From a young age Giorgia Lock dreamt of becoming a dance teacher and having her own dance school. After graduating from the University of Central Lancashire in BA (Hons) Dance Performance and Teaching, Giorgia achieved her dreams and has opened her own dance school, Groovebox Dance.
It wasn’t an easy decision for Giorgia to study Dance. After finishing her performing arts course that specialised in dance at college, Giorgia lost a lot of confidence due to comments being made about her appearance and herself as a performer. It was Giorgia’s parents who encouraged her to study Dance at UCLan.
Speaking about her decision, Giorgia said: “I’m so glad I chose to study Dance at UCLan as I’ve made some friends for life, The course is life- changing as it has really shaped me as a dancer, performer and teacher. If I could do it all again I would!”
During her time at University, Giorgia decided to do a live singing set at Chorley Live, a festival showcasing local artists across pubs and venues in Chorley. It snowballed from there as the places Giorgia performed at asked to book her for gigs and Giorgia became known in the industry as ‘Just Giorge’.
"I felt like I belonged in the industry and that I’d found my happy place and I’ve left UCLan with so much confidence in myself and a belief that I can do anything I want to."
— Giorgia Lock, BA (Hons) Dance graduate
After graduation, Giorgia completed a master’s in Contemporary Choreography and then released her first single ‘Was it Worth it?’, which was produced by Paul Hutchinson as part of her choreography project.
In September 2021, Giorgia made her dreams a reality as she opened her very own dance school based in Leyland called Groovebox Dance. Giorgia is the Dance School Principal and Teacher at Groovebox Dance. Talking about her school, Giorgia said: “Every week numbers are growing. My aim is to create a fun, safe and friendly environment for children to learn to dance and make new friends.”
She continued: “I teach a range of styles such as contemporary, Tik Tok, Ballroom and Latin and I’m looking to add to this range of styles in the New Year.”
Reflecting on how her time at University helped with her dance journey, Giorgia said: “With the course I did at UCLan being a creative course, I felt like I really found myself, my artistry and what I was good at for the first time in my career as a dancer and performer. I felt like I belonged in the industry and that I’d found my happy place and I’ve left UCLan with so much confidence in myself and a belief that I can do anything I want to.”
Reflecting on her lasting memories at UCLan, Giorgia said: “I remember feeling happy, connected and a sense of community and belonging. I’ve got lots of amazing memories from my time at UCLan, from turning up to Thursday dance classes hungover from socials the night before to falling asleep meditating and people crowding round me waking me up. I also remember yoga morning with lecturer Giorgio and running up and down the studio pretending to fly like birds, as well as technique classes with Lucy and improvisation classes with Lecturer Kerstin, where we used to talk about the anatomy of our bodies.”
When asked what advice she would give to those wanting to do something similar, Giorgia said: “Be a sponge! Go in and absorb all the information you can from all the lecturers and try and enjoy every second of it because trust me, when you’ve finished you’ll look back and you’ll wish you were doing it all over again. No matter how hard it gets, do not give up! There were times when I felt like giving up because I felt it was too hard but the lecturers are there to help and support so go and speak to them because they are amazing at what they do.”
