Popdance Creative Director, Lianne Holt, raised almost £1,000 for the charity, Mind.

Lianne ran the online charity event for Mind, to raise awareness of the importance of movement and mental health. She taught a 30 minute Popdance Fit dance class via zoom on 20th Feb 2021 and invited participants to make a small donation to the charity. The dance class was open to EVERYONE! Mums, dads, kids, pets, it was great fun to do with the whole family, to lift our spirits during this difficult time, and to raise awareness for an important charity close to Lianne’s heart
WOW!! I am completely overwhelmed by all the support and energy that was this morning! I cannot thank you all enough, everyone that turned up, danced, and donated to such an important charity right now. 50 of you lovely people joined in class this morning and 56 people have donated to the cause, raising a grand total of £963 for @mindcharity 😀💜
I couldn’t have done it without you all, there’s too many to tag!! so THANK YOU and I hope all those that took part enjoyed and feel uplifted and positive right now.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend 💜💜💜💜

Lianne HoltPopdance Creative Director

Donate to MIND here


Take part in Lianne’s dance classes here


Take a look at all the online dance and fitness classes here

Welcome to the February edition of the Dance News Round Up

This month we are sharing tons of online dance, fitness and yoga classes available through our Popdance Partners PLUS get your FREE Popdance Fit 15 minute session as well as hear news from and for dance teachers around the globe!

From taking part in classes, events, workshops and performances for customers….

To help, support and providing jobs for dance teachers, dance and performing arts schools – this is where it all comes together!

Have an awesome month and stay safe!

Brought to you by the Popdance Team

x

Customers LOVE these short sessions!

“Just to say I really enjoyed the 15 min session and it fitted in perfectly at lunchtime – would really like to do this every day that I can. The pace, length and simpleness made me want to keep doing this!”

Get your FREE 15 minute Popdance Fit session

Online Dance Classes

Mondays – 10am – Flashmob Fit with Nicole – An uplifting warm-up, followed up by a few toning sequences, all set to the beat of the music!

Mondays, 11am – Popdance Seniors with Kerry – Popdance Seniors is based on low impact, fun dance moves to pop music from the 80s, 90s, 00s and current tracks

Mondays, 1-1.30pm, Zumba with Nicole – A dance fitness class traditionally choreographed to latin beats.

Mondays, 4.15-4.45pm, Kids Musical Theatre with Nicole – learn the lyrics and melodies of some beloved musical theatre songs, encouraging the kids to work on memorization in a fun way.

Mondays – 6.30pm – Hotpod Flow Yoga with Paula – Paula will guide you through a flow of postures to work the body as well as calm the mind – everyone welcome

Tuesdays, 7.30am – 8.00am – Stretch Class with Lianne – a class for adults of all abilities to stretch and mobilise your body and improve your overall flexibility.

Tuesdays, 10-10.30am, ThinkFit with Nicole – a session focused on analysing thoughts and feelings, in order to self-regulate.

Tuesdays, 10-11am, Popdance Seniors/Beginners with Kerry, all the way from Cyprus, low impact, fun dance moves to pop music from the 80s, 90s, 00s and current tracks

Tuesdays, 1-1.30pm, Strong Nation with Nicole – High Intensity Tempo Training (HITT). Mainly: plyometric and functional training, and martial arts based movements

Tuesdays, 4.15-4.45pm, ThinkFit Kids with Nicole – Based on the same concepts as ThinkFit, but is brought across in a simpler way for children to relate to and understand.

Wednesdays, 4.30pm-5.00pm, Primary Ballet with Emma – Fun beginners ballet class for children age 3-5yrs – all abilities welcome

Wednesdays, 5.30pm-6.00pm – Junior Ballet with Emma – Fun open ballet class for children age 6-11 yrs, all abilities welcome

Wednesdays, 6.15pm-6.45pm – Popdance Kids with Emma – Learn fun dance routines to your favourite pop tracks. For age 5-11 yrs, all abilities welcome

Thursdays, 2-2.30pm, Popdance Kids with Megan – for aged 5+, the class is all about learning fun dance routines to their favourite pop tracks – for all abilities

Thursdays 4.30pm-5.00pm Popdance Tots with Emma – For children aged 3-5 yrs. Learn fun dance routines to pop music that they love.

