Dreamland Studios - Leeds

Aim

To raise £5000 to help fund start up costs for a new dance studio in Leeds. Help young people reach their true potential & dreams.

Who are we?

My name is Scott Baker, & I have been in love with dance for as long as I can remember. I competed nationally as a child from the age of 11 & have earned titles from Yorkshire Champion to European Champion. Since competing I dove straight into teaching, I have a UKA teaching qualification in Freestyle Dance & continue to train in as many styles as I can to keep expanding my own knowledge. My partner Jordan is equally as passionate about what we do. He also competed nationally from a very young age. At 17 he revieved a full scholarship & attended the Urdang Academy in London & achieved a National Diploma Level 6 in Dance & Musical Theatre. He has worked on various dance jobs around the world including cruise ships, corporate events & film & TV. With over 30 years of dance experience combined we are still completely driven & inspired by dance on a daily basis & love passing on our knowledge to others. 

Jordan & I opened 'Cirque Dance Company' in January 2015 and currently offer 10 different classes per week in a range of styles to groups ranging from age 4 to Adults! We offer classes in Freestyle, Lyrical, Body Conditioning, Stretch, Acro, Commercial, Kids Commercial & Heels. When we opened we started with 4 dancers in our first class, we funded the studio rent from our own pocket for many months untill we grew & grew. We now have over 100 dancers attend our classes.

Through our hard work, dedication & commitment, we have given these children confidence, passion & most importantly somewhere they can be part of a loving team in a safe environment. The kids build friendships for life & our team spirit is our most important value. We truly believe dance plays a crutial role in making strong, driven adults. It teaches children dicipline, aswell as promoting a healthy active lifestyle. It teaches children from a very young age that if you want something in life you have to work very hard to achieve it, and you CAN achieve it. Whilever these kids are dancing, they are off the streets & out of trouble with goals & dreams they can achieve. 

Our freestyle company compete nationwide on a weekly basis at a very high standard, & our supportive parents also play a huge role in making this happen. Some of our dancers who have only been dancing & competing for a short while are already making their mark at national competitions against the countries best dancers. A lot of our dancers show true potential to go on & have amazing future's in the industry & we are very proud to be part of their journey. 

What is our Goal?

Our goal is to lease our own premises which will enable us to extend teaching hours & allow us to offer even more variety of training to a larger audience. We feel that the dance community in Leeds is lacking a home. After visiting Los Angeles this Summer & training in studios such as Millenium Dance Complex & Movement Lifestyle, the spirit & support for other dancers there is truly inspirational. With the new studio as our base, & our knowledge of the ever evolving industry, we feel we could bring Leeds a very special centre, with higher quality training, including international workshop & dance events that Leeds truly deserves. We have already hosted multiple sold out Masterclass & Workshop days in Leeds in rented venues with our 'Cirque Dance Company Presents' Series. With our contacts in other major UK cities we are constantly offered International Choreographer workshops but are often stuck for an affordable venue to host them. With our new studio these masterclasses will become regularly accessible for dancers in the North & having to fund expenive travel to London for such events will become a thing of the past. As well as these events we will offer affordable weekly classes with option to block book classes with excellent discounts. 

Our new weekly class timetable will consist of:

• Ballet
• Jazz
• Jazz Funk
• Hip-Hop
• Commercial
• Acro
• Stretch & Body Conditioning
• Disco Freestyle
• Lyrical
• Contemporaty 
• Musical Theatre

The space will also be used for Yoga & Fitness classes.

Our dedicated competitors have trained in cold community halls, on hard splintered floors & had parents sat on the floor in corridors waiting for their kids to finish class. We currently hire a small studio but due to the growth of the school and the style of dance we have simply outgrown it. We know a bigger studio with better facilities will help these kids achieve their dreams.

We also recognise that dance training can be expensive to keep up & isn't always accessible to everyone, we will be offering a free dance class every week to anybody who wants to dance, learn & make friends.

How will we achieve it?

We have estimated our initial start up costs to approximately £15,000. 

We are funding as much of this as we can from our own pockets & with the full support of our dance company dancers & parents, we are determined to raise £5,000 through fundraising such as bag packing at local supermarkets & other sponsored activities.

We hope with your help we can raise a further £5,000. This will ensure we can cover the initial up front rental costs & purchase a sprung dance floor, mirrors, PA system, equipment & basic facilities. This will make dreams come true for these kids & young adults in a spectacular environment. 

Thank you for taking the time to read our project, we hope you can help.

Scott Baker & Jordan Ward

This project closed unsuccessfully on 11th October 2017