About Us
Providing a safe, fun and support performance space for 15 years
We are one of the UK's biggest and longest-running dance competitions, and we built this on a shared love of dance, a belief in young talent, and a determination to give every dancer the stage they deserve.
Our Story
So You Want To Dance was born from a lifelong passion for dance and a very personal one at that.
We're Jodie-Anne and Gaynor, two sisters from Leeds who started dancing before we could really remember not dancing. From the age of two, dance was everything. We trained hard, we performed, and at seventeen we both went professional, dancing our way into an industry we loved and never wanted to leave.
We know what it takes to train a dancer, what it means for a parent to sit in that audience, and what it feels like for a child to step onto a stage for the very first time.
That's exactly why we started SYWTD. In 2011, we held our very first event in Canterbury at The Gulbenkian Theatre, and we've never looked back.
"We started this because we wanted to give every dancer, whatever their style, wherever they're from, a real stage, real judges, and a real chance to shine."
Real Judges. Real Feedback. Real Opportunity.
Every single one of our judges is an industry professional currently working in the dance world, whether that's performing on a West End stage, touring with an artist, performing on cruise ships or teaching at a leading professional dance college. These aren't just names on a bio page. These are people who will inspire your dancers, voices they should hear, and the contacts that could genuinely shape their future.
Amongst our industry-leading dance panel are specialists from our sponsors, including The Brighton Academy, MEPA, JGH Academy of Theatre and Kimberly Wyatt Dance Academy.
Our judges bring workshops to our events that dancers would normally only access by travelling to London - we bring the dance world to you.
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​Every event is professionally run, safe, and designed to be the best day out for the whole family. Our team is friendly, approachable and always on hand. If you ever have a question before, during or after an event, we're here!
Founders and directors
Gaynor Iddenden and Jodie-Anne Moorby
Backstage team
We pride ourselves on the staff members we employ.
Say hello to our host and front and back of house staff.
Jamie Body - Host
SYWTD Staff
SYWTD Staff
Our Sponsors
Judges.
We carefully select our judging panel, ensuring each competition has the perfect combination of industry expertise for your dancers.
Every judge at So You Want To Dance is an industry professional currently working in the dance world. Whether that means performing on a West End stage, teaching at one of the UK's leading professional dance training colleges, on tour, at sea or running choreography programmes that your dancer has dreamed of being part of.
We believe that feedback only means something when it comes from someone who truly knows. So we hand-pick every judge for their expertise, their professionalism, and their ability to give dancers the kind of honest, encouraging, and genuinely useful guidance that helps them grow.
What to expect from our judging panel
Three judges
Three judges at every event. Every routine is scored and reviewed by a panel of three industry professionals, bringing different areas of expertise to each performance and ensuring a well-rounded, fair assessment every time.
Written feedback on every routine
Every single performance receives written feedback from a judge.
Not a checkbox, not a score sheet with a tick, but real, considered notes that the dancer and their teacher can take home and act on. This is one of the things dance schools tell us they value most about SYWTD.
Prizes and scholarships
Between our industry judges, not only are there placement awards at every competition, but often scholarships are awarded for training programmes.
Workshops beyond the competition
Our judges don't just score and leave. Many of our events include workshops run by the judges themselves . This gives competitors access to the kind of professional masterclass that would normally mean a trip to London. It's one of the reasons SYWTD is more than just a competition day.
Why this matters
For parents:
You're investing your time, money, and trust in this competition. Our judges assure you that your child's performance will be assessed with genuine expertise and treated with the respect it deserves.
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For dancers:
These are the people you want watching. A positive response from a SYWTD judge isn't just a trophy moment; it's feedback from someone who works at the level you're aiming for. Their words carry weight.
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For dance schools:
The written feedback your students receive at SYWTD is a genuine training tool. Teachers tell us they use it in lessons. That's the standard we hold ourselves to.
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