10 Years of Skylark School of Dance

Congratulations to Skylark School of Dance who are celebrating their 10th anniversary! Below, Registered Teacher Anya shares the story of Skylark and the excitement of what's coming next for the school.

Skylark School of Dance officially opened in Bromley on 27th September, 2016, and I still can’t quite believe we’re celebrating our 10th anniversary this year!

When I set up Skylark a decade ago, I had a really clear vision. I wanted to build a dance school that delivered top-tier training and pushed students to achieve their absolute best, but also felt like a second home. It had to be built on real friendship, creativity, confidence, and, above all, a genuine love of dance.

We started out with just a handful of classes a week at the Churchill Theatre. From those tiny beginnings, Skylark has grown into a multi-award-winning school with hundreds of students coming through our doors every single week. Honestly though, what makes me proudest isn't the numbers, it's watching our dancers grow into such confident, resilient, and creative young people. Looking back over ten years, Skylark has become so much bigger and more special than I ever dreamed, and I’m endlessly grateful to every single dancer, parent, and teacher who has been part of the journey.

My own relationship with bbodance goes way back. I trained with them and completed my Diploma in Dance Teaching in 2016, and I’ve loved remaining part of the bbodance family ever since.

The support, guidance, and training I’ve received over the years have been huge in shaping me into the teacher and director I am today. At Skylark, we wear our identity as an inclusive bbodance school as a real badge of pride. We passionately believe that every child, no matter their background, ability, or starting point, deserves to feel the absolute joy of dance.

Seeing our dancers progress through their bbodance exams and watching their confidence skyrocket alongside their technique is just the best feeling. Having walked that exact path myself, from student to teacher to running my own school, it’s so rewarding to now guide the next generation along that very same pathway.

Narrowing down ten years of memories is almost impossible, but our 10th anniversary show, Skylarks in Space, at the Churchill Theatre in June was definitely a highlight! It was this full-circle moment, performing in the exact theatre where Skylark started ten years ago, with hundreds of our dancers up on stage. Taking excerpts of that show to the West End this Sunday is such a dream for our dancers, too!

Getting the keys to our very own permanent building was another massive dream come true. Having a space our students can truly call home allowed us to add more genres, expand our timetable, and build an even tighter-knit community. Beyond our own walls, taking our dancers to perform in fantastic venues across the country and abroad is always incredible. Seeing a student step onto a stage for the very first time and just beam with confidence never gets old.

At the end of the day, my favourite moments are the personal wins: watching a young dancer smash their first exam, seeing students go on to vocational colleges and professional careers, or simply watching a quiet child blossom into a confident young adult. The awards are lovely, but the community we’ve built is what makes my heart full.

We have so much going on right now, which makes our tenth year feel electric! Our biggest project by far is expanding and launching our brand-new Sevenoaks branch this October. After a decade of building Skylark in Bromley, I’m thrilled to bring everything we’ve created to a whole new community. We’re working around the clock behind the scenes to make sure Sevenoaks has that exact same warm, inclusive, high-energy atmosphere as our original school.

Alongside the new launch, we’re keeping the momentum high in Bromley with new performance opportunities and exciting new plans to keep inspiring our dancers.

Looking ahead to the next ten years, I’m just so excited for what’s to come! With Sevenoaks launching and so many big plans in the pipeline, my focus stays exactly where it started: providing fantastic training, creating unforgettable experiences for our dancers, and sharing that pure love of dance. If the last decade has taught me anything, it’s that there’s no limit to what our amazing Skylark community can achieve, and I can’t wait for this next chapter!

Photography by Joyce Goldoni.