New Year, New Skills: Why I Choose to Learn Instead of Resolve

Happy New Year from all of us at Sylk Dance Academy! As we step into a fresh year, it’s that time when people start setting big goals and making New Year’s resolutions. But here’s a little secret about me: I don’t really believe in New Year’s resolutions. Instead, I like to pick something new to learn.

Resolutions can often feel like rules, and let’s be honest—who really enjoys more rules? Learning, on the other hand, opens the door to growth, creativity, and excitement. It’s not about perfection; it’s about the joy of discovering something new and giving yourself permission to try, stumble, and improve. When our Sylk classes resume in the new year, we often set new goals and discuss with the students what they want to learn going forward. It’s a good way to keep both students and teachers focused and accountable for their progress. After all, not every student is with us for the same reasons, and we all learn differently.

Our Beginners Street Dance class discussing what they want to achieve in their lessons

Why Learning Feels Better Than Resolutions

When you choose to learn something new, you’re setting a goal that’s all about curiosity and exploration. There’s no pressure to “fix” anything about yourself, and no finish line. Instead, you get the fun of making progress step by step. At Sylk Dance Academy, that’s exactly the mindset we bring to every class. Whether your child is trying dance for the very first time or has been with us for years, we’re all about celebrating the journey. It’s not about being perfect; it’s about showing up, moving your body, and surprising yourself with what you can do.

New Year, New Classes

This year, why not make learning something new a family affair? At Sylk Dance Academy, we offer a variety of classes for kids aged 4 to 18. From Hip-hop to Cheerleading, every class is a chance to try something fresh, make new friends, and build confidence along the way.We even have a new adults class starting soon so there really is no excuse not to get involved. Even if your child has never danced before, there’s a place for them here. Our studio is built on the belief that dance should be fun, inclusive, and empowering. No experience? No problem!

“Believe you can and you’re half way there’”

— Theadore Roosevelt

Start the Year Off with Fun and Adventure

So, instead of asking ourselves, What do we need to fix this year?, let’s try asking, What do we want to learn? Maybe it’s a new dance style, a new way to express yourself, or simply the joy of moving to music.

At Sylk Dance Academy, we’re here to help kids find their rhythm and discover what they’re capable of. Let’s make this year about trying, learning, and having fun together.

Check out our class schedule and sign up today for a year of creativity, friendships, and unforgettable moments!

Here’s to learning something new in 2025!

By Royal Appointment

So Friday 20th September 2019 turned out to be one of the best experiences the dancers and myself have ever had! We opened the Royal Family Crew’s European tour!

Flash back to Friday 6th September, where I had two missed calls and a text from teacher Sophie Coleman, telling me to call her urgently. When I got through to her she excitedly told me how Sylk Dance had been selected by SOAR Dance UK to open for the Royal Family and did we want to accept. Of course we did!

Sophie had been asked to choreograph the piece, with the extra challenge of less than two weeks and limited studio space. However she was excited and full of ideas for the show. One thing we didn’t have though was dancers! 

 We felt the best option was to audition our competitive and advanced dancers to be part of the piece. The children who auditioned were aged 11-18 and on Sunday 8th September, we selected 13 dancers to be part of the show. The auditions were tough and we roped in Dancer/teacher James Webb to make the final decision, as it would be too hard for Sophie and myself to do so alone.

By that evening I think every dancer that had taken part had been challenged and learnt something from the experience. It was great to see the children in a real audition environment, as it will prepare them for the real dance-world! 

Over 5 rehearsals and 15 hours of practise the dancers and Sophie produced an incredible set for the show. I was overwhelmed with the quality, considering the difficulty of the choreography and the little time they had. They were hard pushed to get it it finished, but after working until 10pm on the Thursday, they were ready for Fridays performance.

After a bit of a nightmare getting to Warrington Parr Hall, due to heavy traffic we all made it in time to have a quick practice on stage. What the dancers hadn’t realised was the man watching from the seating was Parris Gobel’s father and manager. Not only that but there were also several Royal Family Dancers wandering around the theatre! 

Our dancers blew everyone away and the support from the crowd was incredible. I was so proud of them and the hard work they had put in.

After their performance the kids joined me in the seating to watch the Royal Family perform. I knew they were incredible but to see them dance live was truly amazing. I think every dancer was inspired and for the first time, truly realised what an opportunity they had been given. The look on their faces when the Royal Family first came out was unforgettable. 

