York's Spotlight Dance Academy to move to former Clifton Library

Spotlight Dance Academy is set to expand after a successful fifteen years.

The York-based dance school is to move into the unit formerly used as the Clifton Explore Library.

The academy will relocate from the Green Lane Trading Estate to Rawcliffe Lane in January 2025.

Clifton Explore Library closed after more than 50 years and has moved to the former Clifton Without Junior School following a multi-million-pound development.

Spotlight Dance Academy opened in 2009 and is a family business co-owned by sisters Sarah Colestead, 32, and Issy Stead, 26.

Sarah, founder of Spotlight Dance Academy, began dancing aged three and was taught at Isobel Dunn’s School of Dance, which taught the likes of Mark Addy.

Throughout her childhood, Sarah dreamed of opening her own dance school and began teaching classes at just thirteen years old.

She launched her own dance classes aged sixteen in the Clifton Sea Scout Hut, Rawcliffe, and Spotlight Dance Academy was born.

Her classes began to grow and nine years ago, she took the leap and left her day job to pursue the academy full-time.

In 2017 Spotlight Dance Academy moved to the Green Lane Trading Estate, which cost around £5,000 to renovate into a dance studio. It soon began hosting lessons six days a week.

From there, the dance school has grown into a flourishing business, doubling its pupils within the first year and taking on more staff.

Spotlight currently has around 150 pupils and two studios. It offers dancers aged between sixteen months to sixty-years-old a chance to learn in a fun, welcoming environment.

The dance school offers 34 classes including Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Contemporary, Street Dance and Musical Theatre, plus holiday workshops and regular sell-out shows.

The team of nine staff members includes their sister Heather Stead, 31, who teaches and creates the show scripts. As well as ex-pupils who have trained as dance teachers at Spotlight Dance Academy.

Former pupils have gone on to study at world-renowned dance schools including Urdang, the Institute of Arts Barcelona, and CAPA.

When the plans were revealed to create a new library, the family made enquiries into the sale of the Clifton Explore Library Building.

They felt the time was right to expand the business after its continued growth and were determined to save the building to continue its legacy as a community space.

Sarah Colestead said:

“We are very excited about the move. We felt that it was the right time to move into a bigger space. Things have been going really well and we need to accommodate that. Expanding Spotlight will allow us to offer more and have a permanent home.

When we heard that the library was up for sale, we immediately wanted to save the building. We are looking forward to it remaining a community hub and can’t wait to give it a refresh and add a bit of fun with all things Spotlight.”

Issy Stead added:

“We have always wanted to grow Spotlight Dance Academy. From humble beginnings, it has become a trusted name in the dance world and now with a larger, purpose-fitted building we can continue to nurture talent and create a welcoming space in the very heart of the community.

We are so excited to continue to support our dancers and can’t thank our extended SDA family enough for their incredible support throughout the years.”

The site already includes onsite parking and disabled access. It is also next to a children’s play park.

The refurbishment is predicted to cost a five-figure sum and will see the former library fitted with sprung floors, specialist dance equipment, and floor-length mirrors.

It is set to have a waiting room, private changing facilities, two studios, and a community room.

Spotlight Dance Academy aims to secure the building’s future as a community space and plans to host events in its new community room, such as carol services, pensioners parties, and the ability to hire facilities.