DDI Dance Diaries
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DDI Dance Diaries
Busting Those Dance Myths 💖
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In this episode of DDI Dance Diaries we are busting all those dance myths that us dance teachers hear often. 💫
Hi everyone and welcome to DDI Dance Diaries, a space for our dance family where we talk all things dance, confidence, mindset, and everything in between. Whether you're a dancer, a dance parent, or part of our DDI community, this is the behind the scenes look into the moments that shape not just dancers but people. Because here at DDI it's always been more than just dance.
SPEAKER_03Hey, welcome to another episode of the DDI Dance Diaries. Today we are going to be busting some dance myths.
SPEAKER_01Oh. There's quite a lot. There's quite a lot. Right. So the first one that I would say is that as dance teachers, like we all we do is dance. Untrue. We are therapists. We are what else?
SPEAKER_00I mean hairdressers, neighbours. Yeah. Yeah. Taxis quite often. Taxis, yeah. Um what else? Oh, the thing. I know. Homework doers. Oh yeah. I was doing homework not that long ago. Hiding this. I wasn't doing the homework. I was assisting with the home. Assisting with the homework.
SPEAKER_01Guiding the homework. Well, I suppose that you that would come easy to use as primary teams. You probably just got the homework.
SPEAKER_03Depends on the topic. Math. No.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Definitely. Yeah. That's dancing. We are responding to DMs, we're setting up opportunities for them. We're class planning. That takes sometimes longer than the glance.
SPEAKER_01I feel like that kind of leads on to the next myth, which is that we only work like when class starts. Like hilarious. Like half nine.
SPEAKER_00Half eight or half nine is our only working hours, which is again funny. No messages would ever get answered. There would be nothing in the studio. Nothing on the other. Social media would be.
SPEAKER_02Oh my god, the socials are a whole lot. Socials are precious. And we're consistent with it. They will not be delegated. Nope.
SPEAKER_03Don't touch Ashley's socials. I feel like I've got real power having the login. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Do you haven't great power comes great responsibility? If you upload a story with the wrong font, you're in trouble. No, you'll get a message. But you know, like it's just because I really love it.
SPEAKER_03Listen, I'm all about that. Oh, stay consistency is great. I've started doing it on Instagram. Yeah. I've got like 10 followers, but I'm like, oh, it needs to be the same font. We were in London actually, and I was like, I can't repost that because you've not used the font I used. I use a DDI font. I used post it.
SPEAKER_01It's so funny. Like I'm being so. But yeah, we definitely don't just work those hours. Like there's so much more goes into our jobs. Like, even like just planning a class.
SPEAKER_03Additional jobs are also being worked on top.
SPEAKER_01It's hard to work on a quick studio.
SPEAKER_03Yes, I was gonna say that here we are today. I know there's so much more than like we have our dance roles, like you've got a full other business. Yeah, like and children, that's a full-time job. Everyone's doing so many things on top of their role as a dance feature as well.
SPEAKER_02And it's hard to switch off as well. I feel like you're thinking about it all the time and how you can better.
SPEAKER_00Every work group chat is constantly thinging with like TikToks being like, Oh, we should try this idea. Oh, have you seen this drill? Oh, I know you were struggling with this part of your team. What about using this drill? Yeah, yeah. Like, we're all helping each other and stuff like that. Yeah, yeah. But it means that work is a lot at the front of the mind.
SPEAKER_01But I feel like it's then like important, or what I think I'm getting quite good at is setting those boundaries and making sure that we are only working with certain hours and we're not spending 24-7 thinking about DDI. And obviously, I love that you do you do love it so much that we're like you do, uh you do like invest your time in it. But I think it is important that we do stop and we're not working, we're not working. Have some boundaries and a wee line, yeah. I know it's Easter holidays, and I know that like you are technically off more film bulkers, but um for me that's when I can get you to because you've got to know. I need to get a little bit of time, but I think it is important that we're really strict with ourselves as well, because I don't want you to then end up resenting your jobs because you are like, oh my god, I'm working 24-7, and yeah, so I think that's quite important. So, next myth that I've got is that dance is just a hobby. Depends.
SPEAKER_02I think maybe for like some people, yeah, it is a hobby. Yeah, and they like just coming, yeah, chilling, having that safe space. Whereas for some people that is like I want to do that. This is my dream. Yeah, yeah. My goal in life is to be a professional dancer, yeah.
