Testimonials

Ciara Ennis is one of our senior students who would like to train professionally as a dancer. Here is what she has to say about all her training with Danceworld, that has helped prepare her for the next steps to audition for dance college. I started at Danceworld when I was two years old and am now 16. I have loved every minute spent at Danceworld and couldn’t be more grateful for all the wonderful experiences I have had. Danceworld has provided me with many amazing opportunities such as dancing with the Russian Ballet, being a part of many showcases, dancing in pantomimes and competing with two amazing teams - one for acro and one for jazz and lyrical. I have had excellent training and this has allowed me to complete both graded and vocational RAD and ISTD exams. These qualifications will allow me to be at the standard required to go on to further study and achieve my ultimate goal of becoming a professional dancer. I am now a teaching assistant for the younger classes/ comp teams and tinies. This has allowed me to learn lots about leadership but also teamwork and communication skills which I will be able to take with me throughout my life! I really appreciate the continued support, encouragement and expertise I get from all of the staff and encourage anyone who wishes to take up dance to join West Lothian Danceworld where they’ll become part of an amazing dance family who help and support one another.

Some lovely words from our Senior student Erin Leslie who is studying at University whilst still attending her weekly classes at Danceworld. I have been with the Danceworld family for 17 years now from starting at a young age of 2 with just ballet tap and jazz. Attending the summer schools gave me an opportunity to try out different styles such as contemporary and acro which lead to me joining both. Danceworld isn’t just a part of my routine it is a second family to me. At Danceworld we are given lots of opportunities to sit exams and in which I am about to sit my RAD Intermediate ballet exam which wouldn’t have been possible without the time the teachers dedicate to us. Being given corrections might seem hard however it is only to benefits us and make us stronger dancers. Being part of the competition team has given me the ability to be a part of a team that supports and encourages each other, the friendships I've built over the years will be for life and the experience of going out and being on that comp stage is the best feeling. Being part of this team has given me the motivation to not just work for yourself however each one of your teammates. The encouragement all the teacher give, gives you the confidence to try new things and push yourself in which led me to try out for the competition team three years ago which I would of never went for if it wasn’t for the push. I tend to have a lot of anxiety about things but being able to come and either dance syllabus or free work helped me a lot. I started University this year and by still coming to dancing allowed me to stay grounded, dancing gave me a sense of normality and a safe place when I was stressed. I think it’s real important to know that you do not have to leave when you go to university or college, by keeping dancing your keeping yourself healthy both mentally and physically. At Danceworld we get an opportunity to show off at the dance shows, this is always such a fun time as we get to see the full dance school as well as perform to our parents. I love the shows as it’s something I feel I can perform in and show my family how much I have grown since the last show. This will be my 12th show year and I can’t wait to continue. I love how we get to have the best costumes and best choreography, it’s such a fun time even the lead up when we show of our dances to each class.

Isla has been with Danceworld since she was a Tiny right up to Pre Senior Level, read what she has to say about her experience at Danceworld. I started my Danceworld journey at age 3 with my first teacher being Miss Lesley on a Saturday morning in Bathgate. My mum put me into the Bathgate branch as she wanted me to find new friends and mix with new people, this allowed me to become more confident and explore all varieties of dance. Despite all the struggles during covid-19 I stuck with Danceworld and danced as much as I could throughout the pandemic allowing for my passion to grow day by day. Eventually getting back into the studios was one of the most relieving feelings, finally being face to face with teachers again. I began competing with Elevate Junior in the season 2022-23 and fell in love with competing. I am now in Elevate Senior continuing my love I have for the team. As well as the skills I have gained from being on the team I have also gained friendships that will last for life. I also began helping as a class assistant in 2022 with Miss Lucy on a Thursday evening, it feels so rewarding watching the little ones progress week by week and seeing how hard work makes a difference. This has also allowed for me to build relationships with the younger dancers lower down in the school and seeing how much they look up to older pupils. Being a class assistant has really helped with my confidence and enthusiasm for dance. As of the start of this year I have thoroughly enjoyed the ‘heels’ class with Miss Lauren on a Wednesday evening allowing me to have a more diverse dance range and explore a new found passion. I have my jazz class with Miss Elaine and will be sitting my ISTD Intermediate Modern exam at the beginning of June which is something I look forward to achieving. I have many ballet classes with Miss Lucy per week and I am sitting my RAD Intermediate Ballet exam in the next few weeks which has been a goal for many years now. I feel very proud that I have been put forward to sit these exams but this is also down to the hard work of my teachers in all classes. As well as seeing Miss Lauren for the competition class on a Saturday morning, she also takes our heels and musical theatre class allowing for us to grow our confidence in not only dancing but singing and acting also. All of my classes compliment each other, and I find it very important to attend each with the same importance as I know the more I am in the studio the better I will become. Miss Lauren has one of my favourite quotes which she often reminds us “Practice makes progress” as perfection simply doesn’t exist!

