

SPEAKER_00

Exactly, yeah. I performed at like it was back in the day, an event called Party in the Park, and like all the pop stars, like hearsay, like um Emma Bunton was there, and like all these celebrities, and I just literally froze and look around looking around at them all. I couldn't I couldn't speak. Like I had a conversation with Stets and I was just like, wow, like I just was like, it was just madness.

SPEAKER_02

Was that on Leeds?

SPEAKER_00

It was uh in Hull actually they came back. But yeah, it was just it was just amazing seeing like so many celebrities in real life. I was like, wow, so yeah, that's how I'd be in person. So I don't think I'm the right person for that.

SPEAKER_01

Next section. I like to move it, move it.

SPEAKER_00

Your favourite dance style is obviously like jazz funk commercial, that's all I know of, really. I do little bits of other things like basic breakdancing when I like teach like touch like the the boys like on a Tuesday. I do like a boys crew. Um, but yeah, obviously, like the the sassy jazz funk is my kind of era.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, let's go with the song gimme, gimme.

SPEAKER_00

I mean, every time I hear this, like this is the only song that will get me up dancing. Like if I mean because I dance 24-7 with my job in a like bar situation, I do not want to dance. Like, yeah, I'm the total opposite. I just want to dance. I just don't want to dance because I'm like, if I'm in a social setting, I'm like, I dance all day, every day. Like, I just don't want to dance. If that song comes on and that intro comes on, uh then okay, I'll dance.

SPEAKER_01

I'll dance. We know how to get him up everyone.

SPEAKER_00

Everybody knows if they want me to dance, they'll go request that. And then I might stay up for two or more, three more songs after that.

SPEAKER_01

Such a good pop banger. Like, is that what most of you choreograph to big pop banger?

SPEAKER_00

I think I choreograph to that song maybe three times every year. Like, honestly, I just if in doubt, I go to that song, and it's just yes, just one of those songs. I just think it's again timeless. It's just if I still hear it now, I think it's an incredible pop song. And yeah, it's hard to beat for me. And it was my MySpace song back in the day. Remember that? But you're too young to remember that.

SPEAKER_01

I never had MySpace, but people our generation did.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, sorry, we had the same generation. That was no, no. Back in the day, like you had to have like uh um obviously like a song on your MySpace. So, like your Facebook now, every time you'd log on to someone's Facebook, the song would come up, and that was my song. Everyone knows me as like you used to have Gimme More as your hi, like, yeah, it's good. Crazy, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Or yeah, do you choreograph your pop bangers quite a lot?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, then that's your like that's my market, and it's all 90% apart from like Michael and Justin, like it's 90% like female pop vocalists, always.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah. I've really wanted to ask his opinion on my divas song the other day. So I do a divas class once once a month, right? Which is pop divas, like Mariana, Britney, just pick one each month, and we decided this month to do Tracy Beaker. I can make my world curve. Don't you think that's a great idea? I didn't do it.

SPEAKER_02

I didn't do it.

SPEAKER_00

I was like, she's the ultimate diva, she's doing it. Yeah, um, I mean, I remember my sister had all the box sets of Tracy Beaker, just always just to watch it. Yeah, she's an icon. Go for it.

SPEAKER_01

Um, how do you keep your choreography fresh having been in it for so long? Do you see new inspirations that you love or yeah, always.

SPEAKER_00

Always looking on. I mean, every morning when I have my morning coffee, I just watch what's been posted on YouTube, or like I just keep keep my eye on like what's happening and what trends are kind of like like what angles people are going down and stuff, just trying to keep an eye on everything, like, because it just moves so fast. Like, you one minute the kids want to dance to demon hunters, and then the week after it's the worst thing, you put the song on the like, no, this is cringe and tacky, and I'm like, What you just missed it, it was amazing last week. How can we go from that to that? Like, so great. I bet they keep you fresh and keep you young and keep you absolutely, absolutely keep me on my toes, they do.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, do you see them all doing little TikToks and stuff in your classes in the corners? Is that a big thing that's come up?