SPEAKER_00The kids that say, Oh, their parents say, Oh, they want to be just like you, they want to be a coach.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's such a lovely thing to hear, isn't it? Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01I feel like there's quite a lot of times recently that I've said to Ashley more than once, I'm like, remember, this is like it's not that deep. It's a hobby. Like, I need to and I think like for so long, like I was that person that was like so stressed and like, oh my god, this isn't happening, and da da da. But like trying to bring it back to being like this the the actual the black and white is that it is a hobby. Yeah, it is. Um there is people that will then take it further, and the thing that I guess is the myth in it is that it's not just a hobby where they like come and I don't know, I'm trying to think of another hobby, like maybe tennis. I don't know if you would learn life skills in tennis, maybe you would but like sorry to tell tennis. Um but you know what I mean? Like sorry, I feel like you're a good guy. Um but you know what I mean? I feel like that's where I'm like it's not just a hobby, like we do teach more than dance, and yeah, yeah, like so. I do like I feel like that's quite a hard space.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, but it could be both because you want it, it's also a safe space, yeah. And it's somewhere for friendships outside of your school bubble. Uh-huh. Because quite often you don't bond with the people in your school bubble because you don't have like-minded interests and stuff like that. But at dance, they're so they're usually, oftentimes, have very similar interests, which means that your dance friends do end up some of your closest friends, like my closest friends are all dance friends.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Used to. But for life. So makes sense. Laughters. I mean, even though you were friends beforehand.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, but then I think you could argue that if we'd hadn't done dance, yeah, we would just still be as close. We maybe wouldn't be as close. We maybe the thing is with me and Sophia, we've had the exact same lifestyle since we're five years old. Like we've always like we've done the same thing, we've done to the same school, so like always have been, but I think in your adult now life, because it's so busy, yeah. Nine times out of ten, the time I get to spend with Sophie is cause of dancing. Yeah. If we go away for comp weekends, I'm like, ugh. Yeah, Sophie's. Yeah, that's right. It's like if it wasn't for dance, people as we ever get in. Like everyone's each other's media. Yeah. Like, definitely. I think your dance friends, and we still speak to so many of the games. Yeah, we do. Yeah. That we danced with, like, I feel like they still message the page quite often, which is really nice.
SPEAKER_00So nice.
SPEAKER_02Lots of them do. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00It feels like um American skills when it's like alumini. I know.
SPEAKER_02And if I see them out, they'll be like, oh, hi Sophie, like how are you?
SPEAKER_01Yeah. I feel like this is a good type of plug-in that we're gonna ask you all to come back. Yeah, we are because we're gonna do a really exciting little piece in the show. Yeah. So more on that later. We'll see you there. Just so you know, you're gonna get a message. Um Right, the next myth is that it's just a fun, easy job. That's hilarious.
SPEAKER_02It's not true.
SPEAKER_03Not true.
SPEAKER_02What would you What do you have to say about that? It's definitely not an easy not an easy job.
SPEAKER_03It's not it's depend like you're working with so many different age ranges and personalities. Yes, yeah, so much like I'm working because I do the baby classes, which are two year olds, and then I'm working all the way up to under 16. So like when you look at that age range, that is so difficult, and you need to, as a person, change your teaching approaches for the different stages because yeah, different people need different ways of learning. Some people are visual learners, some people need to have it written down, some people need to literally watch a video and be like, right, there's where I need to be, that's my space. Yeah, so you need to be able to change your teaching approach, which can then be hard to jump in and out of. Yeah, right. I'm in under eight mode, but now I'm going up to under 16, so I need to change the way coming across. And you need to be able to find a nice line of balance where you are their teacher and you're their friend, but you need to at the end of the day, you're there to teach them and you're there to support them, and it's amazing that they're so comfortable with us, but you also need to have that line. Yeah, there needs to be a line. Like at the end of the day, your parents are paying for me to teach you. That's that's at the end of it.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, that's why you're I feel like that's something that we've gotten good at recently, um, but it's something that we really struggle, even like when you sort of athletes, we struggled with it.
SPEAKER_00Um because it is like we do what you automatically want to be liked. Yeah, yeah, of course. And that that can bleed into the line getting crossed sometimes. Yeah, but not recently. I don't think that's a good idea.