(Emma Rickis who graduated Danceworld in 2014.) West Lothian Danceworld holds a very special place in my heart. I owe a lot of my cherished childhood memories to my time at Danceworld. Little Emma started dancing here at the age of 3 in Armadale community center, with Miss Smith doing ballet jazz and tap! I still have my tiny pink ballet shoes and white tap shoes. I remember vividly my first dance show experience; I was the leader of the line to go on stage for ‘Copycat crows’. The teacher told us to go and I skipped on as fast as I could.. then tripped up and landed flat on my face! I got up, danced a few shuffles and then broke down crying and walked off stage for a reassuring hug. I also remember doing big chest pops in a pink sparkly dress to Donna Summer’s ‘Hot Stuff.’ All of this is on video tape, the iconic green and white box from Limelight Productions. During my time at Danceworld I made many precious friendships and was encouraged and supported by so many wonderful teachers; Miss Smith, Miss Diet and Miss McKinley and of course Miss Saunders. In high school when I was pondering what to do after 6th year Miss Saunders told me about Dance for All college in Edinburgh, a musical theatre dance college for professional dance training. Quite a few Danceworld girls had trained there like Lauren (who was pretty much my DW idol) Lesley and Sinead. After visiting their open day I was pretty set in my mind that I wanted to pursue dancing as a career; and so began my 3 year full time training! Professional dance college was pretty tough and full of challenges, a lot of blood sweat and tears! But it was also some of the best years where I grew as a dancer and was lucky enough to do my passion everyday. I achieved ISTD Advance 2 level Modern Theatre, RAD Advanced 1 Ballet and Tap and trained in Spanish dance, Musical Theatre, Contemporary and Commercial. I graduated with a HND in Professional Stage Dance, with awards for Most Progressed and Modern Theatre. After graduating in 2017, I took a leap and accepted a teaching job at an arts school across the world in Chengdu, China. An amazing experience that pushed me as a professional and as a person- it definitely toughened me up! After Chengdu, I moved again and accepted another teaching job in Hong Kong; a city I’ve called home for almost 7 years now. In Hong Kong I’m currently a senior teacher at a leading dance school where I teach kids Ballet, Jazz and Kpop and adult Ballet. I feel very lucky to be able to have my passion as my full-time career and to be travelling across the world doing what I love. Dancing started for me with Danceworld and I’m so grateful to them for inspiring my love for all things dancing and performing!

Here is what one of our lovely Senior students Lucy Goodwin has to say about her journey with Danceworld. My journey with West Lothian Danceworld started when I was 6 years old. I had been dancing with a previous school from 2 years old but my mum made the decision to move me to WLDW. That was the best decision she’s ever made. I first started out at Centrex doing a couple nights a week in Jazz, Tap and Ballet with Miss Skene and Miss Smith, I remember looking forward to these classes every week and having so much fun during them. Soon after I joined I started doing classes in Whitburn as part of Elite and quickly progressed into exams and class awards. From here I just fell in love with Danceworld even more! Danceworld has given me so many opportunities from an annual show, vocational graded exams in ISTD and RAD, multiple competitions every year, workshops with professional performers, special performances with companies like the Russian State Ballet and Reconnect Theatres. The opportunities are endless. I am now 17 and dance almost every single day. I am about to sit my Advanced 1 Modern Jazz exam with Elaine and my RAD Intermediate Ballet exam with Miss Lucy. These exams are Vocational Graded exams which helps you get into University. Along side my Jazz, Ballet and Tap classes, I am also taking other performance style classes with Lauren and Amy such as Heels, Musical Theatre, and Commercial. I also train as part of Elevate Senior with Lauren for the last 3 years which is the Jazz and Lyrical competition teams. The competition team alone has brought me so many opportunities. We have recently won a Bid to take part in the 2026 Allstar World Championships in Florida! The training from West Lothian Danceworld whether it’s been from ISTD and RAD exams or the competition team has been amazing and has taught me so much. I have improved so much in the last few years from all the help from my teachers and DW staff. In November, I auditioned for 3 dance colleges and earned a place in all 3. As of September, I will be training full-time at The Scottish Institute of Theatre, Dance, Film and Television on the 3 year BA (Hons) Commercial Dance course. I would not have been able to do this without the help from my teachers. Every single teacher was so supportive and helpful towards my auditions, whether they were giving me tips for inside the audition or helping me with my choreography for my solo portion of the audition. I couldn’t have done it without Danceworld. Danceworld to me is more than just a dance club. It’s a family and my second-home. It is such a welcoming environment with the most supportive teachers and students. Every single person wants you to thrive and improve. My teachers are so invested in my progression and are constantly pushing me to help me improve and become a stronger dancer. I have met the most amazing people here and some of my best friends that I will have for life. I would recommend WLDW to everyone. They are the best dance school ever!!