A Hampton Wick-based dance school is moving to a new permanent home after experiencing a tenfold increase in attendance since it opened in September last year.

With NIX Academy in the final stages of securing a new home, Nub News sat down with owner Nicky Rowe and her new business manager Emma Langworthy to find out how she grew from 20 students to 150 in just 10 months.

The school has proven popular with local families, partly due to the variety of its performing arts classes, which range from dance staples like tap and ballet to theatre production and costume design. In fact, one of their most popular classes is for circus acts.

"Anything in the world of dance and performing arts that your little one thinks they could possibly have an interest in—we teach it," explains Nicky.

This variety is part of NIX's aim to be a "nurturing and inclusive space" that welcomes three- to 18-year-olds of all abilities and interests. It is an outlook shaped by its owner's own experience with dance and performance.

Circus is one of Nix Academy's most popular classes. (Photo: Nix Academy)

Nicky started dancing at two and a half years old. She admits she wasn't an academic child but found solace in the dance studio. "It's where I came alive," she says, and she hopes NIX will help create that same safe space for children from Kingston, Teddington, and beyond.

The owner explains how, for kids who struggle at school like she did, "NIX is really their outlet: they have to get through the school day, and then they come to the place that is their safe space. That's something I'm really big on."

Emma—who first met Nicky when her daughter Maisy joined NIX's first cohort—agrees, sharing the group's recent success at Esher Theatre, where they performed "A Show Night at the Museum" alongside their Egham-based sister school.

"It's nice championing kids who'd never get a chance on stage," she says.

Nicky adds, "There are a few kids who are very anxious, who still need to be walked into class holding their parents' hands, or who need to know their parents are going to be outside [...] and then they're on stage doing a solo."

"It's just… One of the little girls ran off stage and said, 'I'm so proud,'" she recalls, putting her hand to her heart. "That's what we're all about—nurturing and making sure that every single child excels."

Owner Nicky Rowe says her after-school dance classes were 'where I came alive' as a child, and hopes Nix's performance arts classes will do the same for her students. (Photo: Nix Academy)

The academy will be moving to a new location in Hampton Wick in September. The Warehouse community hall at St John's Church is a shared space, requiring equipment to be brought out and put away for each class. Children must also bring their own equipment to and from classes.

However, the move will provide a permanent base of operations for Nicky and her students.

She is overjoyed at the move, saying, "It can be a real home for all the kids… we're very community-based. The kids live, breathe, and everything NIX.

"It's not really the sort of school where you come, you do a class, and you go home. They're all friends. For all their birthday parties, they invite each other—and they're not [even] at school with each other."

A permanent home promises to be especially important for the academy's students with additional needs, adding to the sense of security at NIX that many, like Nicky did, might not feel while struggling at school.

She explains, "They feel seen and heard and safe. They don't have to mask, or they don't have to have a big meltdown. They're just there, and if they need to [have some space], they know that they can."

"It's [about] having our space, but also for the kids to have their own space as well. Not only does it feel really exciting and special [...] but it gives them their safe space."

Nicky went on to explain how the exam sessions and syllabus work.

"Part of the nurturing experience was shown in our first exam session in April. Thirty-six students took exams by their own choice."

"We follow the I-PATH syllabus, which is a relatively new syllabus that is current, vibrant, and challenging in all the right ways. It caters to our elite students, our students who don't want a career in this but love performing, and our SEN students."

Nix Acamedy students outside the school. . (Photo: Nix Academy)

They even offer a specific SEN exam to make it inclusive and accessible for all, which is very fitting with our ethos. It's important for us not to push things onto children, as it adds extra stress. We are not a school that picks and chooses which students can take exams just because they will get top marks. Any child who wants to can. And they did!

"We had a 93% distinction result due to our students being inspired to be their very best. It was an incredible day, all smiles, with students begging to do more! We are so proud of our students."

NIX Academy isn't limited to kids... Nicky mentioned, "We also teach toddlers to adults! We are introducing some exciting new classes and sessions, one of which is 'Role Play and Stay,' where parents and their toddlers can pop in for 1 to 2 hours, and their children can explore our role play stations."

The two say they'll be up and running at the new venue on Normansfield Avenue from September.

With their new home less than two months away from being ready, the future looks bright for the students of NIX Academy.

Readers interested in learning more about NIX Academy can do so on their website here.

NIX Acamedy before their 'Show Night at the Museum' performance in June. (Photo: Nix Academy)

If you are still looking for holiday club spaces, the dance school still has some available for the week commencing 19th Aug. Just email [email protected] if you are interested.

Nicky and Emma are also looking for a singing teacher/musical director to join their team, with interested applicants encouraged to get in touch via their contact form here.

Teddington Nub News is proud to announce that NIX Academy is the latest sponsor of our publication.

Their support, along with our other partners, will help us deliver the high-quality journalism that Teddington deserves – no clickbait or intrusive ads, just the latest updates on what's happening in our town.

It is thanks to the generosity of organisations like NIX Academy that we can continue our mission to revive local news, both in Teddington and across the UK.