SPEAKER_01No, I think we've gotten good at it much better. And I think it's important that we're good at it because then it teaches the junior coaches coming up that they need that that's who they are. Yeah. I mean, you're a coach, you're not like yes, we're all a family and everyone's like like we're all friends, yeah. But it's like at the end of the day, like I am your teacher. Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03I think even between like us, like when me and Sophie first came back, it took a while for like us to get on a level with you, so it's like friendshippy now. Yeah, yeah. But like at the start, it was like uh like oh am I doing the right thing. It's like oh yeah, you're still 12. I'm like, yeah, or something to it so like I think at the start it was like coming up because where I were I still say the coach.
SPEAKER_00I still miss a coach and I'm like, well, your parents still call us Miss Ashley. My mum was like, Miss Ashley shouting across the bull of our room. Whereas we're now colleagues and friends, yeah. Yeah, so it's a it's a weird thing thing to tip over the edge of, isn't it?
SPEAKER_01But I think like so obviously the whole point in that little um tangent there was the fact that it's not an easy job. No like it's not an easy job, like even when you to actually remove the like people just think you're a dance or you just go and it you just dance all day and you're just you're just having the best time of your life, but like it's really so much more than that, and it's like people don't see the sleepless nights and the fact that we lose sleep over other people's kids.
SPEAKER_02Like I've never thought that would ever like I think like I've found that really with like drunging, like really opening up the new uh like the new location, and I'm like, oh my goodness, like we're building this up from the new art, and it's it's so different, yeah.
SPEAKER_01So no, I feel like I've just kind of thrown you in there with that, but you're doing a mess.
SPEAKER_00I feel like that's really good because you've thrown me out of my comfort zone. Yeah, you kind of have to sink or swim in like the knowledge that you need to have to take someone from a complete novice to like being a dancer or an athlete is like that's a different level of knowledge to what you need to have to have a competition team and be like, oh no, you're not hitting a clean score sheet, and then it's a different level of knowledge that you need to have to teach a preschool class and know how that you get them performing first steps safely and well in a way that you can then progress up as they grow. And then it's a different skill set again to what you need when you're working with the seniors who are adults with jobs and they can drive and they are coaches themselves. They're fine different hats, yeah. Exactly. If you have all different skill sets, yeah, and then it's also the skill set of oh, how do I do social media? Oh, how do I do entries for virtual? Oh, how do I do admin? Oh, how do I do there's so many different hats that you put on throughout it, and I think that that's what makes it more challenging. Yeah, alongside keeping up with all your like CPD, your continued professional development, like making sure that your first aids is up to date and that your insurance is up to date and all your qualifications is like continuing, like continuing to better yourself, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Alongside don't get me wrong, I feel like before I actually started taking DDI seriously and like a business, like before that in recent years when I've like been like, no, I am a dance business owner, like traffic. Like it probably I mean it was never easy, but it didn't feel like this. Like I'm not saying it feels hard now, it doesn't, like, because I've obviously got the team that helped me and have delegated in, but it definitely feels there is people out there, there's schools out there that do still run it like a hobby where they probably do just turn up, do the stuff, and then leave, and then the rest of that gets lost. And I feel like it's really important, like, especially as a DBO, to make sure that your team are fully equipped for these different things because again, like you said, like I wouldn't like years ago, I would never have been like, right, Sophie on you go. But I knew that like I had the skill set to help you to do that, and I thought, right, let's do it. Like, do you know what I mean? So it's it's uh yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_03I think being able to see like the business side of things made such a difference to me last year. Like I came back, god, a good couple of years now, don't really know how long ago, maybe three years ago. But I came back just as a coach, and then last year I got like quite involved in the business side of things, which is a side I didn't ever really think. You don't really even know it exists until you're in it. Like and I remember I was going home and I was telling all this stuff to like my mum and my dad they were like, What?
SPEAKER_02What do you mean? What do you mean? You don't just learn how to do kicks.
SPEAKER_03Like I was like, this is mental. Like, even as me like being able to learn, I was like, Whoa, yeah, I was like, there's so much actually going on. Yeah, if we don't really open our eyes, last year, like seeing all that, yeah.
SPEAKER_00I have a really hot take, but see the DNS owners that are still running it like a hobby and like for funsies and kind of flying by the seat of their pants, their teams are not having a good time if they have a team at all.
SPEAKER_01They their teams are stressed, but their team of coaches, yes, yeah, correct.
SPEAKER_00Like the people that are me and the Sophie and the Amy are stressed out of their box like 90% of the time. They don't know what they're doing, they don't have forward planning, like they're they're not given the tools and the support and the resources to then go away and do the continued professional development and stuff like that because it all costs money, and if you're not running it like a business, there's no money. Yeah, yeah and and things like you invest in us, like you sent me for a head spa because I was fed. Like, yeah, do you know what I mean? That doesn't happen at those years because there's not that opportunity and ability from that trickles down from the above.