SPEAKER_00

You know, it's mental. Like the place I work at in the in the day, like you will walk around site and there's about 3,000 people on site, and you are constantly walking through TikToks because everybody's you're like, sorry, sorry. I know sorry, sorry, just doing a TikTok. And this is people who would do don't do the dance cutoffs, but everybody's doing TikTok. I would say that's the one trend I've not jumped on. I'm like, I've not, I have got a TikTok account just for when people send me stuff, but yeah, I and I haven't really done TikTok dances. I think I got a bit anti-Tik tock because people started like stopping coming to class and started like doing TikToks instead. And I started to think Interesting, is this gonna kill like the dance class generation? So I started to get a bit defensive over TikTok for a little bit, but now I I I feel different. And I watched if somebody sends me a TikTok dance, I'll love it and watch it. I have jumped in on a few people's TikTok.

SPEAKER_01

I've jumped in on a couple I think in lockdown it went very much that way. TikTok was when it just went crazy, and then I feel like now it I don't it hasn't taken over. I think we're safe, I think we're safe, I think it runs alongside. Yeah, I think the style is crazy, how different, and like obviously they're short routines, yeah, yeah, it's a complete different thing, but they can they can run at the same time as our dance classes. I think we're all we're all safe on that.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I just always worry that it's must must be in such a small frame to do everything that it's a lot of hand gestures and not not really moving much, are they?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, they're yeah, quite a lot of them are quite static or static, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

But I mean I love it, and sometimes I see one, I'm like, oh, that look great, I'll steal a bit of that.

SPEAKER_01

We're about to do one outside this caravan, won't we? We love it. Um, what is your choreographic process? I always love asking people this question: Do you have the music first? Do you have some moves that you go into the studio with? What how do you work?

SPEAKER_00

I always probably go music first. I don't necessarily stay with that song, but um, yeah, always try and find that song first, and then I will tend to go to the gym and listen to that song I repeat for like two hours and just keep listening to it and listening to it and try and understand what like the the narrative of the song is maybe uh and the feeling of the song, and then I'll go go home and then I'll start creating to it. Um sometimes I can be there for a really long time and then just completely scrap the song and go to another song. But uh but yeah, that that's my process. Me just in my living room to go like this all day long.

SPEAKER_01

Oh yeah, we've all got many of videos of us like hair up, like doing the videos. Who are your favourite choreographers that inspire you? We've not had this question so far.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, straight away my mind goes to Dean Lee just because he is my everything. Like, if I'm ever struggling for like creating anything, I just get his channel up on YouTube and I'll watch his work. And I just he always inspires me so much. And I was lucky enough to like he used to come to Skyline quite a lot back in the day, and I just he just taught me so much. Like, I just yeah, he was definitely up there. Obviously, I there's just so many, like Brian Freeman, always he's the oracle, Miguel Zerate. I love, I love Miguel Zerati, he's just so sassy and individual, and I just yeah, I just love his movement. I'm scared I'm gonna miss like one of my major icons. No, don't worry, I'll put you on the spot with that one. But yeah, there's just so many. Okay.

SPEAKER_01

This is where we get inside your shoes and find out what you like. This or that question. Okay. Quick answers.

SPEAKER_00

Quick.

SPEAKER_01

Ready?

SPEAKER_00

Yes.

SPEAKER_01

Britney or Janet?

SPEAKER_00

Oh it has to be Britney, but that was a hard one.

SPEAKER_01

A really hard one. Full class or private lesson?

SPEAKER_00

Full class, definitely.

SPEAKER_01

Side of stage or audience?

SPEAKER_00

Audience. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02

Show or competition?

SPEAKER_00

Oh, show. Always competitions can be really long at times.

SPEAKER_01

That's my joke. 9am tech class or 5pm fun class.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, 5 pm fun class. I mean, I do I love tech class. That's a really hard one, but yeah. I'm all about the fun.

