Ep13: Just a Catch Up!

🎙️ Dance Talks – Episode 13: Just a Catch Up!

We're officially six months into the year, and what a six months it's been!

Join Laura and Michelle as they sit down for a relaxed catch-up, reflecting on everything that's happened so far in 2026. From exams, competitions and social events to welcoming new staff members and watching the studio continue to grow, there's plenty to talk about.

The pair share their thoughts on the current vibe around the studio, exciting developments happening behind the scenes, plans for the future, and why Freedom 2 Dance is entering one of its most exciting chapters yet.

Plus, hear about upcoming improvements, new opportunities on the horizon, competition team expansion, and what's in store for the second half of the year.

Grab a cuppa and join us for a behind-the-scenes chat about where we've been, where we are now, and where Freedom 2 Dance is heading next.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:07

Hello and welcome to the Freedom to Dance Podcast. This is the place where we talk about absolutely everything in our little crazy world of dance. From what goes on inside our studio to the wider dance industry too. You'll get to know your teachers, hear from real-life dance parents, and maybe even some of our pupils. And who knows what they'll have to say. So grab your dancing shoes or maybe just a copper. Join us for all the laughs, stories, and behind the scenes fun at Freedom to Dance.

SPEAKER_01 0:42

Hello? Well, it feels like forever since we've just sat down and had a bit of a chat, hasn't it? It does because actually we've not seen each other since before the weekend, which is a long time for us. A long time for us. But uh how are you? What have you been up to? I'm alright. It's um I can't quite believe what it like summer turn with school, with the kids like we're on that final countdown to the summer holidays. So I feel like my life's pretty much taken over by a clastojo at the moment. Yeah. 50 billion dates and events and things that I've got to turn up to to school that I forget to turn up to, and you know, all that usual kind of stuff. Well, you've had sports day this morning. I've had sports day this morning. Oh, you've very uh very well. She's not keen on sports day, isn't my daughter, but she did say that she felt like she'd improved this year, and she did, she did really well to say it's 30 degrees outside, and all the kids were sweating, bless them. Um but yes, we've had sports day this morning, and I think tomorrow it's some kind of show and something showers geography work afternoon or something. Oh wow, I don't know what it's not clarinet, it's not clarinet, no, it's not an instrument. I think we're doing instruments now for this year. That is very good. So, yes, I think that's the hardest part at the moment is keeping up with uh with all of that. But then I've had a couple of nice outings. Um, well, I went see here and now. Yes, we did, which was amazing and took me right back, took us right back to the steps days. It was so good. Whoever knew that you could turn steps like 90s pop songs into a fabulous musical, but they did it. Even I had a bit, I wasn't sure how they was gonna get a storyline out of it, but they absolutely nailed it. So that was uh yeah, so that was nice um to where to just see people as well. Yeah. Because we just don't get to really, even we don't really do much socially, do we? We don't. That was the one thing that we did do together. Um and then on Monday I was in London with my son, who's a huge WWE wrestling fan, um, and a part of his Christmas present, we got him tickets to see Monday Night Raw. Means nothing to anybody who has got no idea what that is. Um, but we had a fabulous time. Um my son absolutely loved it, got to see loads of his favourite wrestlers. Um, I didn't really know who a lot of them were, but some of them, um, but um yeah, uh I've been to London. I went to London with my sister to see um kinky boots, yeah, yeah, yeah. Kinky Boots with Johannes from Strictly, and that was absolutely amazing. It was fabulous, he was amazing. Obviously, I went to see Steps Here and Now with you. Then on Friday night, I went to see a local production of Calendar Girls, and it was amazing. And my cousin Claire played um one of the leading roles, there was two leading roles. She was amazing, she was absolutely amazing. It's a brave production to put on, but really inspiring, isn't it? Yes, because they they they got the kit off, did they? Yeah, they did it on stage, it was done very tastefully, very creatively, um, and it was fabulous. The only thing was the auditorium was so warm that I nearly fainted. Oh no, I nearly turned on. Yeah, could you imagine she would have killed me if the show had stopped and it was me? But I had a bit of a moment and it yeah, but then after that on Friday, I only went to see Take That on Saturday. God, take that and I've seen Take That three times was it just as amazing. Yeah, and I saw the circus tour back in 2009 when I was pregnant. Yeah, uh Old Trafford cricket ground. Um, we were standing back then, which was fine, other than being pregnant and standing. That wasn't great. The heat was possibly like it is now, about 30 degrees. Um, but I was 16 years younger. Yes. At the weekend, I sat down. 16 years older, and I sat down. But do you know what? It was fabulous. It'd take that. The production, the quality of the performers. I literally like rang my mum and was like, Mum, have we still got my stilts in the garage? Oh my god. So I am gonna take on stilt walking again. Here we go. And when they come back in another 16 years, I will be on the tomorrow. So as you can tell, um, even when Lauren and I are not at the studio together, we um pretty much are