SPEAKER_03That's probably a really hot enjoying your work as well. Like means when we worked in McDonald's for years, and when we first came back to dancing, I was like, Whoa, I just want to find values. I know it feels like I'll just go to love your job. No shade of McDonald's, but at the end of the day, McDonald's is a massive threat. You're just a number, you're just a number, you're not like valued as such, like you can work as hard as you want and you're like not gonna get it well done or whatever it is. But and I mean our work was quite good for like they did recognise you, but moving to like working at DDI, like what a difference, like for strategy days and like all those different things. I'm like, oh, it's actually like I feel valued, like having like wee incentives, and like Ash was always saying, like, what can I do that's gonna be like more than I draw those? Yeah, into like or like even at the first training session was like, What coffee do you drink? I need to know so that if there's a situation, then we can still get a penny brightly I've got the coffee on it, but now we've got Sabai, so it's all changed.
SPEAKER_01I've still had a Sabai. Oh well, it's next door, we'll go. Yeah, yeah. I'm going to go. What you don't even know what it is, guys. Um and I feel like that kind of leads on nicely to like the next myth, which is a big myth that I probably don't want to get too deep on. I feel like that needs yeah, I feel like that needs like a whole F king on its own, but like that when you step back as the DBO, that you're just all about the money, you're like, you know, you're just thinking like you no longer care. Do you know what I mean? And that's a big thing for me. Like, and I'm not gonna get emotional. Told myself it wasn't gonna be. It's pure life. But I'm not you got emotional. It is lies that that's not the truth.
SPEAKER_00That is an absolute myth because it took you a stepping back for the school to get more opportunity because you now have the time to go out there and put out the connections and do all the things and invest in it so that we can have those opportunities. Like the school gets more opportunity now than ever when you are teaching less than ever.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah, exactly. It's like you're the exact backbone.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, like if it wasn't for you, it gives us like opportunity as well to prove like we are good at our job to like do meeting on a Wednesday night and it running.
SPEAKER_00But just because you're not in studio doesn't mean you're not working. Yeah, exactly. Yeah, exactly. I think that that is the common misconception is that oh Ashley's never here anymore, she must be having a lovely time at home so I can really wear feet up. That's not what's happening. Being at home, that's actually more stressful than being in the studio. I'll be at the I'll be at the studio and things are pinging on my drill board. She is working, guys.
SPEAKER_01She hasn't working, she is putting things on. I feel like, and like you said, like it's that reinvesting back into the team, like making sure. Like I'll always say to you guys, like, and we're one at once and stuff, like, where do you need support? Where do what do you want to be get better at? Like, for example, you none of you have said I want to get better at speaking on a podcast, but I'm like, they want to get better at speaking on a box. So, like, do we better? Now I feel like you just have, or hopefully after today, you don't have that like skill set and where that if if any other opportunity came up in your life where somebody was like, Do you want to be on my podcast? You wouldn't think twice about it because you'd be like, Yeah, it's just chat and yeah, why not?
SPEAKER_03We're just yeah, like chatting. I mean, like, I think it's just so important. In fact, no, I'm just diverging. I'm going down another path. But I'm very good at this. I was gonna say, I think it's good though, like like as something as we not really that we, but like as learning a podcast, you actually learn so much from doing it, like being able to communicate, being able to talk in front of people, even though it is just like a couple of people, but you learn so much through it. So as much of the time, I'm like, oh no, thank you. After that, I'm like, oh, actually, like I've done that, I can now and you just get to yourself as well.
SPEAKER_02You don't have to like have all these things in your head, you speak.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah. But then a lot of people wouldn't have had that opportunity if you hadn't like that. Yeah, yeah. And have to look at it from here's the whole business.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, for so much for so long I was like, DDI is me, I am DDI. Yeah, and it was like like I needed to be in every class, I needed to know every child, and I still do, like, and I I take pride in the fact that we are very good at getting to know every child. But there is some classes that I walk in and I'm like, Oh, I don't recognise her, and that that feels weird, but it doesn't feel wrong because it feels like I know someone else knows that child. Yeah, and I feel and like you know, like it just like if I hadn't done that, would I always have been that person and life would have just felt so heavy and I would have not seen wouldn't have grown. All right, exactly.
