Children can start classes from age 3 and above. Our experienced teaching staff will place each student in the most suitable class based on their age and ability, ensuring they feel confident, supported and challenged at the right level.

Yes — we offer a wide range of beginner-friendly classes. If a student is older and completely new to dance, they will still be warmly welcomed and fully accommodated within the session. Our teachers will make sure every student feels comfortable, supported and able to take part confidently, helping them keep up and progress at their own pace.

To book a class at AE Academy, parents/guardians should email the email address “aeperformingartsacademy25@gmail.com” with an enquiry about the chosen lessons. Our Director will then respond to confirm availability and details, most classes have a waitlist so this process may take slightly longer. Once confirmed by the Director, your child can attend a free trial lesson.

If your child would like to join the class officially after the trial, the parent/guardian will need to complete a registration form. This is only required for new students — current students who are trialling an additional class will already have this completed, in line with our policy. The registration form can be found online, listed on every page of our website.

We are based at BBEC High School, and parking is available on site. However, on some days the school may have additional lettings or events taking place, which can occasionally make the car park busier and parking more limited. This is rare, but we recommend allowing a little extra time just in case.

Students should attend lessons in AE uniform wherever possible. This can be our official black or pink uniform (available through our uniform website – GDB Manufacturing), or any annual show uniform (available only to students taking part in the annual show).

If a student is unable to wear uniform for any reason, we kindly ask that they wear all black, so we can maintain a consistent and professional look across the school. Please note that we may occasionally take photos and videos during sessions to help advertise and promote the dance school.

Our classes range from 30 minutes to 1 hour. Sessions may be 30, 45 or 60 minutes long depending on the class. If you’d like to check the timing for a specific class, please refer to our timetable on the website, where the duration of each lesson is clearly listed.

We accept payment by cash or bank transfer.

If paying by cash, fees must be paid on the day of the lesson to our Head Girls or a member of staff when entering the building.

If paying by bank transfer, we offer two payment options:

• Weekly plan: fees are paid every Monday, covering the week ahead.
• Monthly plan: fees are paid on the 1st of each month, covering the month ahead.

If any classes are cancelled, this will be reflected in the next week’s or month’s payment.

Please note: we have an administration hour on Wednesday evenings where bank transfers are checked, so if payment is not received on the agreed date, you may receive a reminder. If fees are not kept up to date and payments continue to be missed, the student will not be able to attend classes until the balance is settled.

We offer private tuition throughout the week, subject to staff availability. These sessions provide students with more focused training, helping them develop their technique and confidence, while also giving them the opportunity to explore a range of styles and work on solos and duos.

Students may also have the chance to perform in a private lesson showcase for fellow dancers and friends/family, and can choose to enter their solos or duos in competitions if they wish.

We offer an Over 18s adult dance class at AE, designed to make dance fun, welcoming and accessible for everyone — whether you’re a complete beginner, an ex-dancer, or even a teacher looking to get back into classes.

The sessions are more relaxed, while still focusing on fitness, technique and choreography. Students in this class also have the opportunity to perform alongside the rest of the academy in our annual shows.

Yes! We offer several performance opportunities throughout the year. We hold one annual show, one uniformed showcase and at least one private lesson showcase each year.

Our annual show is our main event and is fully costumed, giving students the chance to take part in a full performance experience.
Our uniformed showcase is a more relaxed event, removing the stress of costumes while still allowing students to perform and share the dances they’ve been working on in class.

Our private lesson showcases are for private lesson students only, where they can perform their solos and duos for family and friends. This helps students experience what it feels like to perform a solo, so if they are later selected to perform one in the annual show (we usually choose three each year), they feel more confident and prepared.

We have a Dance Parents Facebook group where we share important information and post updates regularly. This website is also an information hub, as we’re working to make it the main place for everything you may need at AE. For important events like shows, letters will be sent out so that parents have a direct copy of all necessary information. This helps keep things clear and organised for everyone, allowing us to focus our time and energy on supporting and developing your superstar performers!

At AE, we unfortunately do not allow parents or carers to stay during classes. As we use several halls within the building, it’s important that all corridors remain clear at all times so we can effectively safeguard, supervise, and keep track of every student in our care.

We understand that bad weather can be inconvenient and that some classes are only 30 minutes long, however we kindly ask that parents/carers drop students off and wait outside the building. At the end of the lesson, students will be brought back to the entrance doors by their class teacher and safely handed over to their respective adult. This helps keep the building secure, less crowded, and ensures student safety remains our number one priority.

We also share clips and highlights from our sessions across our social media, so be sure to follow us across all of our socials if you’d like a sneak peek into what goes on in class!