EP16: Schools Out!

Summer is here, and in this episode Michelle and Laura are catching up on everything happening at Freedom 2 Dance! From studio updates and our summer timetable to exciting plans for the months ahead, we're sharing all the latest news. We also chat about why it's so important to download the Class Manager Family App to make sure you never miss an update. Grab a brew and join us for a relaxed catch-up!

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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. Hello everyone and welcome back to another episode of Dance Talks. School is officially out for summer. Yay! The school bags have probably been chucked in corner. Alarm clocks have been switched off. And we can yeah, and we can finally enjoy this lovely sunshine that we've been having. I know, I do hope it continues and doesn't now turn. I know kids have broke up. But of course, there is time for plenty of dancing as well. Always time for dancing. Come rain, sun, shine. Sunshine. Sunshine. Summer holidays. Or not, we are going to be open. We are. So whether you're listening to this episode, um, maybe on holiday already, um, in the car, walking the dog, relaxing in the garden. Um, thank you for joining us. Do you know I always listen to this podcast? That's sad, isn't it? And my other podcasts. Um, when I'm doing my cleaning on a Friday, do you put my headphones on? I've got a nice pair of headphones for Christmas, and I absolutely love them. What a sad thing. But I put them on, I can't hear anything else, the noise cancelling, and then I just go around in this heat, sweating, cleaning. Maybe I need to start listening to podcasts or my cleaning instead of Celine Dion greatest hits. Yeah, because you had a bit of a mishap last week, didn't you? I did, yeah. I forgot that I had my ear pods in and that I only I can hear the music, nobody else can hear the music. Um, and I was outside hanging out the washing, belting out all by myself. Oh Jesus. To a glare from the neighbour over the fence. Um, so yeah, maybe podcasts are the way forward. Well, they just got a VIP ticket, didn't they? For the headline, just like that is usually our soundtrack when we're stuck in a traffic jam, Celine. Yeah, we always get her on, don't we? Love a bit of filly on doing it. Um so today we just want to give you um a little freedom to dance summer update so that you know exactly what is going on over the coming weeks in the summer holidays. I've got a surprise for you. Yes, one of our fans. Oh one of our big fans, I'm gonna name drop Andy Smith. Full name. Yes, I did I did know he was a huge fan. He is a massive been fans of us for many, many years. Andy Smith, for those of you who don't know, is one of our downstats. And over the years, he's been found asleep at many competitions. But we know that he listens to this podcast on a Friday whilst working. It's the highlight of his week anyway. He's a muse is a musicean. He's a musican. For those of you that don't know, that's a musician, but we taught our children how to spell it by calling it Music Ian. Anyway, by the bye. He is a very talented man. He is a very talented man. I'd never say it to his face. Well, you just want to give him a big all that. Um but but um but no, all joking aside, um, Andy's a very talented um musician. Well, he's put that talent to good use and uh created us a jingle for guess the sound. Oh, I can't wait. Honestly, it's amazing. I'm gonna play it for you. Are you ready? Here we go. Are you sure? Oh my god, I absolutely love that. I have been singing that. Guess the sound, guess the sound, guess the sound, guess the sound, guess the sound. The only thing I wish is it uh got it, I wish he had have got us in for the vocals. 100%, especially now he's just heard that little taste uh and I'm surprised he couldn't hear me belting out Celine Job, because he doesn't live too far from here. No, so thank you. Thank you. And the snake, amazing, thank you. Come on, like station and everything. We are like a proper station, so with that, we're gonna have to do a guess sound. 100% we need to use this. So we're gonna try our best because when we've done this before, the mic doesn't quite pick it up. So hang on, ego. She's got her sound very close to the microphone. And um, I think on our Instagram stories, we're gonna get you to guess the sound on there. Yes. Is that alright? That's perfect. Are you ready? So you're ready for it. Turn the volume up. It's time for guess the sound. You've probably got two sounds then. Right now, let's try the sound again. I'm not gonna lie, not laugh. It's taking a lot of concentrating this. Andy, go. What's that sound? Guess the sound, guess the sound, guess the sound. I don't know, yeah. I need to hear it a few more times. But anyway, ADL, listen. Thank you, Andy. Thank you, Andy. Let's move on to our summer timetable because it's now in place. As in in place for August. So can we make we need Andy? Can you make us a noise? It's like an alarm. Announcement. Announcement. July stays the same. July stays the same unless you hear otherwise directly from your class teacher. So for example, I've made some amendments to ballroom in July. That is based on the information that I have received for my pupils that attend those classes. But in theory, anonymous, everything stays the same unless you hear otherwise. Yes. So once again, for the people at the back, July staying the same. But August doesn't, doesn't matter. August doesn't. We have got a specific August timetable. So please, please, please make sure that you know what's going on. Some of the classes have been moved around, some of the classes um might even be taking a break. Yes. If a member of the team is on holiday, um, and we've got lots of exciting opportunities for dancers to try something different over summer. So if you're unsure which classes are running, please check your timetable before coming to the studio. Um can I throw in a disclaimer here as well? Woo