SPEAKER_02And like straight away, if you see a child though that you maybe don't know, you're like, Oh, who's that?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, let's get to it.
SPEAKER_02Like if you also are involved with everything, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Um I think the they're just after money thing is a massive misconception because if the school hadn't grown the way it has and everything's gone up so much in price, if we hadn't went in line with that, now we've not gone crazy, but if we hadn't gone in line with that, there wouldn't have been that money there to invest in the team and to invest in the school and to get new equipment and to to get all these gorgeous new costumes. Because I don't know what seems to go on in people's heads, but they seem to think, well, I pay £50 at the start of the season for a costume. Yeah, but do you know how much those costumes cost? Because it ain't £50. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And you have it for the season.
SPEAKER_01Like a lot of that money comes from fees, yeah. A lot of it comes from and also when you think about like the costume thing, like for example, that costume might not have cost like a bang on £50, it might have been less than £50, but the the actual value and the costing behind that charge is the fact that we had to source the costume, we had to usually hand dye them on to you.
SPEAKER_00I don't know how many times we've done that, like, but then also like like everyone to fit every s single size of those dangers. Yeah, which like we've got teams that are like some of the kids are wearing like children's smalls, and some of them are wearing like adult mediums.
SPEAKER_01And how do you find one that spans and is suitable for all those body types and all those chick like children's like repairs, things like that, things that people don't see, but again, like I feel like that's an episode in its in its yeah, because I feel like it is something that I would love to just get really deep on because there is still so many schools out there that don't charge their worth because they're scared of parents leaving and stuff. And don't get me wrong, like that is difficult. I feel like um it kind of leads on to the next myth that I'm gonna talk about, but like yeah, there's just so much that I want to talk about on that topic. Yeah, is it's so deep, you're all paying for more than dance though. Yeah, always always. It's never just that little 45 minute, 10 hours class.
SPEAKER_03Yes.
SPEAKER_01Um so yeah. The next one that I want to chat about is like when kids leave us, we don't get affected by it.
SPEAKER_03Not true.
SPEAKER_01Not true. Not true.
SPEAKER_03That's something I really struggle with.
SPEAKER_01And that again, I feel like that's like something like people must think, oh, they they get they charge all this money, they get paid. So like they they don't care about it. Like, why don't like why is that a myth? No matter how big the skill gets, that'll never be a thing.
SPEAKER_03It's got a tie to a child, like there's always you've for me personally, I put so much effort into getting to know each individual child and you make memories with them and you build them into this person. Like we're speaking about not just dance but you build them into a confident individual that can go on and succeed in life. So if a child leaves, you're naturally you feel like oh like it's something I've always I do struggle with, and like I I like that if we've lost a child before, especially some that I've really put loads of time into getting to know, I have felt like oh like yeah, that's just cuts.
SPEAKER_02It's like you build such a bond with them, and yeah, you work so hard, you invest a lot of your time and yeah, and getting to know them as a person as well.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I think it's saying it's there's two sides of it, like it is really hard, and it's like oh my god, but then when you then see them going on and maybe doing different things, and like I think about like when we all left and go on, and it's different from university, and you kind of are able to like come back and like like us, like we all moved, and it was like, Oh, Amy's doing that, like Sophie's doing that, or like they've moved on there at uni, they're like some of them think of some of the girls that in our terms like Caris has got her own bag thing, we're gonna cut to her. We're constantly like that's amazing. It's like all the things like it's like, oh my god, that's amazing. So, like, as much as sometimes it's gut and when someone goes, we always kind of watch them flourish, and if you see them again, it's like ugh.
SPEAKER_00I feel like a lot of them know they've got.
SPEAKER_01like lifelong support from us yeah yeah which is nice and I do I do enjoy that like people that leave don't tend to leave on bad terms like it's maybe that like and listen like it's something that I've done a lot of work on myself with like because I feel like I I do quite a lot of work with you on like not taking it personally. Yeah and I think it's so but that's something that doesn't come immediately. Like you do you do think oh my god like why have they left like as it means like what have I done da da da but trying to get that like mindset and shift and like one let's bring it back to it's just a hobby. We don't own the kids like although it feels like we own them like they're not ours.