Before leaving the dancers were allowed to go on stage with the crew for a group photo. The dancers were so friendly and approachable and made every dancer who came on stage feel special. Then before we knew it, it was all over! Everyone was totally exhausted, but there was still a buzz in the air even as we headed back to the cars to go home. All I know is that if we can achieve that level in only 2 weeks, then our dancers need to up their game and push harder in their regular classes! I will be expecting nothing less than what I saw that night from now on. In fact, the dancers did that well we have decided to keep the team together and form a Mega Crew to take part in further competitions and performances so watch this space....

Blue Peter Experience

So, this last few weeks have been crazy but Thursday was totally worth the extra craziness to experience being on the Blue Peter set!

Thanks to my friend Louise who invited us along with her dancers. 13 of the Sylk students appeared on Blue Peter LIVE over the last two weeks.

I was unable to join the first group filming at Media City in Manchester, as it was our first week back after summer. After hearing what an amazing experience it was, I decided I had to go the following week. I was also extremely jealous of their Blue Peter Badges and hoped to get one for myself! 

When I arrived at the studio the dancers were already there and sitting very quietly. I think some were a little nervous of what it was all going to be like. After our briefing we were lead to the studio and the nerves changed to excitement. I was particularly giddy and I wasn’t even going on the show!

My excitement only increased when I saw them handing out the Blue Peter badges to the kids. I crept forwards and was so desperate to say ‘can I have one please?’ but I wimped out!!! So still no badge for me. Then it was time for the kids to rehearse, they sat on the steps chatting with the crew and the presenters. I thought it was great how they made the kids feel relaxed and happy in the environment before running through the show.

This particular show was celebrating 80 years of  Batman, so the studio was very impressive. With a real Batmobile and Bat Pod as well as costumes from the films, which we were able to look at during the break before filming. At first I wasn’t sure if we were allowed to just walk around on set, but the kids lead the way with their mobiles and started taking selfies with the batman figures. So, I was soon on my feet with my camera too! The crew were happy for us to look around though and the kids even got to stroke the Blue Peter dog Henry (who thought it would be hilarious to bark as soon as the live filming started). We explored, took a million selfies and had the time of our lives, making the most of the amazing opportunity.

Before we knew it, it was time to start the live show. The kids were as comfortable as ever and I watched them throwing a few shapes on the stage and lounging around, just before presenters Lindsey and Richie welcomed everyone. My heart was pounding! I was so nervous for them, but there was no need to be at all. I sat there watching as my children (yes, they are my children), read out letters, asked questions and basically presented the show, I was bursting with pride. I was excited and overjoyed but mostly, so proud of them.

Sylk Dance Academy is a dance school but its not all about the dancing. For me its about giving children opportunities. The opportunity to be confident, the opportunity to meet and work with new people, the opportunity to put themselves out there (live to the world) and not care about what anybody thinks and the opportunity to do something they are proud of. I think this is an experience that will stay with the children for a long time and it will stay with me too. Thanks to everyone who came and to anyone who couldn’t make it we have plenty more opportunities coming soon.

Workshops.... What's the big deal?

So you/your child goes to a class every week. They love their teacher and the style of dance and they are progressing well. So what is the point in paying for an extra class over the holidays or a two hour workshop with a different teacher? I’m about to tell you……

Firstly, workshops allow teachers to spend more time with their class members as class sizes are usually smaller and they are longer in length giving the teacher more time to work with students. In a workshop it gives the teacher the opportunity to demonstrate more challenging choreography as they have more time to explain and help students who are struggling.  Therefore dancers have the opportunity to learn something that may never be covered in class at their level. It could also give them a head start on choreography or steps that will be taught in a future class of theirs.

Curtis has a packed out breakin' workshop for charity

At Sylk we try to get in teachers from outside our staff who are either highly recommended or are professional dancers/choreographers. Again this gives dancers the chance to not only learn from someone new but also from someone who has experience with auditioning, performing and competitions. There is also the opportunity as with in any workshop to ask more questions and find out more about how the teacher got to the level they are at as a dancer now. Outside teachers often bring something new to a class such as a real focus on technique or they may be more strict and really drill a routine. It gives us as regular teachers the chance to see how much our dancers can be pushed as well as the dancers challenging themselves. There is often the need to impress in an outsiders class so everyone usually puts that little bit extra in to the class! Everyone wants to be top of the class don’t they?!!

A trip to Manchester to learn from one of Usher's backing dancers!

Finally, I want to be clear that my passion for workshops doesn’t just promote what we do at Sylk. I try to get inspiring teachers from different backgrounds who teach a variety of styles so we can offer our students the best. However I would encourage any of our dancers to take workshops all over, no matter what dance school or brand it is, it doesn’t matter! It’s the learning that counts not where its coming from. I am a believer in creating fantastic dancers, giving children confidence and opportunities to progress. If another teacher somewhere else can help me with that goal than fantastic!

