Careers for Dancers:

Why I became a Popdance Area Manager – Lianne Holt

After having my first baby almost 2 years ago I found balancing my work and family life incredibly hard. I still loved my job, had a passion for dance and teaching, but felt I was missing out on my little girl and her growing up. I wanted more time at home, but still had a mortgage to pay and a career I didn’t want to give up.

I was already working for Popdance, doing parties, classes and heading up the choreography when Popdance area managers were talked about it.

It was perfect for me, I knew the industry so well I could continue to book parties and run classes, but pay someone else to take these jobs for me.

I was still taking a wage and involved in a business that I loved, but able to do it from my home and spend more time with my little girl. I had full support from Popdance HQ who talked me through the business side of things and gave me the tools I needed.
My husband and I are planning to expand our family and I’m so glad I found this role as I know it’s something I can continue to do and build around my family life.

Check out Lianne’s Popdance webpage here

Find out more about working with Popdance here

Rianna Parchment, Popdance Area Manager for Redhill writes:

The basic benefits of any dance or exercise class are endless!

They are a great way to:

Get some exercise

Have some fun

Learn a new skill

Improve flexibility & balance

Develop musicality & rhythm

However, we believe that our classes provide all of this along with a little something extra too:

We improve children’s confidence

Our Popdance Kids classes are open to all abilities within the specified age range – this means that even if your child is an absolute beginner who loves dancing around the house there is a space for them in our classes.

Our Popdance classes have no exams or assessments – instead they are full of encouragement and taught by teachers who can easily adapt movements to the ability level of our students.

We encourage teamwork & support

In our classes, children are encouraged to work with students from different classes and year groups, helping them to form new friendships. In the ‘Descriptive’ section of our class, children work with a partner to create new dance moves based around our weekly theme.

We recognise that all children have different strengths and weaknesses, and all our classes are non-competitive.

ZING Dance Studio are on a mission with Popdance to get children active and improve their confidence whilst having fun! We are proud to be the only dance school in Redhill offering Popdance classes and events for children aged 2-11 years. Come and join us to see for yourself www.popdance.co.uk/redhill

Emma Abel – Popdance Area Manager and Principal of Emma Louise Dance Club explains:

My dance school opened in 2006. I started with just two dance classes. My school has grown and I now teach eleven dance classes in three different locations in Dumfries and Galloway. As my business grew I was struggling to find time to do everything myself. I was teaching, choreographing, marketing, accounting and doing all the paperwork. I love my job but I realised I needed find a way to balance my time better.

I joined Popdance in 2012 as a Premium Dance Teacher. I was excited to join a friendly company that would complement my business whilst giving me back some valuable free time. Popdance is a perfect fit because;

• The classes and choreography are fantastic. Popdance enables me to deliver fun dance classes to children and adults in my area. The choreography is easy to learn and teach. My customers love the moves.
• I love to choreograph and Popdance pays its teachers to choreograph routines.
• Popdance takes the hassle out of marketing and paperwork. I used to spend ages creating posters for my classes. Now Popdance supplies all the marketing materials and resources I need. Popdance posters are bright, colourful, eye catching and affordable.
• Teaching in a rural area can be a bit isolating however Sue and the team are very supportive. I know I can pick up the phone and talk to Popdance HQ and they will be happy to help with my enquiries.

This year I was offered the exciting opportunity to become a Popdance Area Manager. Since joining Popdance my school has celebrated its tenth anniversary. I have taken on an assistant dance teacher to help with classes. In addition to my regular Popdance Kids classes I have taught Popdance in schools and nurseries, at local events, for Brownies & Guides and toddler groups and birthday parties. This year I have started two Popdance Tots classes to meet demand.

In my new role as a Popdance area manager I am able to;

• Select the Popdance teaching jobs I wish to take.
• Grow my team. If I am unavailable for a party, class, workshop or event I can offer this work to another Popdance teacher. I can also get cover for classes if I am ill so I don’t have to cancel classes.
• Continue to connect with, support and share ideas with other Popdance teachers and receive support from Popdance HQ.
• Expand my dance school. I can offer more Popdance classes but still have free time to spend with friends and family.