SPEAKER_02

And then extravagant set or extravagant good extravagant costumes.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, extravagant set. I'm always about set. I think I should go into set design honestly and then it's all about career paths. Yeah, that was a good one.

SPEAKER_01

That is a good one. Well done, Jess, on that one. Last question. If your life was a dance movie, what would the title be?

SPEAKER_00

If my life was a dance movie movie.

SPEAKER_01

It doesn't have to be as quick. You can think about this one.

SPEAKER_00

If my life was a dance movie, what would the title be?

SPEAKER_01

Yes.

SPEAKER_00

Britney Wannabe? I love it. I don't know. Um Never Stop. I don't know. Something like that, maybe. Never stop. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Nice. Never stop. Never stop.

SPEAKER_00

Just grab it. That's probably my motto. Is I I always, when people say, Oh, I want to come and do dance, and I'm like, I'm like, I never ask how old anybody is, but they say, Oh, but I'm 58 and I but I really watch your videos, I want to come do it, and I just say, listen. Yeah. Dance is ageless. Like, just keep going. Definitely.

SPEAKER_01

Never stop, brackets, Britney wannabe. That's what we decided on.

SPEAKER_00

I don't know if it's gonna be a big hit that movie too.

SPEAKER_01

So Britney or Janet, you went Brittany in the end.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, I mean, I love Janet Jackson. Those two are my like the ones, just the music all the time. Every album, everything. Yeah, every song. Britney's just for me, just I mean, every year, that Spotify playlist thing that reminds you, watch it's just always Spotify Raps. Nobody's sharing it, everybody just knows.

SPEAKER_01

Britney always full class or private lesson, you said full class.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, I'm not so good with private lessons. I realised like that a lot in lockdown because I started to do a few of those and I just thought, I don't know, yeah, I'm better in a class environment.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, nice. Side of stage or audience? I like this question because it's fun, it's a different like buzz seeing it from a different place, isn't it?

SPEAKER_00

I went side of stage and then audience. I don't know because I love being at the side of the stage because I I just when like my kids are walking on stage and they all give me a high five at the side of the stage and like little moments like that, like just what you live for. And then when they run off stage and they're like, my mom's in the audience, like and they're like, I saw my dad! Like it's just like that. That is the best place ever. But then obviously, like I've only recently started watching uh some productions, uh, like especially the musicals and stuff, and I just love seeing it as a whole once you've like worked on it.

SPEAKER_01

It's like with your set design.

SPEAKER_00

With my set design, honestly, like the best thing ever. But that was a hard that was the hardest one out of the lot of them, I would say. It's a 50-50 for me. That was a really hard question. You did well. Show or competition as I run a competition. I obviously love competitions, but sometimes they can just be really, really long. And sometimes you're there for like 12 hours. So shows are nice. I'm all about a good length of a show, like give them a good two hours maximum, like and make it the best. When you start going on to too long, I think you lose people's interest, especially today.

SPEAKER_01

Definitely. Uh 9am tech class or 5 p.m. fun class. We went by the fun.

SPEAKER_00

I just that word fun just threw me on that straight away. Like, I run a fun class and it's become one of my favourite classes of the week because I'm just like, let's just have fun for the hour. Like, yeah, but I would love to go to a 9am tech class if there was one for adults in hall. I'd be there.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, I'd be there.

SPEAKER_00

I want to go. I used to go to like the odd ballet class and stuff, um, and I used to love it.

SPEAKER_01

So it's a different, like it you feel so satisfied, yeah. So like you've accomplished something, yeah, though you're not working on routine, you're like your body feels like it's had a good workout.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, yeah. I love tech. Honestly, I love my ballet teacher said you've got the worst feet I've ever seen in dance history. And I was like, I don't care, I'm still coming. I love it. I love it. I used to just love it putting on my leotard, putting on my shit. Like I was just I didn't even start ballet until I was about 27, but I used to go, yeah, once a week and loved every minute of it.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, why not? Why not? It's fun that when I ask for your little notes, you put just for fun. That's one of our favourite phrases. We say that all the time. It's like, why are you doing that? Just for fun. Yeah, like we just do things for fun.