Get out there and find a workshop now! Get inspired, try something new. Keep an eye out for our Sylk Summer workshops which are listed in the newsletter and soon on the FB page  :)

Workshops allow dancers to take a class from a teacher that doesn’t currently teach their class. This is an extremely valuable experience as every teacher is different. Even if it’s the same style, same move that is being taught there are so many variations that you can learn. Teachers have different styles of delivering a class also which means you/your child might respond better or faster to one than another; something might click that didn’t in a previous class or simply a quieter environment with more intimate instruction might help you/your child to crack a move!!

Lizzie Gough: Professional dancer, judge and star of 'So you think you can Dance?' 

From a non-learning perspective workshops also give the opportunity to mix with other dancers from different classes and different age groups and abilities. The benefits of this are that dancers can make new friendships, learn from other participants as well as the teacher taking the class and enjoy being part of the larger scale of Sylk Dance rather than experiencing  just what happens in the regular weekly class. Workshops are often different to regular classes and allow participants to express themselves a lot more. There are often more opportunities to share and perform, battle or even play games or do tasks that involve progressing in a particular skill. They are fabulous for confidence building!

School Holidays Cheerleading workshop

I don’t just believe workshops are beneficial for our dancers but also for our teachers. I have been teaching myself for 13 years now and when you teach so many classes a week it can sometimes be a struggle to be inspired or to find something new to offer. After all, once you have passed on all that you know to your dancers surely you are no longer a worthy teacher? I strongly believe that as a teacher it is still important to learn from others. Even professional dancers who perform on TV and in shows are always training and taking regular classes to keep improving. The great thing about dance is that you can learn from anyone. I learn things and get inspiration from dancers in my classes all the time! The more you are out there experiencing new things with different people, teachers and events the better dancer and teacher you become.

'Move it' dance convention London. Experiencing workshops, performances and up & coming styles/trends. 

Make a Music Video Workshop!

In this amazing summer workshop children will receive a day full of workshops in a wide range of styles from Commercial Street to Breakdance. Dancers will then be a part of creating, leading and staring in a music video using various locations. There is also the opportunity to have professional pictures taken on the day. The three packages available are as follows. ….

A: Workshops Only (10am-4pm) (£30)

Dancers will learn several routines from a range of teachers as well as working on technique and performance skills. The styles of dance will vary throughout the day from Commercila Street to House, Breakin’ and Hip Hop. Teachers include Amy, Rikki & Sophie.

B: Video Package 3 days (2 days 10am-4pm 1 day 10am-2pm) (£60)

Dancers will do all the workshops from package A where they will be then put in to groups/categories based on their ability. From here they will all be given different roles for filming so that all children can have a special, individual part in the video. On day 2 children will finalise routines, brainstorm and plot ideas for filming and eventually go to location 1 to begin making the video.

Day 3 dancers continue to film and finalise their routines in two other locations. The video will then be edited and a copy given to each child to keep.

C. Full Package (3 days as above) (£75)

The full package includes all of package B but with professional, edited photos of the child at different locations. Photos will be available on disc for you to do with them as you wish.

There has to be a limit to how many children we accept on the full music video experience so please book asap. A deposit of £20 will be taken when you book and the rest is payable a few weeks prior to the start date. Full dates/details will be available very soon.

Street Crew Competition Triumph!

On the 13th March we took our Street Crew to the North West Competition ‘Street Dance Challenge’ in Liverpool. As our second comp of the season it was a magnificent triumph with Sylk bringing home 8 trophies. This was our first time competing in duo’s and we had two teams get a place in the top 5!! Emily Davenport & Kalum Heathcote came 4th in age 10 & under and Isabella Harrison & Olivia Wild came 2nd in age 12 & under. We also bagged two solo trophies with Lydia Parker getting 4th and Emily Davenport 3rd. However, my proudest achievement as a teacher was to watch every single one of our dancers make it through at least one heat and most through two! This is a real sign that hard work is paying off for the team and they are getting the rewards they deserve. Our final victory came with a 3rd place in a very tough line up of teams. We had very strong competition so I was ecstatic when Hazard placed!

Showing off our trophies at the end of a long day!!

The children also persuaded me to take part in an adult competition where I won a trophy of my own! This was great to see things from the children’s point of view and to understand how they feel with a room full of eyes on them as they dance! It’s not as easy as they make it look and I have even more respect for them now for putting themselves out there at every comp and win or lose having an upbeat and positive attitude. I strongly believe that competitions are certainly not all about winning trophies (although it is nice). I encourage the dancers to enjoy their day watching the other talented teams, to learn from other dancers and be inspired by their technique and choreography, to bond as a group, to build their confidence and take part in any battles, cyphers and interaction with the judges. That’s what it’s all about. If we don’t win or get where we want to be we ask ourselves why and how we can get there next time, we support the other teams and we still come home smiling.