still very much involved in the arts, support of the arts, and literally everything we've just said then, other than Caris's sports day. As in there, going to watch a show somewhere, yeah. Yes, and I have got an extremely still busy week because we're recording this in my kitchen. Um and my son's just walked in, he's not going to speak because he's cringing right now. But he's got his prom. Oh, he has a prom on Friday. He's all schooled out. Yeah, I mean we've still not got any transport, so if anybody's got a flashy motor that they want us to borrow. Get any push bike car you have the time. Anyway, let's get back next to business. So inside the studio, we've had quite a busy start to the year, haven't we? So we've had um as we've had as exams, they've been and done. We've had lots and lots of competitions. We've just got one competition left um before the summer holidays. We've had our social events, um, we've welcomed lots of new dancers, which is always amazing. Um we've just been celebrating so many achievements. We have there really is this I can't explain it, it's just like a vibe about the studio right now. I feel like the energy is really high, and like with that energy, the school just seems to keep evolving, and I don't know what it is, but I feel like um we're having a bit of a moment, a bit of a shift in the studio at the minute. Yeah, definitely. And I think um, you know, we've also welcomed some wonderful new team members this year. Um, in the last six months. Obviously, we've had Miss Jasmine join us, we've had Miss Sarah join us, who were just bringing their fresh ideas and um to the studio. So I think we can say we're definitely excited about the future in the studio at the minute, and everybody's just absolutely smashing it. Teachers, pupils, and you know, I think when there's so much positivity within the studio, it it just thrives. Yeah. But you've you've missed two very important people here. Us, little sweaty high five, sweaty high five. What's this sound? A really sweaty high five. Um, but for us as business owners, we've like, there's been a little shift in our mindset. We're really like ready to take freedom to dance to the to the next level, and we've definitely that's been one of our focuses recently. Yeah, we're always wanting to look at um what else we can do, what um you know, what new opportunities and experiences we can um bring to the studio, and and that's pretty much um kind of where we're at at the minute, isn't it? I think as well as looking at what isn't working, we're not afraid if something isn't working to go right, we're not doing that. Yeah, this ain't happening, this is working right, this isn't going the way we thought, and there's nothing wrong with that. That's I think it it makes spent space for you to put something bigger and better on, doesn't it, doesn't it? Yeah, definitely. So, you know, obviously the next thing now is kind of um coming up to school holidays to the big summer holidays. So we then obviously will be going on to our um um uh reduced summer timetable, and everyone seems to really enjoy the summer timetable. It works a lot of people do um have um you know the luxury of going away on their holidays or visiting friends and family during this time, um so we're going to that reduce uh timetable to take the pressure off um grown-ups as well when the kids are off, yeah. Um, but we're still very much there for those children who are still around and want to come and enjoy the dance class. Um, but that doesn't mean that things stop altogether because we know we've been working very hard behind the scenes over the summer holidays as well. Yeah, I think uh very slowly you are going to start to see improvements inside and wink wink outside of the studio, too. Um we're gonna, you know, upgrades to our systems um and exciting developments all across the school in many different areas. Yeah, definitely. So, and then obviously we're already starting to look at because the second half of the year is very much focused on our show, which we're getting super excited for and safe. And we're recording a pod about it. Todd, so I'm not gonna say too much on that. Um, but um, you know, we're looking at um where we can be expanding sort of competition opportunities, performance opportunities, um, just brand new experiences for our dancers so that we never want things to feel the same. Oh no, or oh, it's up coming to, you know, it yeah, you know, we always want there to be some. Keeps everybody on the toes, I say. Yeah, and I think as the school is developing and growing, we are we, as in me and you, you and I, Ant and Deck, Markham and Wise. What else do we get? Oh, Juggle Rothers. There's a few. We are spending more time developing the future of our school and our business. Um, and we can only do that whilst our fantastic team of teachers continue to lead and drive the class forward, and that's really exciting for us. It's exciting, it's an exciting session for us to be in it. It means that we can um do other development things behind the scenes for everybody to be involved with, and and we're slowly finding that we're getting the time to be able to do that now. So it's a really exciting time, I think, um, for us and everyone at Freedom um to dance. I just can't wait to share like what's coming next. Yeah. Yes. So I think on that note, we'll wrap it up, but we really want to say thank you to all of our dancers, to the families, to our team, to our volunteers, just like for continuing to be part of this incredible journey. We just wanted to kind of touch base today, quick recap over the last six months, and yeah, 100%. Thank you to absolutely everybody, and I can safely say that the best is definitely still to come. Definitely. Thank you for listening. Bye.