I Married a Dance Teacher… What Was I Thinking? 😂

What’s it actually like being married to someone who owns a dance school?

In this episode, I’m joined by my husband for a very honest (and probably slightly dangerous 😂) conversation about what it’s like living alongside a dance teacher, business owner and someone who apparently never really switches off.

From late-night parent messages and endless WhatsApp notifications to dance-school admin creeping into family time, unexpected expenses and the classic “I’ve just got one quick thing to do…” — we’re talking about the reality of being married to someone whose business is also their passion.

We chat about the things he finds hilarious, the things he still doesn’t understand after all these years, what it’s been like watching AGSOD grow over 20 years, and the impact running a dance school has had on our family and our relationship.

Expect honesty, a few home truths, plenty of laughs… and possibly some things I’ll regret asking him afterwards! 😂

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:02

Hello and welcome to today's episode of the Real Dance Chat with me, Amy Greaves. And we've got a special guest today who I know extremely well, my lovely husband. Hi Nick.

SPEAKER_01 0:15

Hi, hi everyone.

SPEAKER_00 0:17

And you might be thinking, why have I got my husband on? Well, I thought it would be really good, especially for all the dance teachers and uh dance school owners out there, to hear about um what the other half thinks about with the dance school. I don't quite know how we're gonna get through it because I'm already laughing. But we'll try our best. So, Nick, how are you?

SPEAKER_01 0:44

I'm fine, meeting you.

SPEAKER_00 0:46

So, our signature question is that we always start our podcast off with is what is the dance world getting wrong at the moment?

SPEAKER_01 0:55

Not listening to the husbands, that's the first one.

SPEAKER_00 0:58

I'd need to say something like that. Right then, let's get into it. So, what oh, I really can't answer it. Right, I'm gonna be professional now. Right, when we first got together, did you realise what you were signing up for?

SPEAKER_01 1:16

No, no, not at all. Um, no.

SPEAKER_00 1:20

That's a firm note, and what did you think owning a dance school actually involved compared to what I actually do?

SPEAKER_01 1:30

I thought it was just turn up on the day, do some dancing, um, and that was about it, really. Um, and go away again. But actually, it's a lot more to it living with someone that actually does it. It's it's a lot of hard work, a lot of graft in the background, um, you know, doing all the paperwork, all the schedules, all that sort of stuff. So, yeah, there's a lot more to it than people think.

SPEAKER_00 1:58

Cool. And if you had to explain my job to someone who's never met me, what would you say I actually do?

SPEAKER_01 2:07

Um you dance. No, uh uh no, basically, you you turn up for the kids on the day, you're there for them, and making sure that they're safe and and uh happy and that that they're enjoying their dance. Um that's probably your main thing, and then day to day, you like I say, you've got a lot of paperwork, a lot of uh computer work to do, a lot of admin that people just don't see behind the scenes.

SPEAKER_00 2:40

And how many times a day do you think you hear the words dance school?

SPEAKER_01 2:48

That's probably about the 200th a day.

SPEAKER_00 2:54

Okay, right. So the reality of being married to a dance teacher or business owner is you also are married to the dance school, I feel like you get roped in, don't you? Yeah, so do you want to talk about how you've been you've got this part-time job that you never asked for?

SPEAKER_01 3:13

So basically, um when I joined well, when I got with Amy, when I joined when I joined the dance school, when I joined the dance school, it's essentially what I did. Um I ended up doing props, stage crew, uh, back backstage stuff.

SPEAKER_00 3:32

Um do you remember when I needed um a male chaperone and you had to come all the way to London?

SPEAKER_01 3:39

Yeah, that was that was fun for the whole day, for the whole day, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:43

Just for two kids.

SPEAKER_01 3:45

For two kids, and I didn't even see any of the show. I literally just I just sat there in a hut.

SPEAKER_00 3:53

And you because he was the voice, did you have like this little gazebo outside?

SPEAKER_01 3:58

Yeah, and I I I literally had a hut, that was it. It was a little hut, and that that was what I had to sit in for the day outside the millennium. Was it um millennium? I can't remember.

SPEAKER_00 4:10

It was the O2, that was it. And then have we ever been on date night where I've have not spoken about dance?