Joining Popdance has enhanced my dance school and enabled me to grow my business. I am excited about the future for Emma Louise Dance Club and I love been part of the Popdance team.

My customers love Popdance too, so finally, here are some of the reasons why they enjoy Popdance classes

“I love Popdance Kids because I like dancing and its really fun. I love all the different moves and songs. I like dancing with my friends too.” – Abbie (Popdance Kids, Stranraer)

“My daughter loves coming to dancing every Wednesday. She shows all the family her dance moves. She’s very proud of herself for remembering them all.” – Rachel (Popdance Tots, Newton Stewart)

“Popdance Kids is really active and I get to dance with my friends. I like the music and dance moves to all the songs” – Bethany (Popdance Kids, Stranraer)

Check out Emma’s Popdance page here

Or find out more about Emma Louise’s Dance Club here

Find out more about help and support for your dance business here

Well, Rianna Parchment, Popdance Area Manager for Redhill explains:

How do you keep your children entertained during the school holidays? It can be hard to think of creative ideas to keep your children entertained for a week or more and avoid the dreaded “I’M BORED!!”.

So why should you choose Popdance?

Popdance holiday camps combine a range of activities to help you out for at least one day of the holidays. I have put together a list of 7 things I think children get out of one of our holiday camps:

EXERCISE

Warm ups which increase our heart rate and improve co ordination, stretches increasing our flexibility and the task of learning fun dance routines mean the children are constantly moving around throughout the day.

What’s more – it doesn’t even feel like exercise as we are having so much fun!

NEW SKILLS

Whether your child already attends dance classes or is a beginner, they will learn new dance moves and routines, which will develop their balance, flexibility and artistry.

FUN

The main bit of feedback we get from our campers is that the day is FUN. We play lots of games and have the opportunity to win prizes, as well as lot’s of dancing!

SOCIAL SKILLS

Children from many different schools in the local area attend our school holiday dance camps. Your child is guaranteed to meet and work with someone new to make up a dance move or create something in arts & crafts – they may even make new friends!

CREATIVITY

Whether it is creating a masterpiece in our arts & crafts hour, or making up a brand new dance move, children are always encouraged to be creative during our camps.

SELF ESTEEM

We are continually encouraging children to try new things – maybe its making a new friend, making up a new dance move or performing at the end of the afternoon which is fantastic for their self esteem!

CONFIDENCE

When learning our dance routine, we are working towards a short performance to parents & friends at the end of the afternoon. Due to the relaxed nature of this performance, we see the children’s confidence and excitement to perform grow throughout the day!

Find out about our upcoming Easter camp and the dance classes and workshops that Rianna and her team offer at www.popdance.co.uk/redhill

Or find your nearest Pop Dance School Holiday camp, classes or workshops here

Popdance Area Manager for Redhill, Rianna Parchment explains:

“People need to realise that these classes are about more than just dancing!” Was said to me at the end of one of my recent Popdance Tots classes by a Grandparent that had come to watch. And she is right!

During a 30-minute dance class, your child will have fun dancing along to the music and get some exercise. But there is so much more to it than that…

Many physical development skills come into play during a dance class. We develop motor skills by jumping, spinning, hopping and skipping our way through the class. We learn how to co-ordinate our body parts – moving our legs whilst clapping our hands or waving our arms at the same time! We strengthen our muscles and help them to become more flexible during our warm up & stretch.

Discovering new steps and dancing along to the beat of the music are also fantastic for your child’s development. Here, we are developing our musicality and rhythm as well as helping the children to identify different sounds in the music.

The ‘Descriptive’ section in our Popdance Tots class is one of the best ways to demonstrate how dance helps our creativity. The children are given a movement that corresponds to a name, which ‘describes’ it, and it is so interesting to see the different ways in which the children interpret this!

Social development is something I see constantly throughout my pre school classes. The straightforward and consistent structure of our Popdance Tots classes mean the children begin to learn how to follow instructions and listen to a teacher (which is fantastic preparation for school!)

The children are also given opportunities to interact with each other, helping to develop friendships along with their confidence!

So – why not take your child to a pre-school dance class?

Find out more about Rianna’s Pop Dance classes in Redhill and the Surrey area here