Studio Values and Why Ours Matter

Parents often ask me why our studio values matter and why they’re such a big part of how we teach. The simplest answer is this: because dance shaped me before I had the words for it, and I see the same thing happening for children every day.

When I think about our values, I don’t think about business plans or a marketing strategy. I think about a younger version of me tying shoes in a studio hallway, terrified of messing up, and somehow finding my way through it.

Dance was my safe place before I even understood what a “safe place” was. It was where I learned how to cope with nerves that made me sick to the stomach. It was where I learned how to take feedback without wanting to quit, how to try again when something didn’t click the first (or tenth) time, how to handle disappointment without giving up, and how to feel genuinely proud of myself for trying.

Dance taught me things long before I had the language for them.

Looking back, I can see that dance didn’t just shape how I performed - it shaped how I coped, how I learned, how I worked, how I related to people, and how I moved through the world. It built confidence and resilience long before I knew the words for them. And those lessons didn’t disappear when I left the studio at the end of the day. They came with me.

When I became a parent, I realised how universal those lessons are. Every child no matter who they are or what they’re interested in needs room to grow, fail safely, be seen, and find the thing that makes them feel capable. My kids don’t need to be dancers for me to want them to have confidence, resilience, curiosity, self-belief, and kindness. Those aren’t “dance qualities”, they’re life qualities.

So when Phoenix became real, our values were already there - not because they sounded good, but because they reflected how I understood children, learning, and growth. I wasn’t interested in creating a place that only taught steps. I wanted to build an environment that mirrored what dance gave me: growth, community, creativity, confidence, curiousity, effort, belonging, and joy.

A space where every child whether they’re shy, bold, neurodivergent, anxious, quietly determined, wildly creative, fiercely competitive, or just curious could grow into themselves without needing to fit a mould.

That’s why our values matter. That’s why they exist.

They’re not decorations on the wall. They’re the compass.

At Phoenix we value:

Inclusivity

Growth Confidence & Resilience

Love of Learning

Community & Connection

Excellence Through Effort

Creativity & Self-Expression

Joy in the Journey

These values shape how I teach, how I make decisions, how I set expectations, how I speak to kids, and how I build our culture. They’re also the values I teach in my own home - not through speeches, but through the everyday moments: how we handle hard days, how we treat people, how we talk about setbacks, how we celebrate effort, how we show up when we don’t feel like it.

And just like with my own kids, I don’t mind what our dancers choose to do in life - but I care very much who they become.

Some of our dancers will compete, perform on big stages, or chase dance at a high level. Others won’t and that’s okay. What matters to me is that they leave Phoenix a little braver, a little stronger, a little more sure of themselves. That they know what it feels like to try. To care. To belong.

Not every child will walk away with trophies. Sometimes they walk away with courage, friendships, and a sense of who they are becoming. Both are successes in my eyes.

If these values feel familiar, it’s probably because you’re teaching the same ones at home. We don’t often talk about it, but parenting and teaching aren’t that different. At the heart of it, we’re all just trying to raise good humans who can cope with challenge, find community, and feel proud of who they are.

At home, this is what that looks like for me:

• treat people well,

• try your best,

• don’t quit just because it’s hard,

• ask questions,

• support your teammates,

• feel proud of yourself,

• enjoy the process.

  
  

Those aren’t dance rules, they’re life rules. And they sit quietly underneath everything we do at Phoenix.

That’s the heart behind our studio values. It’s why we do things the way we do, why decisions are intentional, and why I care so deeply about the environment your children walk into each week. Dance shaped me - not just as a performer, but as a person - and now I get to pass that forward.

Because trophies fade, costumes get packed away, routines get retired… But who they become stays.