SPEAKER_02They're allowed to go and do what they want they're allowed to go and I always like remove myself from it like I imagine myself just coming completely out the situation and thinking right this person might flourish elsewhere like and you do just need to like be happy for them and and let them move on but I think the myth is that we just don't care about it and it's not like oh they're just a number never like never what we were saying earlier about like people that have left us before still commenting on our posts or still sending us nice wee messages of encouragement and if you see that they like run right up in Tesco and they're like Miss Ashley that bond never really goes and do you know what there's just always different like situations in people's lives that would cause them to not come back or whatever.
SPEAKER_01Like we were in the soft play the other day and there was a wee girl and she was like Miss Ashley just waving and I was like oh my god hi and I hadn't seen her in like over a year but I was like do you know what I mean it was just nice yeah like whereas like I feel like again some people must think that we're like right you're no longer at DDI we no longer care about you and that's it and like if I see your child at soft play I'm gonna walk straight by her like it's not the it's not and they're still kids exactly at the end of the day. Exactly so yeah I think that one's quite important but that whole like not getting affected by things goes quite deep because I feel like you need to do a lot of work on your own it's taken me till really recently for it to not be taken personally by me. Even like when a parent or maybe sends a message or whatever and they are like upset about something that's happened for us to not immediately take that on and lose sleep over it and like do you know what I mean let it consume every thought that's something that's really difficult to get on top of I think as dance teachers because again we're just seen as dance teachers and like we just come and teach ballet but like when not as personally I don't do ballet but do not maybe I feel like yeah like there's it's so much deeper the the dance yeah there's just things that like people would come to us and we're you would never think that would be a dance teacher's like ro role. Yeah yeah yeah um and I it's our job to obviously make sure it doesn't happen.
SPEAKER_02It's hard not to take it on as well I think like if something has happened I'll then think about it for the next few days.
SPEAKER_00Yeah yeah I think that's one of the reasons why we do put so much work into ourselves like is especially like coming straight down from you like the trickle down effect you do so much work on yourself so that you don't take it on board which then means that I need to do so much work on it so that I don't take it on board which then means that you don't and then hopefully that just trickles right down right down into the kids because um it does mean that you have a much like better mental state. Yeah and you can come into your work well like a blank slate and not like oh god well this happened last week and wonder how it will be and all that kind of stuff you can yeah aha exactly leave everything absolutely so the next one I would say is that like you switch off when you go home.
SPEAKER_01No I know that's what we're saying for sure in but also like my do not disturb zone yes yeah yes getting the boundaries in place doesn't go until 10pm but I think the switching off when you go home thing is like I think it's important to let parents know that like we never fully switch off from like thinking about their guests yeah yeah however we do switch off in terms of like right I'm actually like yes I'm not caught so please don't message me at 11 pm and expect message me if you want bam I'll message you back at you in terms of please don't send question marks because we've not replied but do you know I mean like that kind of thing like we were we are constantly on and we're always thinking about our jobs but we're maybe not contactable and yeah um yeah yeah I think it is important to be able to switch it off at times because otherwise it would literally consume like me and Sophie working with kids all day from the VR is like although if we see something they were like that that would really benefit such and such.
SPEAKER_00Yeah it's just who we are as people to like want to better the kids that we have and like to give them the best service that we can possibly give them as a service-based business but yeah there does need to be that like where it's like I'm going to my bed now and I'm gonna read my book and I'm not gonna look at my phone.
SPEAKER_03And if you message me you'll get a response tomorrow and I've got my power because I think like the days I'm in the studio like if I'm in the school from nine and then I'm leaving the studio at like nine o'clock that's 12 hours I've worked with kids all day and then if I go home and think about and like individuals within school individuals within the dance school my mind would not stop. It would just be going. So I think being able to find that like shut off time.
SPEAKER_01Yeah right it's whatever time at night my phone's gonna off um it's got to be about it's so important to find that time for yourself as well where you like read a book or go a walk or do you know what I mean? Like I'm getting trying to get really good at meditating and try to like get up early in the morning and like do you know what I mean I'm really trying to make that conscious time for myself because otherwise I would get up when the kids get up and then I would go to bed when the kids do you know what I mean you would just not get that time at yourself. So reading a book is a New Year's resolution for me.
SPEAKER_02Reading a bit it's like reading a bit of a book at night because I do find it hard to switch off and I think that totally does it's so easy to go straight on to your phone at all.