woo, woo, woo, woo. Andy, we need that sound. Um but need that sound, need that sound, need that sound. Um we have had to manually input the August timetable. We've had to add each child into every flaming class. Um and as much as we both like to think that we have gone through it with a fine tooth comb and we have, we are still human and we may have still got something slightly wrong, missed somebody off. So if you don't intentionally intentionally, it is just it was a very big task. Um, so we apologize in advance. It was a very big task, and I had to do it without my glasses because I lost my glasses. At that point, that is not good. So um if you do spot anything or you are unsure, reach out, but everything should be on your um portal, and that is the best place to look. There's uh if you get in touch with us, we can look and check, but it's much quicker actually for you to do it via your portal. Fabulous. So you mentioned the portal. Yes. So I'm gonna move on to Class Manager Family App. Yes. If you have not got the Class Manager Family app, get the app, get the app, get the app, get the app, get the app. Oh my goodness, it's so versatile. I love it. I love it. Okay, so get the app, okay. If for any reason you've got a weird phone and you can't download it because you've got some crazy phone. I mean, just get an iPhone, I say. Um I love Apple products. Anyway, that's by the by other um brands available. Um get the app um and log in. If you if you don't and you can't, then you just log into your um into your through your browser into our portal, into the class manager portal. Yeah. Um and on there you'll find your class timetable. So it'll give you like in order what's coming up over the next couple of weeks. If it looks, if your child does five classes a week and there's only four showing, let us know. You've slipped through the net. There's a class there for you. We just need to make sure that you're on the register and you will see that on the portal. Yes. What else do they get on there, Miss B? Um so um the what I absolutely love about the Class Manager Family app is the important announcement notifications that you get on the news feed. Yeah. On the news feed. So again, if there are any changes even to the summer timetable, it will show on there. We're hoping there isn't, but um it it is the best way and fastest way because as long as you turn the notifications on, they just they come through. Yeah, it's true. Yeah, um, and of course, you know, you can make any payments on there, you can check your bill, everything like that. Yeah, so um yeah certainly over summer we will be using the app more and more. Um, so having it installed means you'll never miss an important update. Um, but also we will always back something up with an email, but you are going to get it if you've got your notifications on. It's just gonna ping up like a social media notification, so it's amazing. And if you need any help setting it up, when you're in the studio, come and speak to us, or maybe me. Yeah, that was a royal house. Yeah, let's be specific. Speak to Miss Laura, speak to Miss Laura, and we'll be able to help. Let's move on, let's move on. Let's move on, let's move on, let's move on. Um, so um there are a few different getting teeth in Miss Bell. Um there are a few different um reasons why we do go on to this reduced um timetable over summer. The first being that lots and lots of families are very lucky that they um get to go away, they enjoy time with family and friends. Um so the studio does go very quiet. So we have to think of staff um during that time as well, and so we um want to make sure that the staff that are working and the pupils that are attending are still getting the best possible class. Um so that's the main reason why things get reduced down, so that we're using the time wisely for the pupils that are still coming. The other thing is that it is a time when um Miss Laura and I appear to not be here as much, but we're doing things behind the scenes, but it's just things where we're not having to be as intensely um in the studio teaching, we're doing projects behind the scenes during that time, and also within the studio a zip renovation. We've got a list mile long. We're gonna snagging list now how into a new build. And it's on a clipboard. It's on a clipboard. We've got so much um to do in the studio, so let's go through it. All the floors, all the floors are getting sandered, revarnished. So if anybody dares come in the studio with mucky shoes, don't you dare? Oh my goodness, I will go turbo. Yeah, I'll lose my head. Yeah, I will lose my head. So they're all getting sanded um and re-varnished. Um and I'm doing them this year. Doing them this year. So that's why I will go turbo. The the varnishing does take a while to dry and things like that. So a lot of these projects that we'll be doing are done on weekends, and that is why we we don't have the Saturday classes running in um August, they've been moved to midweek, and it's so that we can get these um projects done, but that the studio is still then available and ready and in a good um state to be used then for when classes are running. Um so we're gonna be doing touching off of paperwork, things like that. So that's another. Obviously, we need to make sure that there's time for that to dry before people. You're being very low key because actually we're not just touching up. Oh, we're not. We're not just stairs, we are stairs. A few bigger downstairs inside the studios getting a makeover. That's having a bit of a glow up. Yeah. Um, and the Howard Studio, which is upstairs, that's having a full facelift. But we're not gonna tell you anything else. No, but it's gonna look very, very different. Just keep your eyes peeled on our socials for any little teasers that we make. Oh my goodness. Yeah, yeah. Yes. Um, and the main thing is that you're all gonna notice is the front of our building is having a facelift. That's like having a full body everything done. Is the space in