Thursdays, 7.15am – 8am, Ballet Barre with Lianne – a ballet inspired full body workout, combining elements of dance, yoga, strength training and pilates. For adults of all abilities

Thursdays 6.00pm – 6.30pm – Popdance Teens with Emma – Dance to your favourite pop songs. Suitable for older children, age 11+ years. All abilities welcome

Thursdays 6pm – 7pm, Sun Power Yoga with Paula – a blend of 4 traditional styles of yoga. Sun salutations and a flowing sequence of postures moving with the breath – great for adult beginners and intermediates

Thursdays 6.45pm – 7.15pm – Senior Ballet with Emma – fun open ballet class, suitable for older children aged 11+ years

Thursdays 7.30pm-8.00pm, Popdance Fit with Emma -great cardio workout that you can take at your own pace. All abilities welcome

Fridays 9.30am – 10.15am, Ballet Bums with Lianne – the first HIIT ballet workout of it’s kind, cardio based to upbeat music – no ballet experience required

Fridays 10.30-11.30am, Popdance with Lianne – a fun dance class for adults – learn fun dance routines to pop music that you love from the 80s, 90s and 00s and current tracks. Great fun for all abilities

Saturdays, 9-9.30am, Popdance Kids and Tots with Megan – suitable for some of our younger Popdancers. Learn fun dance routines to pop music that they love

UK Dance Update

Online Popdance & Ballet classes with Emma Louise Dance Club

Nicole Ricardo offers a variety of classes to encourage health, fitness and joy in yours and your families lives!

International News

Step on tune – Dance Classes by Jooda in Saudi Arabia

Outevsky Bespoke Dance Education provides professional development courses in many areas from Dance History to Dance Injuries with accredited completion certificates. Please see our website: OUTEVSKY.COM for more information.

Dance News

Mental Wellbeing recorded talk for dance students by Terry Hyde MA MBACP, a retired elite dancer who is now a psychotherapist. Listen Now

Popdance Partner, Shauna Flanagan, owns Shauna’s Dance Fitness on TikTok – Shauna runs her own TikTok account, with some of her posts reaching 42.3k!!! plus she heads up the Popdance account – connect and duet with her!

Keep up to date 24 hours a day with all the latest dance news, share your dance news wherever you are in the world, in the brand new Dance News Worldwide facebook group – for dance teachers and those that love to dance

We want to share your news! Do you love dance and fitness, do your kids just beam when they are dancing to their feel good tracks? We want your news, so whether it’s simply the fun you are having, or an award you’ve received, or an exam you’ve passed, or simply a photo of your family having fun through dance – send us your photos, videos, information to [email protected] and we will feature you in the next Dance News Round Up! Woo Hoo

Support for Dance Teachers

Register yourself or your dance school FREE for paid work opportunties with Popdance, or become a Popdance Partner at just £25/month – find out more here

101 Marketing Tips for Dance Teachers – available as kindle or hardback from Amazon

Help and support for your dance and performing arts school – watch the short video here

Register to get our free Marketing Tips for Dance Teachers straight into you inbox every month

Download the free 2021 dance year planner – tons of dates and prompts to help you plan ahead for a great year.

Book to feature your news in future editions


Receive a copy of Dance News Round Up each month

We love working with dance teachers across the globe – meet Lauren who is based in Hampshire in the UK

What’s your name and where are you in the world?

Hi, I am Lauren Elizabeth and I live and work in Hampshire, UK.

What kind of dance do you currently offer?

I offer Popdance parties and workshops for adults, children and tots.