SPEAKER_01I've been doing a lot of work with um Donna from the the Energy Artists and she's fabulous and she was telling me the other day that um like everyone automatically just grabs their phone as soon as they wake up in the morning and it's so bad for your brain like it's so bad for like how the rest of your day goes and like she was just saying like you need to try and get into the habit of like waking up in the morning and immediately just going and like doing something meditating or like quiet or something or yeah doing whatever but not picking up your phone. Yeah and it's the same thing with the last thing at night you lie in your bed and you think that you're giving your I think that I'm giving myself like me time by like lying in my phone and like scrolling because the kids are in bed and I'm getting quiet time but like it's not good for you.
SPEAKER_00You're just sitting on I'm a reader so I don't I don't scroll in my bed anymore.
SPEAKER_01She's in like book twelve or something already this year.
SPEAKER_0012 oh it's more 30. Alright I think we're round about there.
SPEAKER_01I finished my book this morning I love this mad this chat it was really good guys. I started in January in fact no I've been reading I'm very good at reading helps um self-help books. Yeah not I wouldn't like reading them but I don't I mean like a what a wee crime book oh like a week well into crowd they'll just look at we can we're finding okay I'm gonna write that down for your um Christmas I love that um yeah I think it is important to make sure that we're making time for ourselves which again kind of goes back onto that myth of like that we just don't switch off do you know like we we we need to try but we also do really love your kids 247. Yep I know and that's just it um so the next one I would say is like shows like we're so good at shows.
SPEAKER_03Love it and like comps like we're fabulous now like but people maybe people maybe think that we just that just comes together like that and it's like oh no do you know what I mean like maybe I would love to do like a reality episode like of a show day because it's so like we should do it a horror movie.
SPEAKER_01You get to see like speak to short we should do that.
SPEAKER_03We get something follows around like reality teams like you get to see the final product you get to see the show yeah you don't get to see what's going on backstage like it's happening in the morning we never forget the show that we forgot one of the kids for one of the dances and we're like she's not on she's meant to be on like no organish.
SPEAKER_01However I want to bring it back to be like we actually um are really organised. Yeah it is I do like we we have like a team schedule oh there's the very colourful deeds like it's very structured you know where you're going you know where you're to be however it is just still it's a show is a show no matter where you go like I would love to see a show that's run like no chaos. Yeah it's it's not does it exist with children possibly it would maybe be possible if it was like 10 children. Yeah because there's like one kid on one kid off you know it was a show of solos. We have like we've got a team of 11 coaches and the 11 coaches are in charge of one one class and there's so just men I think for how chaotic shows can be we organise it very well.
SPEAKER_03Like I think everyone knows what their role is like that baby room main sofa got it. Oh we've got it run like an army like it's this year it was harder because they're like right here we go toilet yes let's go but I think this year it was a wee bit harder because I actually had to be on stage like whereas previous years like I've I was like mainly in that room because they are my plays games with the like I'm on the stage so it's like right then we had to suss that this year right Amy can't be on the baby room the photo because she needs to be on the stage but I think like we've gotten so good at knowing who's meant to be going on where like what's like because that thing I was talking about when the kid was missing that was actually my fault. But that was like the like oh that show must have been about the one that was like four years ago now.
SPEAKER_00I think long time long time ago now that was the last the first thing when news came back was it not like we volunteered for the show and then we were like come back.
SPEAKER_03Yeah was it trying like it's like one of the one of the first shows we came back to like help with and then like we came back but I think like we're so good at knowing where they're meant to be who's meant to be on the stage who's got them at the side of the stage because I think that's a big one that we've like spoke about and it's a big focus is like no coaches standing at the side of the stage getting to watch the show. Yeah see as much as we would love I would love to sit and watch the full show like I'm sure it must look great from the front yeah but we can't have six coaches all stand at the side of the stage because we want it to that it needs to be ran so well from behind.
SPEAKER_01So like I think that's something that we've gotten really good at being like you're beside stage with this team you're backstage with this class you're in here you're on that like I think as long as it always feels smooth to the audience that's all that matters like we got really really good feedback from Scott from Spotlight who done our last show he's obviously done on most of our shows but he was like quite good at like he was like actually it was seamless from the front like it you wouldn't have been able to tell that there was so much going on back there because it was just bam bam bam dedicated role as well that we can step out of to go and help maybe someone else but it's all yeah organised and planned for I think let's think about like the myth as like a bigger picture so not just like the on the day thing. Yeah let's think about like the fact that like this show takes six months together but we've been talking about it for a year. Yeah. And like same with comp stuff like they start their choriol days in the like August and they are still competing until and we get the best results like round about now in the April do you know what I mean so like it is it's never just an overnight we've already started talking about themes for next year's Comp Stuff themes for the next year's show.