the budget for me to add that as well? Full body everything done. Full um, yeah, we we hope everybody's going to like it. Yeah, please like react to it and be like, oh my god, because we'll get like a dopamine hit off that will feel really good. It'll spare us on. We'll put a lot of effort into this um design. So um, so yes, you will notice at some point throughout August that the front of the building looks slightly different. You've not turned up to the wrong place, it's the right place, just even better. I know, and we've just signed off the final artwork for the end of the building, haven't we? So um, it's very, very exciting. I'm really actually looking forward to August and to getting started. Um, so we're working behind the scenes to improve the spaces, we're gonna give everywhere a fresh new look, um, better storage. I will just about to say, so the other thing as well is we're looking at because if not many people get to come in our office, A, because it's our office, and B because it's a dumping ground. Yeah, it's a hazard in itself. Um, and then we have the loft. Um, so but as you will know, because you've all had your emails about it, we've got our show, super exciting in November, and with that, because we do provide um all the costumes thanks to a helping hand from the Friends of Freedom to dance as well, but we have to store um all of those, and we're wanting to so the other thing that we are starting to do, it may seem like a long time off for you guys, but we're already working now on the show, getting things prepped for show. Um, so we will be getting all the costumes down, looking at them, putting them in size order, putting them in some kind of catalogue, restoring them, and then restoring them in an external location. Yes, which isn't very posh. It is very posh. Yeah, it's not my garage, it's not your garage, it's not any of the friends of garages. They're gonna be emptying them into our new storage unit, which we are so excited about. I mean, it's so sad. I know. This excited about the storage unit. But we just need more space in our show. Oh when we went and looked at the storage place, look, we're just babbling now. We went to look at the storage place, and then you will only get this if you've ever watched storage hunters, by the way. Yes, and I were like, how long will and in my head I was trying to hold off, and I think it were like 0.3 seconds before that. I was like, So the lady, do you watch storage hunters? Um and we did ask, are they actually saying words, or is that are they just making a sound? And I'm sure she's confirmed that they're just making a sound, making a sound, make a sound, make a sound. Um anyway, anyway. Anyway, enough about how busy we're gonna be over summer when you think we're not here, but really we're here. Um let's sort of look ahead as well as to what else there is going on. Well, we're busy preparing for style it out, like we've just said, we've already got costumes styles to be prepared because we've got to figure out what we need for what and blah blah blah blah blah. Um, but um if you are not already registered for Style It Out, the clock is ticking. The clock is definitely TikTok. Yes, Andy, can we have a TikTok sound, please? And so today, if you're listening to the podcast on the day that it drops, which is Friday, the 17th of July, you have officially got two days. Yeah. Because our registration will close after the 19th of July, and then you've missed out. Yes. And believe me, you do not want to miss out on this opportunity to do that. You don't want to miss out. I'm pretty confident that um most, if not all, of the pupils that took part last year um would say how amazing it is, how much fun you have. Um it show day and show night is is an experience for dancers and performers that you just can't describe until you've done it. Um and you may just think, oh, it's just a bit of a show, just getting up on stage doing a bit of a dance. Like there's so much more to it. Buzz from September. I mean, between just the buzz between the teachers, um, between our chaperones, everything starts like we literally go crazy for show. Yeah. So just get signed up. Yeah, it's it's great, it's another experience that the kids um are having. It's time with their friends to share a stage with your friend is another opportunity that can't be um described until you've done it. Um there's for me, there's absolutely no negative. You know, if you were to do a plus and minus, like positive and negative, or pros and cons, shall we, shall we? There's absolutely nothing that you can put in that con. I'd have a con. The parents don't read the emails about the show. That's the only con about the show. Yes, but other than that, please, please, please uh speak to your um child about it. And if they do want to do it, it really is um an amazing um well, a few months of rehearsing and then the day and the night of the show is is amazing. Everyone loves when it comes to show, yeah. Everyone's a winner, yeah. Everybody gets a moment to shine, and I'm not gonna keep going over that because we did a whole podcast about it last week. And if you didn't listen to it, go back and listen to episode 15 of the pod. The pod. That's what the cool people say. So we've do you think we've rattled on enough? I think we are well if you're in it, if you was in a car journey, you've probably reached your destination by now. Yeah, going to um so shall we shall we leave it there? Shall we leave it there? So thank you. Um, as always, as we head into the summer uh for being a part of the Freedom to Dance family. Please do enjoy the summer, make lots of memories. I can't wait to hear all about them um in classes in my band. Um that's always the best pies hearing hearing all the wonderful stories from the pupils when they come in. Um and of course, the main thing is to keep dancing. We're still here. Yes, do not stop dancing. So, on that note, we'll see you very soon, and thank you for listening to Dance Talks. Bye.