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Read the Feb issue of Dance News Worldwide Here

Meet The Teacher – Helen Clark, Streatham, London

Hi everyone, my name is Helen Clark aka Helen Rogers in my other life as a singer/ songwriter.  I live and work in Streatham, South West London. I currently offer:- Popdance Fit- Aerobics- Stretch and Relaxation classes I’ve always had a passion for dance.  As a child I devoured books about Ballet and had lessons from age 4.  From age 13 to 19 I was lucky enough to attend the Italia Conti Academy studying Dance, Drama and Singing.  I did Modern Jazz, Tap and Ballet and did my ISTD/ RAD exams up to Gold medal level in Tap and Ballet.  I was also very fortunate to train with the renowned Expressive Mime artist Adam Darius ( who worked with the wonderful Kate Bush) both at Italia Conti and at his own studios. On leaving Italia Conti, the Funk band I sang lead vocals with, Direct Drive, secured a deal with Polydor records so my life took a turn into the music business where I have worked for the past 30 plus years, including co- writing and recording 5 albums with Paul Hardcastle called the Jazzmasters Series.  I also teach singing to individuals or groups, professionals or those who simply love to sing! My love of dance has never gone away, however, so I qualified as an Exercise to Music instructor! In my spare time I am usually to be found at the Gym doing classes in Weight training, Aerobics, Pilates, Yoga, Zumba, African Dance.  I love listening to music and I am a passionate Vegan cook who loves healthy eating!  Streatham is a really wonderful place, historically it has been home to many show business artists because of it’s easy access to London’s West End https://streathamtheatre.org.uk/event/may-2021 We are a vibrant and diverse community with lots of different places to eat, meet friends for coffee, work out or just relax. I think the Jewel in our crown is the beautiful Streatham Common which  has a very rich history of it’s own and was a sanctuary for us during lockdown…a picturesque haven where parents took their children to let off steam, friends could meet and we could do our workouts  …I even worked out in the snow there one day!! I love working in Streatham I love the vibe and the people.  I love the whole idea of music and fun leading to people becoming fitter.  We all need to make sure we get enough exercise and Popdance Fit is a great way to achieve this!  Although they are fun classes, the structure of Popdance is very professional and ensures that students get the very best workouts possible. For the year ahead  I am very excited about extending my Popdance Fit classes, meeting lovely new students and teachers in 2022!


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Meet The Dance Teachers – Yulia Yallar

We love getting to know more about our amazing dance teachers – we caught up with Yulia Yallar who runs Popdance parties and workshops in Hinckley, a small town between Birmingham, Leicester and Coventry:

“Hello

My name is Yulia Yallar I live in Hinckley, small town between Birmingham, Leicester and Coventry☺

I`m a professional Belly Dance teacher and performer. I do regular face to face classes, Online classes and workshops for different dance levels. Before pandemic I used to travel a lot teaching bellydance workshops in different countries. Because of my various dance background I do Hen parties for different dance styles and Kids Birthday parties.

I have Bachelor degree in Rhythmics and Dance and Master degree in Community Dance leadership

I particularly enjoy creating wedding dance classes as it feels that im part of a big celebration and cloud of love☺

I currently offer:

• BellyDance classes Online and Face to face
• Wedding dance classes (any style)
• Hen Dance Parties ( any style)
• Kids Dance Birthday parties (any style)
• BellyDance workshops

I decided to do dance because of beauty of Belly dance or how we call it Raks Sharki. I absolutely loved it femininity, change of character and empowerment. And of course music☺ Being a Ballroom dancer that couldn’t find a partner for a long time but still wantedto dance in sparkly dancewear, bellydance was an absolute hit.

As a self employed dance teacher I don’t have much free time☺ Work, family (I have a husband and a 5 years old son) sleep and dreaming about travel like I did before pandemic☺

I recently moved to Hinckley from Essex, so haven’t explored the area much. But what I an absolute hit is the location between 3 big cities Birmingham, Coventry and Leicester. Everything is within a reach which is crucial for a dance teacher

I started to work with Popdance as I wanted to be out there and become a part of bigger dance world community.

I really look forward to get more people into dancing. It is a myth that dance is only for kids, we, adults, also need to stay connected with our inner child. Dance (especially bellydance) has lots of positive therapeutic effects on our life, posture, self care, emotions. It is time to care about yourself and dance is one of the cheapest ways.”

Book a Popdance party or workshop with Yulia here


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Meet the Dance Teacher – Alexandros Beshonges

Alexandros covers the London / East Croydon areas

“I can offer a vast variety of workshops. From Jazz (musical theatre, African, Lyrical, Modern, Commercial), Contemporary, Latin, Wedding Dances, Flamenco, Bollywood, Greek Dancing, Cypriot Dancing and more!

When I was 4 I told my parents I want to ‘do that thing I watch on TV’.

I have a first class BA (hons) in Musical Theatre with a dissertation in Choreography, a level 6 trinity diploma in Professional Musical Theatre, a Modern DDE Teaching qualification, a Laine Theatre Arts Distinction Diploma and a Level 6 NC in Acting and Theatre Performance. I love fusing contrasting dance styles together, especially when working with big group dances and duets!

Alexandros is currently playing Pepper in ‘Mamma Mia!’ the West End Musical! And Alexandros loves to simultaneously work with Popdance!

Get in touch to book Alexandros for your Popdance party or workshop


Find out more about working with us here

Organising your Dance Business Financials

Friend of Popdance, Caroline Syson, tells us a bit more about the fantastic app she created for her daughter’s business, Pocket PA, which will help you to be organised with your financials for your dance business.

From online booking systems, to tracking your business mileage easily – have a watch of the video here:

https://youtu.be/iSNXvA2ubNY

Try the app FREE for 14 days to see if you like it, and, if you do, Caroline is also offering 20% off for the first 3 months!

– classes and packages  – just launched- online booking enables clients to book their classes online- take payment for your classes, parties and workshops easily- FREE 14 day free trial- gift vouchers can be bought online (which is great for Christmas and birthdays)- integrated with Stripe and also Square (with a card reader) Pocket PA joins up all the dots in your business So it does everything from bookings to bookkeeping (Plus everything in between!) Created for self-employed business owners

Try Pocket PA today

We are super chuffed to be Finalists in the St Albans District Chamber of Commerce Community Business Awards 2021 under the Business Growth category.

This one goes to our whole team as well as all of our participants – especially over the past couple of years.

Covid made things extremely tough for everyone, and left people feeling isolated, depressed, inactive and struggling with their mental health. We are super proud of our team for quickly adapting (as soon as the music licensing enabled us to), for taking their classes, workshops and parties online and giving people the feel good factor. Enabling communities to connect, endorphins to charge, and physical activity to really make a huge difference to so many people.

We are also super proud to be working with many more incredible dance teachers and dance schools across the UK and the globe including Hungary, Wales, Ireland, USA, Dubai, Cyprus, India, Switzerland, Scotland, Turkey, Kenya and Austria. The growth of Popdance is purely down to building strong relationships with incredible dance teachers and dance schools. Working together to bring all genres of dance and fitness to people of all ages and abilities.

We look forward to building even more connections across the globe to meet the demand for the incredible benefits that dance and fitness bring.

A huge THANK YOU to whoever nominated us – and a big, whopping THANK YOU to our incredible team and our fantastic participants across the globe.

Keeping dancing!