OUR JOURNEY
Simon Says Dance, also known as SSD, was established back in 2011 by Simon Hunter, starting with just a handful of students each week. Now, we teach hundreds of students each week here in Edinburgh.
In 2011, Simon set out to create a new 'Commercial' dance offering in Edinburgh for youngsters. With there being little to no opportunities available for kids in this very much new and emerging style of dance in Edinburgh at that time, Simon decided to launch something that offers this locally.
With the booming trend of Commercial dance, thanks to successful pop music videos and the like, Simon Says Dance took off and we are now one of the biggest Commercial Dance offerings in Central Scotland. In 2018 we officially opened our own dance studios 'SSDHQ', close to Edinburgh City Centre.
Building on our success, when we opened our studios in 2018 we also expanded our dance and performing class offerings to proudly offer Ballet, Acro, House, Jazz and Musical Theatre, as well as our main offering of Commercial.
Simon Says Dance also offers exciting holiday camps, unforgettable birthday parties and fun dance sessions to external bodies, including Nurseries and Schools for Health Weeks. We have built close relationships with numerous local Nurseries, Schools and Charities, which we're really proud to support.
In 2011, Simon set out to create a new 'Commercial' dance offering in Edinburgh for youngsters. With there being little to no opportunities available for kids in this very much new and emerging style of dance in Edinburgh at that time, Simon decided to launch something that offers this locally.
With the booming trend of Commercial dance, thanks to successful pop music videos and the like, Simon Says Dance took off and we are now one of the biggest Commercial Dance offerings in Central Scotland. In 2018 we officially opened our own dance studios 'SSDHQ', close to Edinburgh City Centre.
Building on our success, when we opened our studios in 2018 we also expanded our dance and performing class offerings to proudly offer Ballet, Acro, House, Jazz and Musical Theatre, as well as our main offering of Commercial.
Simon Says Dance also offers exciting holiday camps, unforgettable birthday parties and fun dance sessions to external bodies, including Nurseries and Schools for Health Weeks. We have built close relationships with numerous local Nurseries, Schools and Charities, which we're really proud to support.
Simon Says PERFORM!
We believe in giving all our students the opportunity to perform. Whether that's in class at one of our mini end-of-term showings (class dependent), internally held Competitions or in a fully rehearsed show on-stage at a specially chosen local venue.
Throughout the year, our Teachers work on numerous pieces, developing stunning routines that challenge our students in many different ways.
Every March, our Junior students (those who attend a 40 or 60min class - with the exception of P1-7 Acro) have the opportunity to perform their routines on a stage at an arranged venue.
Every October, our Academy students (those who attend any of our Commercial Academy offerings) also have the opportunity to perform their routines on a stage at an arranged venue.
There is a cost associated with taking part in and spectating our shows, which cover the overheads of running such events for things like costume, venue hire and everything else required to make our magical shows happen. All our shows are recorded by a professional film company too, so the memories can be enjoyed for years to come!
Separate to our stage performances, we often carry out mini end-of-term showings/videos at class where applicable, so parents can see just how much their child has come on since joining Simon Says Dance.
Throughout the year, our Teachers work on numerous pieces, developing stunning routines that challenge our students in many different ways.
Every March, our Junior students (those who attend a 40 or 60min class - with the exception of P1-7 Acro) have the opportunity to perform their routines on a stage at an arranged venue.
Every October, our Academy students (those who attend any of our Commercial Academy offerings) also have the opportunity to perform their routines on a stage at an arranged venue.
There is a cost associated with taking part in and spectating our shows, which cover the overheads of running such events for things like costume, venue hire and everything else required to make our magical shows happen. All our shows are recorded by a professional film company too, so the memories can be enjoyed for years to come!
Separate to our stage performances, we often carry out mini end-of-term showings/videos at class where applicable, so parents can see just how much their child has come on since joining Simon Says Dance.
MEET THE SSD FAMILY
We have a fantastic team of talented and dedicated role models here at Simon Says Dance. All appropriate staff hold Public Liability Insurance, are First-Aid Trained and PVG Disclosure checked for your peace of mind.
Simon PRINCIPAL TEACHER / MD Simon, founder of Simon Says Dance, is both the face of SSD and teacher of our most popular style we offer - Commercial. A blend of multiple styles, Commercial is extremely fun and upbeat. Simon has taught this style for over 10 years in leading Edinburgh dance schools and SSD, now leading the teaching team here. 
Craig business manager / MD Craig is a Business Management Graduate who joined the SSD team back in 2017 after leaving the corporate world where he worked in a busy HR Department. With his commercial acumen, Craig manages all operations of Simon Says Dance, including Admin, Finance, Marketing and much more! Sadly he wasn't graced with dancing feet so he admits that he's definitely better suited to behind the scenes operations! 