To be able to bring the joy of dance and Popdance is something unique and that you will remember with a smile on your face.

In addition to Popdance I offer private lessons and group dance classes in Ballet, Contemporary, Lyrical and Dance Fitness as these dance styles are based on creativity and health of the body.

What got you into dance?

I started my teacher training at the age of 18 at Chichester College, completing the Imperial Society Teachers of Dancing Diploma in Dance Instruction in Classical Ballet in 2017. The University of Chichester enabled me to continue professional training in Ballet and Contemporary Dance graduating with a BA (Hons) in Dance with a focus on Teaching Dance, Creative Practice, Dance Movement Psychotherapy and Dance Psychology.

I progressed through graded examinations in Ballet with knowledge of both the Royal Academy of Dance and Imperial Society of Teachers syllabi gaining Level 3 Advanced Certifications.

In addition I have also been an Irish Dancer for 18 years, performing and competing throughout the UK and Ireland, most recently competing at the 2018 World Championships in Glasgow.

I have been dancing since I was 6, now I have my teaching qualifications my aim is to provide safe and cheerful dance events that inspire a love of movement for children and adults. I want to make dance accessible for everyone. I love being a person who sprinkles the world and my dance lessons with happiness, hard work
and fun as that is what life should be all about.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
In my spare time I enjoy walks at the beach with my friends, family and dog. Fitness has always been a big part of my life, so you will probably find me at the gym. I love a good book and going on days out to explore the world, including every summer taking time to travel abroad, Spain being my favourite country I have visited so far. So much so I have been learning to speak Spanish.

What do you love about the area you live and work in?

Hampshire is the perfect blend, of city, coast and country with lots to offer for a fantastic day or weekend. Dance classes are a huge part of the South, with fantastic venues for events particularly in Southampton. There are always dance events throughout the year
encouraging people to be healthy and active and there is a great community feel within Hampshire.

Why did you want to work with Popdance?
Popdance was created for the same reason I love to teach, for fun dance routines to pop music. To give yourself a chance to let your hair down, get active, have fun and have some “me” time! It is a brand that ignites joy for their clients and continues to grow each year. I want to be the go to person to provide this for the area of Fareham and beyond in the South of the UK.

What are you looking forward to for the year ahead?

In the future I hope to keep inspiring people with a love for dance and the many fantastic health benefits it has. I aim to grow my freelance dance business to be able to offer a wider variety of classes both online and in person as well as growing a stronger partnership with Popdance through ideas and choreography to make the experience for clients even more fun and memorable.

Follow Lauren on Instagram here


Book to dance with Lauren here

Are you a dance teacher, dance school or performing arts school?

Find out more about working with Popdance and how we can help and support you

Find out more

5 Simple Ways That Dance Can Help Your Child’s Mental Health

We all know that feel good music can really put a smile on our faces, but were you aware of all the other benefits of dance to not only our body and minds but our mental health?

1. Feeling Happy!

Sometimes it’s as simple as taking time out of your day and letting your hair down to pop music that you love.

Getting away from the tv, the computer, the mobile and just simply “being”.

Being active is proven to release endorphins in the body which give you that “feel good factor”.

2. Boosting Confidence

Increasing your coordination, flexibility and body-awareness with dance improves children’s self esteem. And the feeling of accomplishing a dance routine over time gives that added boost too.

3. Building Friendships

Whether it’s online or offline, dance classes help to build children’s social skills and that feeling of community – a place where they belong and are encouraged, valued and celebrated.

4. Time Together

Dancing with parents and spending quality time together really helps that bond – enjoying an activity together can really make a difference to how your child feels about health and fitness as well as themselves.

5. Express Yourself

Dance and movement allow children to escape and let loose which improves their mental and emotional health by reducing stress, decreasing anxiety and depression and boosting self esteem.

There is no right or wrong way to dance and children can get creative, let their imaginations go and really express how they are feeling.

Find Out More About Popdancing With Us