SW DANCE Academy - Innovate Don't Imitate

With September on the horizon, there’s so much to look forward to at SWDA.

Behind the scenes, we have been investing in our dancers by growing our teaching team and creating even more opportunities to learn and develop.

Every new teacher brings something different to our dancers.

Fresh ideas.
New experiences.
New opportunities to grow.

That’s why we are delighted to welcome Olivia Kiedycz to the SW DANCE Academy teaching team this September.

Olivia is a professional street dancer, choreographer and teacher, specialising in Hip Hop, Commercial, Street Dance.

A Dance College London graduate with an IDTA Teaching Qualification, Olivia has represented Poland at the IDO European and World Championships, achieving multiple national and international competition successes.

Passionate about helping young dancers develop confidence, creativity and strong technical foundations, Olivia will be leading our Monday Street Dance classes in Harpenden.

We can not wait for our dancers to learn, grow and be inspired by everything she brings to SWDA.

Please join us in giving Olivia a very warm SWDA welcome. 🖤

People often ask what my favourite part of running
SW DANCE Academy is.

There are so many moments I’m proud of.

But the ones that stay with me are the moments when a child achieves something they didn’t think they could.

When parents choose a dance school, they’re not just choosing a timetable.

They’re choosing the people who will encourage their child, build their confidence and support them through every stage of their journey.

That’s a responsibility I’ve never taken lightly.

Every decision we make at SWDA, from the teachers we appoint to the opportunities we create, is guided by one simple question:

“Is this the very best thing for our dancers?”

I believe every child deserves to feel known, valued and inspired to reach their potential, and that’s why we continue to invest in our academy and our teaching team.

Because dance is about so much more than learning steps.

It’s about helping children discover what they’re capable of.

🖤 Suzie
Principal, SW DANCE Academy

At SWDA, we’re always looking for ways to give our dancers more.

More opportunities.

More inspiration.

More experiences.

That’s why we’re so excited to welcome Joshua Wilberforce to our teaching team this September.

Joshua is a professional dancer and choreographer whose credits include Wicked: The Musical (International Tour), Mastiii 4 (Film) and Star Alliance (Commercial).

With training across a variety of styles and particular expertise in Hip Hop, Joshua brings a wealth of professional experience and a genuine passion for developing the next generation of dancers.

Joshua will be teaching our Wednesday Street Dancd classes at our St Albans Academy, and we can’t wait for our dancers to learn, grow and be inspired by everything he has to offer.

Welcome to the SWDA family, Joshua. 🖤

IT WAS HOTTTTT but these girls showed up. 🥵🔥💪🏽

With a brand-new festival ahead of us this weekend, they chose to put the work in. It was hot, it was hard, there were plenty of water breaks and chances to rest, but every time I called them back, they were ready to go again.

You only ever get out what you put in, and today they invested in themselves.

I’m incredibly proud of their attitude, their resilience and their work ethic. These are the moments that build dancers - not just technically, but mentally too.

As a bonus, today also gave us the chance to celebrate Isabel’s competition journey with a small but dedicated group of girls who were there to share that special moment with her.

Now… let’s see what this weekend has in store at our very first Sovereign Coast Festival. ❤️

Today we celebrated the retirement of another very special dancer… our fabulous .swda . 🤍

Isobel has been with me since the days when SW DANCE Academy was just a tiny school. I’ve had the privilege of watching her grow from the little girl who would happily sing her way around the competition floor into an Under 18 Champ and a truly beautiful dancer.

Her journey hasn’t been an easy one. A long hamstring injury meant she missed so much of her Under 16 chapter, and we’ve spent the last few years hoping her body would let her keep doing what she loves. Sadly, although her heart isn’t ready to stop competing, her body is telling us it’s time.

This weekend will be Isobel’s final festival at Sovereign Coast, and today we had hoped to celebrate her retirement with all of our squad girls. Unfortunately, the heat meant we had to cancel our main squad classes.

Instead, she trained surrounded by a small but dedicated group of our Festival squad girls, and we said goodbye in true SW style - with hugs, tears and so much love. It may not have been the farewell we had planned, but it was a beautiful way to mark the end of such a special competition journey. 🤍

We still have one final competition together at Maidstone, but today marked the end of an incredible journey.

Isobel, thank you for your loyalty, your laughter, your bubbly personality and the joy you’ve brought to our studio for so many years. You have been such a special part of SWDA, and you will be missed more than you know.

Forever proud of you. 🤍✨

⚠️ EXTREME WEATHER - CLASS. CANCELLATIONS ⚠️

Due to the extreme heat forecast this week and the amber into red weather warning, our Tuesday to Thursday classes are cancelled

As our venues do not have air conditioning and indoor temperatures are expected to be very high, the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff must come first.

Thank you for your understanding. We will keep everyone updated with any further information.

What a fantastic weekend at eMotion Dance! ✨

Our first time attending a competition with dedicated Lyrical, Jazz and Modern categories, and we couldn’t be prouder of our dancers and their achievements. 💜

🏆 Results

Junior Novice Modern/Jazz

🥇 Tilly – 1st Place

Junior Novice Lyrical
🥇 Bessie – 1st Place

Teen Novice Acro
🥇 Eva – 1st Place

Teen Novice Modern/Jazz
🥇 Evie Nott – Joint 1st Place

Senior Lyrical
🏅 Isla – 6th Place

Teen Novice Lyrical
🥇 Phoebe – 1st Place

🌟 Special Awards

🏅 Golden Buzzer – Phoebe - chosen by Vicky Wyatt

🏅 Director’s Choice Award – Phoebe

🏆 Highest Scoring Novice Lyrical Solo – Phoebe

🏆 Highest Scoring Novice Acro Solo – Eva

🏆 Highest Overall Novice Junior Solo
4th – Tilly
6th – Bessie

🏆 Highest Overall Novice Teen Solo
🥈 Phoebe
6th – Evie Nott

A huge congratulations to every dancer who took to the stage this weekend. Your hard work, commitment and courage continue to make us proud. Thank you to our teacher Amy for her beautiful choreography and dance families for your ongoing support.

We loved our first experience at and can’t wait to be back! ✨

SW DANCE Academy is family.🖤

Different ages. One team.

SW DANCE Academy is growth. 🖤

One day it’s a little eyeshadow before their first show.

Before you know it, they’re backstage with their friends making memories that will last a lifetime.

SW DANCE Academy isn’t just somewhere children dance. It’s somewhere they grow up.