SPEAKER_01 4:22

No, no, fact. Uh there's it's part and parcel of you, isn't it? So that's that's the thing at the end of the day.

SPEAKER_00 4:32

And what happens when I say I've just got one more thing to do?

SPEAKER_01 4:38

So that happens probably about today, that's probably happened about 20 times. Um, but on average that probably happens about yeah, about 20 to 30 times a day. Just got one more thing to do, one more thing.

SPEAKER_00 4:51

And how often do you think I genuinely switch off from the business?

SPEAKER_01 4:56

Very rarely. Very rarely.

SPEAKER_00 4:59

I did I didn't um take my work phone holiday this year.

SPEAKER_01 5:04

No, I'm not saying you don't switch off, but yeah, it's your own business, it's very hard to switch off. It's it's the fact is at the end of the day, it it comes down to you. I know people work for you, but the you know the crunch comes down to you, and it's that's it.

SPEAKER_00 5:20

And what's the difference between Amy at home and Amy at the dance school?

SPEAKER_01 5:25

Um I don't think I can say it's on a podcast. No, Amy Amy at dance school is very professional. Amy at home is sleepy. Yeah, just mad. Um no, but you're you you are two very different people at the dance school now at home, so yeah. That's all I'm gonna say. I can't say anybody.

SPEAKER_00 5:54

Okay. Do you know how much a dance school actually costs to run?

SPEAKER_01 6:02

Ooh, I don't get involved in your money side of things, so no, I don't I know it's not cheap, um, but I never ask you about money because I just don't think it's my place to because it's your dance school.

SPEAKER_00 6:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:17

So I tend to stay out of that side of things.

SPEAKER_00 6:20

And what do you think my worst business purchase has been?

SPEAKER_01 6:26

So basically, this is brilliant. This isn't this wasn't even this wasn't even Amy that purchased me. This this was one of uh Amy's helpers. They purchased It was um my studio manager, your studio manager, sorry, not big helpers, like studio manager, but I know what you're gonna say, but like these, what were they?

SPEAKER_00 6:47

They were like so for dance camp, it was Easter, so we were gonna be decorating um egg cup holders.

SPEAKER_01 6:55

Egg cup holders, yeah. But these things were like thimbles, they were tiny, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:00

They turned up and they were like thimble side, like they could hold like um a mini egg, a mini one mini egg.

SPEAKER_01 7:06

One mini egg. So it was genius, it was just genius. It was just these things were meant like the like getting so excited, bam, and it just turned up on the day. I think it has to be their buddy, it just turned upon the day, and it's hilarious.

SPEAKER_00 7:17

But do you know what? I'm still trying to work out who needs like 30 miniature size egg cuts. Yeah, exactly. Why do people make them?

SPEAKER_01 7:27

And also this firm must or woman must spend ages on a lathe just making these little egg cuts. Yeah, crazy, crazy.

SPEAKER_00 7:35

It was funny. What about when you turned up and there's a full aerial rig in the lounge? Yeah, that was that was a good purchase.

SPEAKER_01 7:43

That's a good purchase. That was yeah, that's not a bad purchase.

SPEAKER_00 7:46

That one, but it didn't.

SPEAKER_01 7:47

Yeah, but it's uh yeah. I've had many many, there's been many things in line in the lounge over the over the years.

SPEAKER_00 7:54

You had to fill the sandbags, didn't you?

SPEAKER_01 7:57

Oh, yeah, I had to fill sandbags up as well. It's all fun, it's all fun in games.

SPEAKER_00 8:02

Right. How many notifications do you think I get in a day?

SPEAKER_01 8:08

Oh, a lot, a lot. Ping ping ping ping.

SPEAKER_00 8:13

So I've actually turned them off now.

SPEAKER_01 8:16

Yeah, you still get a lot of things, a lot of things. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 8:21

Um, what's the latest you've ever not now? I don't really do it now. I've I've got better boundaries, but what's the latest you've ever seen me answering a parent message?

SPEAKER_01 8:32

A parent message, like late, early, like late in the evening, early in the morning, or maybe not necessarily answering it, but worrying about it, making sure that you've got back to them. Because that's something that I know you like really like one of your foundations is that you're making sure you get back to parents quite quickly.

