Moving to the Beat: Deborah Laxton's Calgary Dance School

Deborah Laxton wasn't able to bring everything with her when she immigrated to Canada from the UK. One of things she didn't leave behind, however, was her passion for dance and teaching. Having always dreamt of being a dance teacher, she started the Deborah Laxton School of Dance in Calgary in 2012. And it was no small feet.

“It was really difficult,” Deborah says. “My husband got a job in Canada, so he came over first. Then my son came over with him and I was trying to keep my business going in the UK while trying to set up here.”

The challenge of maintaining one business oversees while starting a new one here was almost insurmountable. It wasn't possible financially for Deborah to buy a new studio in Calgary, so she rented space at a community centre in Rocky Ridge. She put a focus on ballet, jazz, lyrical, and tap, with students as young as three years old welcomed to join and separate classes available for adults. Unlike other schools, this one emphasized the love of dancing rather than over competitiveness.

“I don’t offer competitive," she says. "I think that’s probably my downfall. But I don’t want to teach competitors. I think it’s nicer for the kids to not have that pressure of having to perform and get everything to perfection.

“Mine’s more for the everyday kids that want to get dance, learn, get to know more about the different styles. They’re not having to push themselves to the point where they stop enjoying it,” she explains. “So mine’s more for the friendly environment. Get to know some friends, enjoy yourselves, but also learn professionally as well.”

Deborah has guided herself along this philosophy throughout her career. Whereas she previously instructed students in the UK who went on to professional dance careers, she says the vibe in Calgary is not the same. There are many dance schools to choose from and many of the other ones to tend to lean towards competitions.

“In England, it covered a bigger area and there weren’t so many dance schools,” she says. “While in Calgary, it’s absolutely swamped with them. Every block, you’re nearly looking at another dance school.”

Today, the school still offers an intimate learning experience with Deborah giving lessons her way. It's the only way she can assure consistent lessons, especially when she sees less-than-qualified instructors at other Calgary dance schools.

“I just come from a different dynamic,” she says.

As was the case with many other businesses, the pandemic was a particularly challenging time for Deborah and her dance school. With enrolment drastically slowing down, she had to put a huge amount of work in just to keep the school open.

“I managed to keep going on nine classes, which was good. And it kept the kids coming,” she says.

The tide started to turn when Two Small Men with Big Hearts entered the picture. One of the big events hosted by the dance school every year is a recital that gives students the chance to dance on stage in an environment that feels close to a professional production, complete with costumes and props. Moving all those items back and forth to the YMCA performance venue is both daunting and logistically complicated.

“In the past, it was myself and my husband. We’d do it between us in cars and just take endless trips up and down,” she recalls. “To have that issue solved was so good.”

Deborah got in touch with Kristin Sherlock, who works with Two Small Men, and was offered moving assistance.

“She heard that I hired a truck to go to the dress rehearsal, which cost me a fortune,” Deborah explains. “So she offered Two Small Men to come and do the actual recital move. They came to the house and picked up all my props, my costumes and everything I needed. And then picked up at the end, which was amazing. It was so good.”

Thanks to this donated moving service, the event went off without a hitch and Deborah was able to focus on what mattered.

“Oh, it was huge. It made such a difference. It really did,” she says. “They just literally came and took everything in one lot. We got ourselves there and then they were there and they just unloaded it. It saved me so much energy before I even started.

“It wasn’t a huge amount of stuff, but it was enough,” she notes. “And to have it all done in one trip, it was brilliant. The guys were so nice, they were so helpful. They were amazing.”

Deborah's story demonstrates the importance of community organizations working together and how hiring professional movers can be a real life saver.

“It's great, especially if you know you can trust them to do the job and to do it quickly, well, professionally, which they were,” she says. “All of them, they were so good. I would recommend them to anybody. I really would.”

After years spent trying to get her dance school off the ground and looking for community support, she ultimately found it through two small men.

“Nobody will help small businesses,” she says. “So when this came up, it was brilliant. A lot of it is word of mouth to get businesses known.

“I would always use them, probably now, each year, but it’s only once a year. For personal use, if I ever needed it, we would use them for sure because the guys were so helpful.”

These days, Deborah is optimistic about the future. Her school is still small, but her mission is the same. And with access to reliable Calgary moving services, it feels like she can do anything.

“Two Small Men were so good. I can’t praise them enough. They were brilliant guys. Perfect. Absolutely brilliant. And I would use them again without a doubt,” Deborah concludes.

To find out more about Two Small Men with Big Hearts Moving and the many organizations they have given back to over the years, click here.