SPEAKER_00

Like, I think it's so important. Like, people just like like sometimes when teachers come into my my studios and they're teaching, they're all about the industry and the professional industry and being really strict. I love that, but I also like sometimes just want to say, can we just have a bit of fun? Like, can we just dance for fun and for forget about that professional wear for for two minutes because we're doing that all day at the college, so I just like let's just have some fun for an hour. Like, yeah, I'm just more about the fun to me.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, that's what it's all about. Moving anybody, songs, that's why I've got this podcast. Like, talk about the music, and it's just putting the music on and dancing with your friends is so fun. Yeah, yeah. We definitely in our classes want to keep that as well.

SPEAKER_00

Absolutely, and biz bizarrely, my fun class that I've set up, I set it up two and a half years ago now, it's completely like full and sold out. And it's just I didn't realise it how many people in Hull just want to come and dance and forget about life for an hour, you know? It's just this.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, that's what it's all about. An extravagant set of costumes set, we've talked about it.

SPEAKER_00

Set, we've talked about set and my obsessions with set and my standards that I'm setting every year for people. Honestly, when big vans arrive from London and people are like, That kid is mad. Why is he doing that? And it's getting to the point now where the dancers can't even move on stage because we're having like scaffolding and things dropping down, and they're like, Where are your dancers gonna dance? And I'm like, we'll find a way like through the audience, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Oh my gosh, I love it. We need to see these, we'll put some dance.

SPEAKER_00

They're all on my Instagram, all the all the sets and stuff, but even in my last show, I did like um like Alcatraz, so it was all like prison cells and like levels and stuff of like the cells and stuff, and people were like, we can't actually there was like we can't get on stage, do you know, like and can't get off. So I had to especially like with like the the the younger like dancers, we had to have people to like assist people off stage for the wheel. Yeah, just for them to bump into the bump into things and like little bluelights.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, we maybe need to turn it back next year.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, well, I've last night I had my my set meeting for this year and I've not pulled back at all. Because every time I like I bump into somebody in the supermarket or something, they think, what's your set gonna be this year?

SPEAKER_01

And then I'm like, next section. Don't be moody, shake your booty. This is we're gonna do like a bit of a blooper reel and a bit of a highlight reel of your career in your life. So blooper, is there anything that's gone wrong in your career? You did mention to me, I don't want to put words in your mouth, that your YouTube got deleted. What happened?

SPEAKER_00

It kills me. It kills me. So we we back like when YouTube was first happening, I was like straight onto it, and I was like uploading videos constantly, and we built up such a following, like it was mental. Like people were messaging me for Australia and said, like, like they were learning our routines, and there was a dance school in uh Ohio and America, and they'd learnt some of our routines and put it in in their dance school show, and they all had skyline t-shirts on, and it was just like this thing that was like really taking off, and we just had millions and millions of views on all our all our routines and stuff, and then it just woke up one day and it was just gone. And I was like, it was it just said you have been banned because you didn't have the rights to the music, and I was like, and honestly, this is like maybe five or six years of building things up, and I uploaded a routine because I teach every night, so I was probably putting a routine up, if not two or three, every night. So I was up really late at night, like editing these videos and then posting them because I also got a bit addicted to it, so I was addicted to the views, and uh yeah, and then and then yeah, it was just gone. And I was like, I was messaging YouTube like, please, please, I want these memories.

SPEAKER_02

No pre warning or anything.

SPEAKER_00

I did get one warning, and it was like, you do not do not have the Rights of this song, and you've ticked that you do. I just because when you're uploading a video, you just like upload, upload, and it's I used to tick.

SPEAKER_01

We can't dance without the songs, so it's like hell.

