From Psychotherapist to Dance Studio Owner: The Story Behind Nick’s Dance School

Terri didn't set out to run a dance studio. In fact, Terri didn't set out to teach dance at all. But through a crazy set of circumstances, she's been running Nick's Dance School since 2015.

As a child, Terri loved to dance and went on to Corona Academy of Performing Arts & Stage Training as a teenager, but as a 5ft 1 dancer, she auditioned and didn't get the roles, being deemed too short. So, she changed course and trained as a CBT psychotherapist and ran her own Harley Street practice.

However, she missed dancing and signed up to a beginner's session. Who was running the school she had randomly signed up for? Her old dance teacher, Sallianne Cornell, pushed her to train as a dance teacher herself, telling her to go and speak to Nick, her dance teacher, to which Nick responded, "I'm married; I don't teach single women." However, Sallianne wasn't someone you said no to.

So, Terri got her IDTA teaching qualifications with the help of Nick and Sallianne, and continued to work with them both at the studio. Nick later became her best friend, confidant, and fiancé.

After Sallianne retired, Nick purchased the school from her, renaming it Nick’s Dance School, which he ran for several years, and then, in 2015, Nick sadly passed away. Terri has been running the business since 2015 in his name, carrying on the legacy that Nick was so passionate about.

Now Terri continues to learn more ballroom and Latin dances by attending Strictly royalty Oti Mabuse’s studio, taking lessons with Jack Beale and Natallia Sianko. Filling her own cup with ballroom lessons gives Terri the capacity and drive to continue offering the very best dance lessons she can to both adult and child dancers.

Her motto? Make it fun, make it a laugh, and ensure everyone is enjoying it.

How does Class Manager Help? 

Terri wanted to start offering children's lessons, but didn't want to spend hours sending out invoices, chasing payments, and trying to remember who's paid and who hasn't. That's when Rhythmix Academy recommended Class Manager Dance Studio Software. Having looked into other options, Terri liked that the team was locally based in the UK and offered high-level support, alongside software that was simple to use and perfect for her needs.

Now she uses Class Manager to manage the children’s lessons, as well as organise one-off workshops where she can offer early-bird discounts and easily promote the sessions via her Facebook profile at the click of a button.

Terri loves that when the children turn up at the dance school, they can get straight into the lesson, no need to faff around with payments, invoices, or checking that all the waivers and forms have been signed; it's all in one place and easy to see and find within the software.

Terri runs Nick's Dance School alone, and finding software that takes the stress away, saves her time, and makes her life easier has been indispensable in running her business, especially as she expands to offer more dancing opportunities for her students. She's able to utilise features such as:

• Customisable automated emails: Terri can make all of her emails sound like her, without having to remember to send them out to each student individually

• Setting up trial classes: the system automatically sets up her trial classes, without her having to manually send information out

• Early bird discounts: handled automatically inside Class Manager, so she doesn't need to remember who's had the discount, or deal with people asking for extra discounts!

“One of the best things I’ve done is join Class Manager!” 

What’s your favourite thing about the software? 

"The software is easy to use, and it saves me so many admin hours, so I can spend my time dancing, teaching, or with my friends and family.

“I also love that being part of Class Manager is like being part of a community. If I have an issue or a question, which isn't often, as the software is so easy for me to use, the support team gets back to me super quickly."

New features are being added to the software all the time, including the new additions of skill tracking, Spotlight, and Chats. Class Manager aims to continue to help Terri save precious hours and mental capacity, so she can get back to doing what she loves, building her dance community and sharing her love and passion for dance.

Stay up to date with everything that Terri is getting up to, or explore her classes via her social media on Facebook or Instagram. 

Want to see how Class Manager can help you, just like it has helped Terri? Book a demo with our team, or open your free Class Manager account here.