Student to Coach: How Lara Hallam Built an 18-Year Dance and Cheer Business Around Community

There is a lot of pressure in business to keep changing.

New programmes. New trends. New ways to position what you do.

But after 18 years of running Dance and Cheer-a-cality, Lara Hallam’s clearest advice is much simpler.

Believe in what you deliver.

Do what you are good at.

And build a team around you who believes in it too.

Lara began DCA with three classes and around 20 students after training at the Italia Conti Academy and working professionally as a dancer overseas and on cruise ships.

Today, the business welcomes approximately 200 students every week, competes and performs across Europe and is building a clear pathway for young people to become the coaches of the future.

Starting With Passion, Not a Business Plan

Dance had been part of Lara’s life since she was four.

She trained in dance and gymnastics, went on to study musical theatre and teacher training at Italia Conti and then spent several years performing professionally.

When she returned home, she knew she wanted to teach.

“I was a dancer. I wasn’t business-minded to that level.”

The first version of DCA was small.

Three classes. Around 20 students. Homemade flyers created on a computer. Bring-a-friend weeks and plenty of word of mouth.

The systems, strategy and wider business knowledge came later.

Lara learned through reading, workshops, conversations and years of practical experience.

“I love to learn.”

That willingness to keep developing has helped DCA remain relevant through changing marketing platforms, new safeguarding expectations, the growth of competitive cheer and the disruption of COVID.

Expanding Without Losing the Core

DCA began as a dance programme.

Cheerleading came later, after Lara remembered the interest she had developed while taking part in a university cheer club.

At the time, cheerleading was still relatively new in the UK.

Lara completed further training, gained her qualifications and introduced one small recreational class.

That class eventually led into competitions while the business continued offering dance, cheer and acrobatic dance for students at different levels.

Cheerleading has grown significantly since then, but Lara believes one of its greatest strengths remains the same.

“There’s always a place for everyone.”

Every athlete brings something different to the team. Different skills, strengths and roles are needed for the routine to work.

That inclusive thinking is central to the wider DCA ethos too.

The Student Pathway Does Not Have to End at 16

Many class businesses struggle with the point at which teenagers lose interest or feel they have reached the end of the road.

Lara has created another route.

DCA’s junior coach programme gives students aged around 12 to 16 the chance to take on responsibility and begin supporting younger classes.

They work through a course book developed by DCA and learn about the early stages of teaching and coaching.

As they grow older, students can begin formal qualifications and receive support with areas such as:

• DBS checks
• First aid
• Safeguarding
• Coaching qualifications
• Preparing to lead classes safely

The programme keeps passionate young people connected to the DCA family at an age when they might otherwise leave.

It also helps them see that dance and cheer can become a genuine career.

“There are definitely so many opportunities out there.”

The current coaching team includes several former students who left for university or college and later returned to support the next generation.

For Lara, that is one of the most rewarding parts of the business.

She nurtured them as children, watched them grow and now welcomes them back as professionals.

Building the DCA Family

Lara often describes DCA as a family.

That does not only refer to the students.

Parents form friendships too. Families work together to fundraise, support events and make larger opportunities possible.

Trips to compete or perform in Europe can carry significant costs, so DCA combines family contributions with community fundraising.

There have been cake sales, sponsored activities and plenty of creative efforts to help more young people take part.

The difference now is that Lara does not create a major plan and simply announce it.

She starts with a conversation.

“This is what we’d like to do. Who’s interested?”

If enough families want to take part, the team develops the opportunity together.

That open communication means parents feel involved rather than presented with a finished decision.

It also allows the business to create experiences people genuinely want.

“If you create that family vibe, people are more invested.”

Eighteen Years of Learning

Lara sets annual goals alongside three-year and five-year plans.

Those plans are created collectively with the team rather than being based only on her own ambitions.

DCA has already performed at Disneyland Paris and competed in Europe, including a recent trip to Amsterdam.

One of the next major dreams is to create a cruise-ship performance opportunity as the business approaches its twentieth anniversary.

That idea brings Lara’s story full circle, back to the cruise industry where she once worked as a professional performer.

But DCA’s longevity is not built only on exciting travel opportunities.

It is built on the willingness to learn, make mistakes and adapt.

“Riding the highs and lows and making mistakes and developing and learning from them.”

The world has changed enormously since Lara created her first homemade flyers.

Marketing moved online. Classes moved temporarily onto screens during COVID. Safeguarding and systems evolved. Competitive cheer expanded rapidly.

Lara has continued learning through all of it.

You Don’t Have to Copy Everyone Else

After 18 years, Lara’s advice for newer providers is not to chase every model they see around them.

“You don’t have to copy everybody else.”

DCA is proudly a grassroots community club.

Its strength comes from knowing what it stands for, nurturing young people from their first class and creating opportunities that match the community around it.

The business has grown because Lara stayed close to that purpose while continuing to develop her knowledge and team.

“You do you, and you do what you’re good at and what you’re passionate about.”

That clarity is what helps a business survive changing trends, difficult periods and nearly two decades of growth.

Watch the Full Interview

Lara Hallam’s story shows that long-term growth is not about standing still.

It is about evolving without losing the values, community and quality that made people choose you in the first place.

From three classes to around 200 students a week, DCA has become a place where young people can learn, perform, compete and eventually return as the coaches leading the next generation.

Lara is a finalist for Studio Business of the Year in The Class Business Awards 2026.

👉 Watch Lara’s full interview here.

Join us on Saturday 10 October 2026 at the National Conference Centre in Solihull for The Class Business Live, bringing finalists, judges and sponsors together for practical ideas, honest conversations and brilliant sector connection.

Then, from 6:00pm, it is time to get dressed up and celebrate the people building extraordinary studios, teams and opportunities for young people at The Class Business Awards & Afterparty. Book your tickets here.