Southside School set to celebrate two decades of dance with big birthday bash

Southside School of Dance is preparing to mark a milestone anniversary with an unmissable community event taking place at One Dalkeith on Saturday 20th September!

Article Source: Southside School of Dance
Last Updated: 19 September 2025 12:08

It started with one teacher and just a handful of children. Now, 20 years later, with more than 220 students on its current roll and a string of successes to its name, Southside School of Dance is preparing to mark a milestone anniversary with an unmissable community event.

Taking place at One Dalkeith on Saturday 20th September, 2:30–5:00pm, the Southside School of Dance Big Birthday Bash promises to be an afternoon to remember. Party-goers can enjoy dance workshops, face painting, a bouncy castle and competitions to win fabulous prizes including free lessons and branded merchandise. Past and present students will also be sharing programmes, tickets, photographs and video footage from performances and competitions throughout the years.

The afternoon will celebrate the remarkable success story that is Southside School of Dance. Thousands of students have passed through its doors over the past two decades, with many going on to turn their dreams into reality – from earning places at internationally renowned dance schools such as London Studio Centre, Italia Conti and Joffrey Ballet School in New York, to treading the boards in West End shows and training with the English National Ballet. Southside is also proud of its homegrown talent, with two former pupils now fully qualified teachers at the school.

Speaking ahead of the anniversary celebrations, owner and founder Louise Squires said; “Southside School of Dance has gone from strength to strength over the past 20 years and today we’re proud to teach children and adults of all ages and abilities across a wide range of disciplines, including ballet, commercial, modern, acro, tap, contemporary and musical theatre. It’s especially wonderful seeing the second generation of dancers come through – I now have the pleasure of teaching the children of some of my very first students from those early days!”

Asked what it takes to be a great dancer, Louise added; “It all comes down to passion - that deep love of dance, a joy found in the training and creating process, and the resilience and self-belief to keep it going.”

And it’s clear Southside School of Dance students have no shortage of those qualities. The competition teams have qualified year after year for the International Destination Dance Finals, securing 11 first-place championship titles in the past three years alone. Most recently, they placed in the top three across all of Scotland at the prestigious Can You Dance? Convention, Scottish Heat, and will go on to represent Scotland at the national finals in Liverpool later this year.

It is hoped that the Big Birthday Bash will inspire more children from across Midlothian and beyond to discover a love for dance. Who knows where their journey could take them over the next 20 years?

The Southside School of Dance Big Birthday Bash will take place at One Dalkeith, 21 Eskdaill Court, Dalkeith, EH22 1AG, on Saturday 20th September, 2:30–5:00pm. Entry is free of charge.

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Southside School set to celebrate two decades of dance with big birthday bash

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