SPEAKER_00

I think you couldn't upload the routine if you didn't it on the rights to the song. And then I was like, Yeah, well, I'll just click yeah, and then apparently I'd done it once, and then if you did it again, then you it was gone. And then I'm I remember messaging YouTube for months, begging for it back, and no one ever replied, or I didn't know what what to do about it. So I set up another one, and then it just never seemed to find you so much. But for me, it was it was a really hard time because I was like getting booked to judge at like events say like really good events, and people would say YouTube phenomenon, David Danville. Like and I've got to be like, where's the huge? Like I I don't have any credits like working with celebrities, so that was like my title, and I loved it. And I was like, at least I've got like that. That sounds great. I'll go with that. Call me that if you want, at least I've got something. And then when I had that, I was like, what are they gonna say? Now I'm nobody. Now I'm nobody, I'm nothing. Where's the can't say that, can they? Because you know, kids of today they'll go straight onto a YouTube. I'm like, oh you only get 63 likes, he's rubbish. Oh no, so yeah, it was time. Yeah, it was it was it was a hard time, but also I try this is what I do with everything. I try and look at the positive, and I think you was up every night till two or three o'clock uploading videos, and just don't do that anymore. Maybe maybe it happened for a reason.

SPEAKER_02

That's why you don't bot on it with TikTok.

SPEAKER_00

It's too traumatic.

SPEAKER_02

Good point, not another central.

SPEAKER_00

If anything is to come from this, like we had some incredible pieces. Like, I was always getting people over from London and like people that like taught in LA like to come and teach workshops in Hull, and like all those memories have just gone. So my I know so all all I would ever say to anybody is just back everything up. I mean I say that, I don't even do it that much now because who has that much storage? I'm forever getting that notification from my client update your storage.

SPEAKER_01

It's great which more college. Yeah, let's hope you can get back to the show. One day, one day, you can dumvil's.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, imagine. Imagine if it came back. I'd probably hate all the work about it.

SPEAKER_01

No, right, let's go off that off that bad one. Let's go to the peak of your career. What's the highlight?

SPEAKER_00

Peak of my career, I think. Like when I there's so many. Um one moment is when like my fabulous dancer Robin Lord, like, was dancing for the Spice Girls, and she's now dancing for Julia. And like, I think like, because I loved the Spice Girls so much, and then seeing her dance with them, and like I just remember like having tears in my eyes the whole time watching her dance on that stage, and I was just like, also, I loved all the songs, and I was just like, wow, that was an amazing moment of like seeing that for her, like someone who I've I love and I've taught, and is one of my best friends. So that that was obviously one of my best moments, and also I think I don't know, I got to teach at a convention with Brian, they gave me his like his warm-up acts with Brian Freeman, uh, thanks to this lovely teacher in Liverpool Colnessine, and I just remember like thinking, like, he's there, Brian Freeman's there. Like, keep it going, yeah, keep it. And he knew like about Skyline, and he knew about me, and he knew some of my routines that I'd taught, and I was just like, wow, it just I just remember I had to walk out and have like a breath because like he like all I ever did was what watch all these Brittany tours and like watch him and be fixated on who he was and his work, and like for him just to even know my name, he had like I just was like, wow, this is like the best moment of my life. He can't ever get any better than that. I mean, I think he knows everybody's names, he's just so incredible. But yeah, that was probably one of my highlights of my life.

SPEAKER_01

Just that's so nice as well that you've met, yeah, you've met your idol from a teaching point of view. Yeah, you didn't have to be a professional dancer, you you are a professional dancer, but in the teacher sense, and you've still done that and reached that level. Um there's so many different avenues you can go to in this industry.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, it was it was it was incredible. I mean, my mum's got on a living room wall, uh like the poster of me with my head like this big and a big poster of Brian, but I'm just like a picture with him, and it's like, yeah, my mum's like, Wow, I always remember you loving him.

SPEAKER_01

That's amazing. I love that. Anything else you hope to achieve in the future? That's quite a broad question.

