Inside Artists In Motion, The Grit And Grace It Takes To Run A Dance School
In the heart of Aylesham, a once derelict building now pulses with music and energy. This is the story of how Artists In Motion moved from borrowed village halls to a purpose built home, and what it really takes to keep a modern dance school running every single day.
From Village Halls To A Home Of Their Own
Artists In Motion opened in 2017. In the early years classes ran out of village halls and Aylesham Church. Space was shared with coffee mornings, parish meetings, and fairs. The timetable bent around community calendars. It worked, but growth needed a place that dancers could call home, a place where lessons did not need to clear away chairs before pliés.
The Rebuild, A Year On The Tools
The building they found was tired. Parts of a wall were failing. The roof leaked. Floors had to be stripped and relaid. The kitchen was rebuilt. Toilets were replaced. Holes in plaster were made good across the site. A wall came out and a reinforced iron girder went in to secure the ceiling over what is now Studio 1. Another wall came out to create Studio 3. Sprung floors were laid in Studios 2 and 4. Paint went on through the night. Electrics and lighting were installed by hand. It was a full conversion in every sense.
The deadline was not soft. Doors had to open in October 2024. There was no plan B. Days began before dawn and often ran into the small hours. The team held full time jobs through this period. Mornings sometimes started at five, tools down at nine, day jobs done, then back to the studios until late. It was emotional and physically demanding, a year measured in litres of paint and packs of screws.
“Owning and running a dance school is not a job. It is a lifestyle. You have to love it.”
Opening Week, A Community Arrives
When the doors opened the response was immediate. Parents praised the space. Children ran in wide eyed and ready to move. The Mayor visited on the open day. The turnout filled the corridors and studios. After a year of graft, Artists In Motion stepped into its next chapter with a full house and a sense of arrival.
The Day To Day Machine
Today the rhythm is steady and relentless. The day starts around 6.30 with the school run. From 8.30 the workbench shifts to planning, lesson notes, showcase timelines, teacher coordination, and parent communications. Studios open by 3.45. Classes run from 4 until about 9.30, sometimes 10.
Principal Lisa and Vice Principal Fabienne set the tone, supported by a teaching team that includes Miss Tracey, Miss Niamh, Miss Jessica, Miss Anise, Miss Elise, and Miss Georgie. Fabienne is due to step back for maternity leave and still contributes on the floor when she can. Around 50 classes a week roll across the timetable. Tracey on reception keeps the front desk calm and the message flow clean.
Communication is the engine. Parents receive updates through WhatsApp groups, forms, email, and calls. Changes are posted quickly so families know where to be and when. Payments and enrolments run through direct debit, attendance is logged by registration. The systems are simple on purpose. MemberMeister and GoCardless do the heavy lifting. The rest is human contact and clear instructions.
“It works because people talk to people. The tech supports the rhythm, it does not replace it.”
The People And The Pulse
The culture is a professional family. Standards are high. Deadlines are firm. Care is personal. Show season and exam blocks test stamina. Late nights arrive after early starts. Lesson planning follows long teaching days. Administration never really stops. Motivation comes from the students who burst through the door ready to dance and from the staff who keep the bar high on creativity and consistency.
The philosophy is simple and lived. Be the best that you can. Children feel that from the first hello at reception to the last bow on stage.
What Comes Next
Growth is planned with care. More classes, higher standards, a broader calendar, and more places for local children. A Finding Nemo production is on the near horizon and the team is already sketching the details. Technology will stay in its lane. This is a school where human contact matters most and that will remain the core.
Straight Talking Advice For New School Owners
- Work rate, expect long hours and real graft.
- Plan, build a clear plan and follow it.
- Resilience, setbacks will come, keep moving.
- Honesty, be honest with yourself and your numbers.
- Positivity, keep a positive mental attitude through the grind.
- Human first, systems help, people make it work.