Every competition is different and this one was a triumph for us on so many levels. It was also great to have support from the parents of the dancers’ participating; cheering us on, encouraging the kids and seeing them so proud of their children. I also watched throughout the day like a proud mum myself as the children are like a second family to me. Seeing them do so well gives me some clarification that I am teaching them well which is always good to know! It makes me excited about the future and what we can achieve and excited about Sylk Dance Academy. Look out for our two new teams that will be entering competitions soon. Jordon’s Intermediate totz and Sophie’s new age 13+ Crew. Watch this space!!! 

Taking Congleton by Storm!!

Last Tuesday (23rd Feb) we started our first classes outside of Macclesfield at Congleton Leisure Centre. I recall when we began Sylk Dance Academy in 2009 with 2 classes beginning with around 6-8 students in each class. At the time it was a hobby not a business venture but as the classes began to fill and new classes opened up we knew we were on to something! It wasn't easy finding brilliant teachers which have allowed me to expand Sylk Dance Academy and open up so many new classes, but I have been very fortunate to find some incredibly talented staff who are not only good at what they do but genuinely care about the children in their classes and about Sylk Dance Academy. That is what I think makes 'Sylk' successful. 

I am very proud to have Sophie Coleman lead our Congleton sessions and I have already had some fabulous comments about her upbeat personality and professionalism. Sophie is a talented dancer who has competed herself in worldwide Street Dance championships. She is an experienced teacher and is knowledgable not just about Street styles and choreography but also knows about it's history and where it all began! Most importantly though she is one of the most positive, happy people I have had the pleasure of meeting and her enthusiasm really rubs off on the children she teaches.

I am excited to say that after just one week we started our classes with a total of 23 children which is amazing! I can't wait to build these classes and evolve just as we have done in Macclesfield, offering a progression from beginner to competitive level classes as well as other new classes like Cheerleading & Gymnastics. All I can say is watch this space! There are already plans to open another branch of classes outside of Macclesfield and one day perhaps we will have studios all over the UK?! Here's to my wonderful staff, parents and children who have supported Sylk Dance Academy. Thank you. 

For more information on our Congleton classes visit the Timetable on our website or contact us 

Amy Mayers

Sylk Dance Academy Principal.

The newest member of our team Sophie Coleman

UDO Street Dance Exams

Below is some information on the Street Dance Exams we offer and what your child would need to do for the exam. 

Who are they for and why do them?

The exams themselves are the United Dance Organisation Street Dance Syllabus exams. These are available to Boys Street, Breakdance, Beginners Street, Intermediate Street and Street Crew. The reasons behind this are that the syllabus covers all areas of Street from Locking to Hip Hop and Breakdance and therefore only classes that cover this will be able to understand what is expected of them. I have opened the option up to Breakdancers as they can choose two styles of Street to specify in so Breakdancers could do Breakdance and House as Rikki has been working on this with the boys. However for a full understanding and for those who aspire to progress through all the exams I would certainly suggest doing the Street Dance Class to work towards this.

The exams are a way of showing or proving what level your child is at as a dancer. They ensure your child is learning accurate techniques and it gives them feedback and areas to work on and progress in. Eventually dancers can chose to take a teaching qualification. The levels go from pre-primary and primary to levels 1-6 finishing with a teaching qualification.

What do the children have to do for the exam?

All children regardless of whether they are taking the exams will learn 2-4 routines in different styles. Those learning more than two will be able to choose which 2 routines they prefer to perform for the exam. These are only very short. Dancers must also choreograph their own routine for 32-64 counts. As the levels progress there are more elements to the exams however all of our dancers will currently be taking Pre-Primary, Primary or Grade 1 which stick to this simple format.

In order to book your child on to the exam you must pay a deposit of £10. The remainder of the money will be paid when we return in the New Year. The exam your child is eligible for is listed below with the total amount payable.

Beginners Street: Pre Primary £20

Intermediate Street: Primary £25

Boys Street: Primary £25

Beginners Breakdance: Primary £25

Intermediate Breakdance: Primary £25

Street Crew: Primary £25

To book and pay please hand in money to your class teacher in an envelope with your child’s name clearly written on, what class they attend and their age. Once we have all entries in we will contact you to confirm the date of the exams. Entry will close on the 19th December when we finish for Christmas.