SPEAKER_00

I mean, I I honestly just want to continue doing what I'm doing. Like, I hope that like I can still just get excited about dance and still still keep still keep teaching as I am doing as much like I'm I'm still like my diary's pretty full, and I feel really lucky that my diary is still full. So yeah, I just want to keep doing that. Um I am going more into like musical theatre, like direction and choreographing, and I'm loving that at the minute. So I just hope that I can get better and better at that and kind of like push that a little bit more. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

Love it! Now, your song for this one, Lady Powers, Vera Blue. I I keep getting them the wrong way round. I don't know which one's the song, which one's the artist. I keep messing it up. Vera Blue's the artist. Yes. Lady Powers is the song. Let's play a little bit. Because I didn't think I recognise this.

SPEAKER_00

You don't know this song.

SPEAKER_01

I think I recognise the chorus, but not I don't know it.

SPEAKER_00

Do you not?

unknown

Skippy.

SPEAKER_00

I just love it.

SPEAKER_01

So it's got such a good idea.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah. The reason the reason I love this this song so much is I think it's the first time like what when in my in my teaching career that people requested a routine. So I'd be going to like teach somewhere and they'd say, Will you teach that routine? And I've never had that before. And I was like, Oh, this is like a new, new like era, like people are requesting a routine, like and I thought I felt like it was special to the point where some people now call me Lady Powers. Like, Alan Lady Powers, and I'm like, So I don't think I've ever like beat that.

SPEAKER_02

So what you get now instead of YouTube phenomenon, yeah. There we go.

SPEAKER_00

Well, please welcome Lady Powers. And I'm like, someone once said to me, I'll call you a different name when your combo beats that one, because that one was a pretty good one. And I was like, okay, I mean that was about 10 years ago. Like, it's still on Lady Paladin. I hope that I've created something. Because when I watch it back now, I'm like, okay, I mean it's a really good, I'm really pleased with it, but yeah, yeah. So that's just a really, really good time. And it was a time that I went, I went out to LA to do some training. I remember hearing the song in the studios, and um, so yeah, it's just a really good song for me.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Last section, the masterclass minute. This is where David, you've got 60 seconds to inspire the next generation. Hold on, wait for the timer. Ready?

SPEAKER_00

So the next generation, I will go obviously, teachers, right? If you're teaching dance, that's that's what I feel like.

SPEAKER_01

Perfect, ready, 60 seconds.

SPEAKER_00

60 seconds, go. Okay, I would say like focus on those old school traditions of like being reliable and being punctual, they go such a long way uh in teaching. I would also say constantly refresh your skills, like see what's current, as we've talked about earlier, see what's out there, and also I'm really big on kind of like whatever you're gonna do, um, research like the place you're gonna teach. So the organization, get up their Instagram, do a little research on the dancer's ability that you're going to teach. Um constantly remain positive. How much longer have I got? 26 seconds. Also, um, I mean, I see every class as like a performance. So as you walk into the room, like bring the energy, like make yourself rememberable, like make sure that like that class stands out. Yeah, that would be my advice. I hope that's okay.

unknown

Hey, perfect! Woohoo!

SPEAKER_01

That was hard. Well done, well done. No, we haven't had one from a teacher point of view, so that was perfect. Yeah, anyone who wants to get into the ticket world. Yeah, oh yeah, that's a good one, thank you. Love that, and then sports car tape McCray. Ah Bop Bop, we've had it before, we'll have it again, I'm sure. It's a great one. I've lost it. We've just got to try to play it, but here we go. We'll just play a little bit of it.

SPEAKER_00

I think it's the best song ever. Apart from Gimme More.

SPEAKER_02

Um Do you know?

