Lani first brought two of her children to DanceXS ballroom lessons a year ago. They loved it so much, she decided her youngest one would start dance classes here as well. Now with three children at the studio, she has nothing but positive things to report.
“When we first saw the studio, we thought it was beautiful. My husband showed me the photos on the website, and when we came the first time we just thought, ‘Wow, this is so cool.’ Then seeing the kids’ reactions after that first lesson, it was amazing.”
Keeping it in the family
Lani’s children, Aaliyah and Memphis (aged eleven and nine) started with beginners’ ballroom lessons. “Then my baby, Caprice (who’s seven) started as well. They all began with beginners’ classes and now Aaliyah and Memphis are moving up to the intermediate level.”
Dance wasn’t something they’d particularly thought of before starting with DanceXS. “My older kids are sporty, but Aaliyah and Memphis aren’t so much. My husband was looking for something else for the kids to do and found DanceXS. They were hesitant, but my husband was firm that we’d come and give it a go,” she laughs.
Their attitudes changed after just one lesson. “They were very shy when they arrived, but on the way home from that first lesson, they were beyond excited.” And when they got dressed up for the first time, it was the cherry on top. “All the kids wear black in class. Once they were decked out they really felt the part, and that also made it really enjoyable for them.”
An ideal environment
For Lani and her husband, both the teaching and the studio atmosphere at DanceXS are ideal.
“Stefano is such a great teacher. My husband and I agreed we would only go if we, and the kids, felt comfortable. In that first lesson, Stefano could see that my kids were a little scared and he went out of his way to make them feel completely at ease.”
His teaching methods are also a hit. “I’ve spent a lot of time at kids’ sports lessons so I was a bit nervous coming here myself,” says Lani. “I hadn’t seen any dance lessons before, but Stefano is really great. My husband was the one who was keen for dance right at the start, and it was a great decision.”
Good lessons… and good humour
Another positive aspect of the studio is the family feel. “Stefano is really good with the kids and I like seeing how he gets all the children to interact. He makes it very clear that he wants them to swap partners, to get to know everyone and to make friends with lots of different children. He wants everything really friendly and no bullies, which is brilliant.”
Lani has also discovered Stefano’s (very) good humour. “We have a ball and production at the end of every year where everyone can dance, and I volunteered to help last year. I was laughing the entire time I was working. Stefano is a crack-up… and also very kind. He went out of his way to thank me (and others who had helped) at the ball, which I wasn’t expecting at all. It was really lovely.”
