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Dance Concepts Levelled Up from 150 to 280 Kids with ClassForKids Dance Studio Management Software
See how Amy grew Dance Concepts from 150 to more than 280 students, opened new venues, and transformed her business after winning Level Up and adopting the ClassForKids dance class management system.
How Dance Concepts Started and What Changed After Level Up
Amy O’Reilly founded Dance Concepts at just 19 years old with 15 children in a single class. Today, she teaches more than 280 students across 6 venues in Cork and Galway. As her school expanded, the complexity of managing it also increased. Schedules, payments and communication all needed more structure, and the spreadsheets she relied on no longer matched the size of the business.
In 2024, Amy entered Level Up, ClassForKids’ business transformation competition worth £10K. Winning Level Up gave her access to expert support in branding, marketing and business strategy, along with the ClassForKids dance studio management software. This combination helped her organise her school and made the next stage of growth possible.
It has been incredible. Life-changing. It has taught me so much about business rather than just dancing.
Level Up helped Amy understand her business more clearly, and the ClassForKids dance class management system gave her the tools to run it with confidence.
What Challenges Was Amy Facing Before Level Up?
Before winning Level Up, Amy worked tirelessly to keep up with the increasing demand for her dance classes, but her admin was becoming unmanageable. As more children joined and she opened additional venues, her processes fell behind the pace of growth.
Her system relied on spreadsheets, manual registers and constant messages from parents. Payments were difficult to track, communication took longer than it should, and running multiple locations without a centralised platform felt overwhelming.
She now describes it as “a logistical nightmare.”
Like many dance teachers, Amy had years of teaching experience but little guidance on the business side of things. She knew Dance Concepts could grow, but she also knew she needed stronger foundations before she could scale sustainably.
Winning Level Up changed that. It gave her practical business tools, expert support and the ClassForKids dance studio management software, which replaced the manual processes that were slowing her down.
How Level Up Transformed Amy’s Confidence, Skills and Vision
Level Up allowed Amy to step back from the day-to-day and look at her dance school as a growing business with long-term potential.
Working with business strategist Libby Langley helped Amy understand profitability.
"With Libby, I got to look at it from a profit point of view, which at times was definitely difficult because as dance teachers we look at the kids as family. But at the end of the day, we have to make money and seeing that was difficult but definitely worthwhile. If we are not making money, we cannot give our best to the kids."
Brand designer Jack Chitty helped elevate Dance Concepts with a stronger, more joyful visual identity.
"One of my favourite things was working with Jack, who took something that I love and made it into something that I never could have dreamed of. The colours, the logo we have, the kids all love it, the parents love it, we love it."
Amy also worked closely with dance business coach Louise Brough, whose guidance continues to influence her decisions.
"I also got to work with Louise from the Dance Business Academy. I have signed up to her academy now, and I keep getting fresh ideas from her."
The shift in her own confidence was one of the biggest outcomes of Level Up.
"People tell you that you are an entrepreneur, but you do not really believe that because you just set up a small dance class. The competition has levelled up the business, but more importantly, it has levelled me up, and I now see my dance school as something I can be really proud of."
How the ClassForKids Dance Studio Management Software Supported Growth
Before using the ClassForKids dance class management system, Amy was managing spreadsheets, messages from parents at all hours and manual processes that created unnecessary pressure. As her student numbers increased, she needed a system that could support the size of her school.
Adopting the ClassForKids dance studio management software helped Amy manage bookings, payments, registers and communication in one place. It removed the manual tasks that once took hours and gave her more time to teach, plan and support her growing team.
ClassForKids saves me over 20 hours a week, which you cannot put a price on, especially as someone who loves teaching and not so much the admin side of things.
Subscriptions inside the ClassForKids platform also made a major difference. They eliminated late payments, reduced the time spent chasing payments and provided steady monthly income that supported growth and expansion.
Since winning Level Up and streamlining her admin with ClassForKids, Amy has expanded much faster.
“I think this time last year we had maybe 150 kids, and now we have more than 280.”
She has opened a new venue, hired new teachers and delivered workshops in 5 additional locations across Ireland, all while maintaining the warm and supportive environment she created when she first started teaching.
For Amy, the software did more than save time. It created the structure she needed to continue growing with clarity and confidence.
Click below for a quick tour of the system and see how ClassForKids can support your dance school.
What Other Dance Schools Can Learn from Amy’s Journey
Dance Concepts grew because Amy is a dedicated teacher, but it scaled because she built the systems and confidence to turn a busy timetable into a sustainable, thriving business.
Her journey highlights valuable lessons for other dance schools:
- Growth becomes easier when the admin is manageable.
- Predictable income supports long-term planning.
- Branding and marketing play a major role in growth.
- The right support accelerates everything.
Amy now sees her dance school as a business with long-term potential and feels confident leading its next chapter.
“I have learned new skills in marketing, graphic design, entrepreneurship and accounting. So many different skills that I will keep using. I think the skills I have learned are going to keep us growing for the next ten years to come.”
If you are thinking about entering the next Level Up competition, Amy’s advice is simple:
“You have nothing to lose. Even the process of applying makes you think about your business differently. And if you win, you are given the opportunity of a lifetime to transform yourself and your club.”
Stay tuned for the next Level Up competition and your chance to win a £10K business transformation.
