I am an independent contractor/dance teacher for a dance studio. My classes turned from 6 kids to 200 kids in just 7 months. Half being off the street. I am getting so many private lessons. The studio owner is not accommodating and trying to tell me I can only teach privates on certain days, which is fine, so I said I will need to take all my other clients elsewhere due to her studios lack of space and ease of checking on open space. She freaked out on me and said I cannot take HER students anywhere else, they are her students and her studio? Well these students want private lessons with me and she doesn't have space and this is my full time job. I am making her so much money and my classes are growing weekly, its insane. The studio is the most negative and gossiping environment. So I want to slowly start renting out another space and teaching my own classes. Long term goal being having my own studio. I'm not intereted in stealing her kids, but honestly half these kids come just for me and will naturally follow. So how do I handle the owner when she does see I am taking some of my privates elsewhere and teaching elsewhere. I will want to work at her studio and my own class? Does age have the right to tell me I cannot train any of her students elsewhere if she does not have the space for me to teach privates there. It was weird, like age owns the kids? They want to work with me, don't I have the legal right to work with these kids as I please? All 14 teachers are 1099 but I feel like she tries to treat us like employees?