SPEAKER_00

I'm just so grateful for Tate McRae. Like, I literally, it was at a point where I was thinking, I just I can't choreograph to anything that these like this new generation of dancers like. And then when Tate McCrae came out with like these songs, I was like, Wow, I absolutely love her, and it was like I connected with everyone again, and I was like, Yes, let's dance. I think I've danced to every single song she's like brought out, and like, and also it like the minute I heard the songs, I was excited to choreograph to it, it came naturally, and like that's really rare for me these days. Like, so I'm just so grateful that she's creating music for dancers because I think like she's bringing the dance, like the dance breaks back, yeah, like she's giving those extra beats, and I'm just like, yes, thank god. More people like Tay McCray, please.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, I think because she's a dancer, you can tell that in her music, like she wants to dance and perform that well. Yeah, oh, and seeing her life is just a next level. See at Radio One's Big Weekend last year. Wow, she literally is everything you see on a music video is just her in real life. It's like, how is she real? Like her legs, her how she moves. She's just like superstar.

SPEAKER_00

I I it's very rare that I watch anything back like twice or three times, but everything she seems to do on that. I need to see it again. I need to watch it again. And my friends send me memes of this, like, there's this like 85-year-old guy in a tape of career constant knowing every single word. I'm like, I'll gladly be here. That will be me. That will be me. Absolutely. I will own it. I love yeah, I love her.

SPEAKER_01

Oh, amazing! Well, where can we find you, David, on socials?

SPEAKER_00

Um, I'm at David Danville on Instagram. My competition is at NBDA.

SPEAKER_01

Yes, we didn't talk about that. Tell us about that quickly.

SPEAKER_00

Oh, quickly, my competition is a Northern's best dance act, it's uh competition for dancers of the north. Um, yeah, it's just kind of uh something I've put together. It's been well not recent, it's about eight years now. So yeah, which just uh I felt like everyone was going down south for everything, and I was always going down south for everything, and I was like, yeah, let's set up a competition in the north, and it's kind of like all genres, and yeah, I'm really proud of it. What is it?

SPEAKER_01

Solos, groups, mix, anything? All groups, yeah.

SPEAKER_00

And it's I cut it down to each school can only end to like three pieces, whatever style you want, just so it just I'm trying to get away from that like that competition feel where you're there at 9am and leaving at like 10pm. I'm just like you bring your best pieces from your dance school, so yeah. I like it, and then obviously Skyline Studios is my baby and always will be. And if you want to see some crazy sets like for a local dance school, that's where they'll be.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, amazing! Thank you, Katie.

SPEAKER_02

Thank you so much for listening, guys. I love that chart, he's so lovely, yeah.

SPEAKER_01

So nice, and like it was good having a not a proper dance teacher, but proper we focused a lot on dance teacher angle. Yeah, that was nice, and yeah.

SPEAKER_02

I was saying then, I was like, it actually made me like nearly like well up a little bit when his that highlight was like one of his students' highlights, and the fact that he was just so proud.

SPEAKER_01

I was like, that is a good teacher, that is definitely a sign of a good teacher. That is so sweet, and it's true, like seeing someone being proud. That's what makes me cry being proud. If you're proud of someone or someone's proud, I'm like, I love it. But no, that is really nice, and the fact he was saying he's excited to go to class tonight after 25 years of teaching, he's excited to go and teach those to kids and like see what they come up with. That is yes, sign of a good teacher. Yeah, everyone take notes. We were, we were definitely are. Thank you for listening, everyone, and for our first podcast on the road. Let's see if we can get it back now. Yes, let's hope we can get home again and get it all parked.

SPEAKER_02

If you've been wondering why uh Justin's are we are still in Hull.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, if you see us wandering around Hull, you know what's happened.

SPEAKER_02

It's because we can't be able to go around.

SPEAKER_01

David, we're going to classes tonight because of this stuff in Hull. I won't be mad. I know I won't be mad actually. I would love to go to one of Daisy's class.

SPEAKER_02

I want to go see his show as well. Yes. Can we actually see if we can go?

SPEAKER_01

I want to see this set. Let's go to the show. Yeah, let's go to this year's show with these sets. Very exciting. Very exciting. Uh keep an eye on all the socials for all the content that's been going up about us moving this van, which is just so fun. Um, and guess where we're going next, guys? Let's get your guesses down below. We will see you in the next one. Bye. Thank you. Bye.