SPEAKER_00 8:51

Um, have you ever woken up and found me already doing work?

SPEAKER_01 8:54

Yes, yes, does that.

SPEAKER_00 8:58

Um, what happens when I say I just need to post this on Instagram?

SPEAKER_01 9:05

What do I think?

SPEAKER_00 9:06

Yeah, well, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:08

What do I think? I just think I'll do it again.

SPEAKER_00 9:12

Well, we went to Glasgow and I had to do a work thing and I asked you to take some photos of me. You were just like, What?

SPEAKER_01 9:21

Yeah. Very it's Insta, isn't it? So, yeah, I like, yeah, it's always something's part of Insta.

SPEAKER_00 9:28

Um, and then what is the most ridiculous dance school thing you've ever heard me say? That's quite a true one. Do you want to skip that one?

SPEAKER_01 9:39

No, I said I'm just saying a quick thing. I won't bore your listeners. Um, so basically, probably coming up with names for the latest show because that's hard to do. Once you've done so many shows, how many different names can you come up? And sometimes some of the some of the some of the ideas are a little bit like what no.

SPEAKER_00 10:00

And what about the dance world? Do you do you still not understand?

SPEAKER_01 10:05

About the dance world, yeah. I don't know, I know quite a bit. I don't it's still because I don't because I don't do the day-to-day stuff, and I don't always see you doing the day-to-day stuff.

SPEAKER_00 10:18

I think it's that I know what you don't understand.

SPEAKER_01 10:22

You always there's a lot of things I don't understand.

SPEAKER_00 10:27

You always like um say, why do dancers wear like you know, odd clothes?

SPEAKER_01 10:32

Like one leg up, one leg up, one side t shirt, one suit TV. I don't know, it's just there there's definitely a dance look, isn't there?

SPEAKER_00 10:42

Yeah, we always say that. What do you think um dance parents worry about that really isn't important?

SPEAKER_01 10:51

There isn't worth worrying about. I think they just they dance parents just worry about the kids. We we'll worry about our kids, don't we? Um, but they don't need to worry because it's a safe environment and it's a good environment, it's a happy environment. So, you know, all the all the students always from from lives and over the years, parents and students have always been happy.

SPEAKER_00 11:12

So um, what do you think? Well, I will finish soon because I can see you getting bored.

SPEAKER_01 11:17

No, it's right, it's not quite like this.

SPEAKER_00 11:22

Right, oh now our daughter's getting involved. Hey, you okay? Oh, okay, she's coming in for a snack. Um, what do you think you've sacrificed for me to build the dance school? I'm making your own toilet seats. Oh god.

SPEAKER_01 11:46

Only from the mouth of babes. Um, no, I've not made any toilet seats in recent years. Um what have I sacrifice? Um, sometimes time. Uh you sacrifice time because um yeah, you just you have to if you you gotta give up time for the other person, they've they've got to get on with their work and you've got to understand that they've got to have that time.

SPEAKER_00 12:22

Yeah, definitely. I do agree with that, it takes up a lot of time. And if tomorrow I suddenly said, This is our last question, I'm Sally in the dance school, what would your reaction be?

SPEAKER_01 12:38

Are you sure you definitely want to do that?

SPEAKER_00 12:41

Oh, very mature answer.

SPEAKER_01 12:44

Well, I'd I'd just I'd I'd I'd be like, Are you sure you want to do if you do, then that's fine if you're happy with that, but if you didn't, that'd be fine as well. But you just it's it's it's a big part of you and who you are, so you've got to make that big decision eventually. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:02

And if you were any advice to the fellow men or partners out there, don't get involved with the dad's teacher.

SPEAKER_01 13:12

No, but that's um no, just be just be aware that you do have to give up time because it is it's it's uh it's a it's a it's a way of life as such rather than just a job. It's a lifestyle, it is a lifestyle, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:33

And on that note, that is the end of our podcast. Thank you, Nick, for coming on.

SPEAKER_01 13:37

Yeah, no worries. I'm off to make my own toilet seat now.

SPEAKER_00 13:41

Oh god, and we will see you next week for another episode. Bye guys.