SPEAKER_03It's a process and that is a long time away from the from now so you talk about it for anything as simple as like for the show is like picking songs like being able to like that happens like see if you aren't first pick at songs yeah you're on and out you're putting on Trello otherwise otherwise it's gone not yours. But I think like those are the things that you don't think about this show's gonna but so much has actually went into it and I think comps as well another one is like because we've actually like we're so lucky we've got quite a lot on teams now like that compete and quite a lot of the time a lot of the athletes cross over so like when we were having to look at the divisions and like they're swapping between like so like the last couple of comps we'd some that some kids literally like a dance in between and then they were swapping and they were back on for more or whatever it was. So I think it was really good because we like especially me and Sophie like we don't have dance teams as such right now we've got cheer teams but like we had roles like even if it wasn't given from we knew like they're needing help. I've got a head piece I've got someone's like I literally had Jasmine's hairband like last week I found it.
SPEAKER_01I was like I have your hairband I must have just ripped it out your head but it was because we're like right that's where the hair band went but it was like I don't have a hair band I think was a really good one for that yeah like we had right Sophie you're doing this Amy you're grabbing these people were on the stage and some teams had to be in warm-up but then like you guys had to be with the ones that were on the stage so we were back with warm-up so I think that's the things that people don't realise yeah I thought that really ran so smoothly I also feel like we're quite good at like taking a routine and developing it into something special because sometimes I think that people just think that the minute the choreographer's done that routine's ready for the comp to one it's not the case you're making stuff until the last clean if it's the cleaning is so difficult but also the upgrades that it gets yeah but it's contained that's not absolutely in no way like I'm a like downplaying what choreographers do like I know my brains not go there like to the point where they are choreographing that many routines. Yeah we used to do it and it was just it was a lot um so we do obviously get choreographers in for certain teams yeah but it is a it's a process you know like it's like and even like for example like we'll say we need to probably get better at this but like when choreographers come in we're like that oh she's really close to that so put that in and she's really close to that and then we spend the whole season like we're close to it.
SPEAKER_00We're stopping that guys yes but um I think even what's nice is like hearing back from choreographers like later on in the season then being like wow that's a lot that routine look at the routines that we sent from energy to choreoclinic Vanessa we sent them through and she sent back and it was just like loads of love heart eyes and was like the progression like this is so much better than the last time I seen it and she'd seen it at the call what like four weeks before yeah five weeks before yeah um so she'd seen it in person yeah and then even just like from then to then she's like the progression this is like this is insane and um both those scenes won grand champs.
SPEAKER_02Yeah you've got to give it to the the dancers as well.
SPEAKER_03Yeah they make the choreos they make the choreos theirs yeah you can give if like you could give everyone the same bat of choreography but they're gonna take it differently and make it their own if they don't give you the facials if they don't make the movements look smooth if they don't make it look a bit of if it's to be like kind of funky looking like it's not gonna look great if they make it their own.
SPEAKER_02I think for our porn routines this year especially I think the girls really feel it. Yeah and they're like so invested in the theme and making the faces and trying to add that they're just it's absolutely gorgeous.
SPEAKER_01Yeah absolutely is there any more myths that you guys can think of that like would tie into our jobs what do people think about dance teachers I thought I'd put you in the spot with that one because I feel like we are a cult.
SPEAKER_00We are just cult yes we well trick you believe in yourself we don't drink from the Kool-Aid we drink from chip cans cans meditation if you hear the coachy's house the night before calm the two weather lying in the bed with the meditation musical sometimes holding hands a pen if I can handle that much touch.
SPEAKER_03Like just investigating the best version of the team I don't like it was like meditating I've made them all on the window made them all in mod uh pop affirmation I wanted to listen to like Olivia Dean she was like no affirmation affirmation club on Watch by guys.
SPEAKER_00She was like we're on the mid spot I was like right and it was good.
SPEAKER_01Well it's clearly working guys it's working first three grand champs and I paid bid at the last club soft day the universe is always working out for those guys anyway I think we should probably wrap up there because I feel like there was quite a lot of myths there that we can woo woo yeah that's um for another episode yeah because I feel like we are we are insane it's working so we're gonna just keep doing it I feel like it brings everything back to like that we are mindset is everything and DDI is not just a dance school like we are not just here teaching dance we are here teaching belief in your children like it's still a belief it's it's a little anyway we will see you in the next episode