Stacey business & events lead Stacey leads all things Events here at Simon Says Dance, including shows, our annual ball, internal competitions and ad-hoc events! Her organisation and project management skills from her corporate and voluntary roles make her a perfect-fit for creating cohesively organised events. Stacey also assists in general day-to-day business for SSD - basically, Stacey helps ensure things tick here at SSD! 
Emily BUSINESS & EVENTS COORDINATOR Emily is our in-house events guru, assisting the team to create memorable and slick events at Simon Says Dance. Emily is a recent Events Management Graduate but is also a long-term SSD family member, initially starting her journey as a student (of many years!) before moving on to her Class Assistant role, then Events & Class Assistant before recently being promoted to Business & Events Coordinator, where she handles both SSD day-to-day operations and events. 
Amy Ballet, House, & Commercial TEACHER / Designated child protection officer The multi-talented Amy is the dedicated Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) Certified Ballet teacher. Amy also teaches the styles of House, Acro & Commercial and is both qualified and well-experienced from her time teaching at established dance schools in Edinburgh before SSD. 
Leanne COMMERCIAL (ACADEMY) tEACHER Leanne is one of three SSD Commercial Academy teachers (Simon & Amy being the other two) - with her dance background and experience teaching with other Edinburgh dance schools and for SSD in the past, Leanne brings a fresh and cool approach to SSD Commercial Academy. 
Laura (aka Gilly) COMMERCIAL, JAZZ & ACRO teacher Laura - a.k.a 'Gilly' to most - is another multi-talented teacher. With both professional training (holding an MSc in Dance Science & Education) and extensive experience in the industry both as a performer and teacher, Laura brings invaluable skill and personality to the classes she teaches at SSD. 
Martha class assistant |
Caitlin musical theatre & commercial (nursery) teacher The fantastically characterful and imaginative Caitlin is the dedicated Musical Theatre teacher. Caitlin has a breadth of knowledge in the Arts field, with experience teaching Musical Theatre (a mix of singing, dancing and acting) to children across Edinburgh and Glasgow. 
Zoe ACRO TEACHER Zoe joins the Acro teaching team here at SSD with her Acro qualification, bringing a splash of fun and vibrancy to the team with her bubbly and enthusiastic personality, which makes Zoe a popular teacher across many Edinburgh schools! 
Jazmine COMMERCIAL TEACHER Jazmine has been part of the SSD family for many years - as Jazmine grew with SSD, so did her talents, being a former student of SSD Commercial Academy and a member of Twisted Perfection Dance Troupe. Jazmine works in a Nursery by day, and teaches/dances professionally outwith her day job. 
Charlotte Commercial teacher Charlotte has gone from Dance Mum to Dance Teacher for SSD! Charlotte trained at Dance for All Theatre School, achieving her HND in Professional Dance. As well as teaching some of our Commercial classes, Charlotte also runs her own BabyBallet (Edinburgh South) Franchise too, meaning she has a huge amount of experience teaching children here in Edinburgh. 
Kenadie ACRO TEACHER & CLASS ASSISTANT Kenadie is a long-standing SSD family member - as a student, as a class assistant and as a class teacher too. A complete natural with kids and a talented dancer, Kenadie has professionally assisted our Acro teaching team for the past few years and has recently gained her Acrotrix certification to teach her own Acro classes here at SSD. 
Tait cOMMERCIAL TEACHER (COMPETITION TEAMS) Tait trained in many styles over the years and was a Competitive Dancer who competed all over Scotland & England. Tait completed 3 years of professional dance training at Addict Dance Academy, where she left with a HND & 1st Class BA Hons in Performing Arts, covering Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Contemporary, Latin, Lyrical, Hip Hop and Commercial. Nowadays, Tait teaches for various schools across Scotland, whilst also delivering her extensive experience to our Senior Competition Teams at SSD. 
Sam COMPETITION TEAM COACH / RESIDENT DJ Sam is another long-standing SSD family member - an established dance competitor turned team coach for our Competition Teams, assisting our Comp Team teachers. Sam is also very talented musically, with lots of experience creating the music for our comp teams, and also being the DJ for certain events we host too! 
Jess class assistant |
Adam facilities manager Adam is the one who makes sure SSDHQ is always looking its best, which is no easy task. From DIY to keeping things spick and span, Adam is our saviour who ensures you're always walking into a shipshape SSDHQ! 
Pauline front of house Pauline is our Friday/Saturday Receptionist - better known as Simon's Mum! On Fridays alone, Pauline welcomes over 400 students through the doors of SSDHQ across a 6hr period, so she's always on her toes! 
Megan class assistant 
Ellie F class assistant 
Lily class assistant 
Ellie S class assistant 
Ella class assistant 
Chloe class assistant 
Ava class assistant 
Sophia class assistant 
JL class assistant |
10 years of Simon Says Dance
On 11th April 2021 we celebrated our 10th Anniversary since Simon Says Dance began. Here's a trip down memory lane as some of the SSD Team reminisce about all our good times...
