Lianne Holt, Popdance Area Manager for Watford writes:

“Sometimes, I think one of the hardest things is keeping in touch with people.

Everyone leads busy lives, with work and family commitments that it’s easy to forget how important just sending a quick message to a potential customer can be; out of sight out of mind.

After receiving an email enquiry and making initial contact I will always try and get the mobile number of any potential Popdancers coming to trial my class so I can send them a text message to keep in touch.

Whilst it’s important to remain professional as a teacher I think a text provides a friendly and relaxed tone for anyone who may be nervous about trialling a class and meeting new people.

I also started a whatsapp group for my Popdance class a year ago and have found it to be a fantastic way of keeping in touch with my lovely ladies. They are able to chat to each other here and share ideas about what track they’d like to dance to next! It’s also a very quick and easy way to let me know if they can attend class and for me to let everyone know if I have to cancel for any reason. I think it also helps the ladies feel a part of something special, not just a dance class, but a group of friends too which is lovely from a social point of view.”

Doreen: It makes the class not just a class but a lot more :-)x

Jac: Love the WhatsApp group Lianne. Great way to keep in touch with everyone & feel in the group even when I can’t be at class. Sometimes I will still send a text though if I want to send private message.

Amanda: As the newbie … it’s definitely helped me feel part of the group and being on first name terms in a class is so unusual but made me feel very welcome!

Find out more about Lianne and the Pop dance classes, birthday parties and workshops she runs in the Watford, Hertfordshire area here

It’s not been the easiest of journeys!

From starting with just one Popdance class for adults in St Albans, Hertfordshire 8 years ago, we’ve certainly learned a LOT!

Having never run a business before, the learning curve has been more like a corkscrew but I have to confess that I’ve loved every minute! Yes, there have been tears as well as laughter (a LOT of laughter) and the fact that I absolutely LOVE what I do, makes everything completely worthwhile.

We’ve got an AMAZING team here at Popdance – from our core team in the office, Dawn, Lianne, Rachel and Kerry who have all been my rocks through these years – to our fantastic team of dance teachers out in the field. From Emma in Scotland to Emma in Jersey, from Tammy and the team in Oregon, to Elvina in Azerbaijan – they are all a massive part of the growth and success of Popdance.

Popdance is completely and utterly about teamwork – we know that our teachers and our customers are our business – without them we wouldn’t be here – and that’s why we are here to support and help our teachers to enable them to make Popdance what they want it to be for their lives and their families.

So why are we even more excited about the future for Popdance? Well because we now have Popdance Area Managers! Yay! A fantastic team of amazing dance teachers who will be managing areas with us worldwide. We know that our teachers know their areas much better than we do. They know what kind of budgets their customers have, they know what venues are perfect for birthday parties and classes. They know where the parking is, where the landmarks are to help their customers find them are.

And we know how to help them with the marketing, social media, paperwork such as risk assessments, child protection policies etc. We know that by being part of a dedicated and passionate team, all with amazing skills and ideas, that is what makes Popdance what it is!  Friendly, supportive, productive, open, approachable, fair, ambitious and driven.

So, hold on to your hats, as Popdance propel fantastic dance classes, birthday parties, after school clubs, workshops, hen parties, corporate teambuilding and dance routines to pop music that every loves around the world – from our youngest Popdancer aged 3, to our oldest at 82 (who is being filmed by the BBC this week at Popdance Fit in Borehamwood – watch this space!)

Want a piece of the action? Find out more about working with us here

Happy Popdancing!

We all know the benefits of exercise and keeping healthy and yet we keep seeing reports in the news that obesity and other health problems are on the rise, particularly in young people. So, what can we do to help?

When we exercise our bodies release endorphins which makes us feel good it also helps our general mental health. So, even if it’s hard to motivate your kids to go a class the mental benefits afterwards are extremely worth it.

Exercise has been known to relieve stress and anxiety. A recent report in the Rugby Advertiser stated that “the average mum will fall ill 324 times over their youngster’s childhood with colds and bugs passed on to them by their offspring”. This equates to around 18 times a year!! How can we reduce this figure? You’ve guessed it, Dance!!

If your kids are getting fit, active and healthy their immune system will be stronger meaning they are less likely to become ill which also means that parents are also less likely to become ill.

Popdance is one way of doing this. Popdance offers classes for kids age 5-11 where they get to learn a fun warm-up, stretch, descriptive which develops their creativity and confidence, followed by a main routine all to their favourite pop songs.

Whilst they are having fun they are also getting fit, active and healthy so their are all round general health improves :)

Find out more about Charlotte Cooper’s Popdance classes, birthday parties and workshops in Rugby

Popdance Fit and it’s benefits by Amanda Knight – Popdance Area Manager, Wokingham

So after being set the challenge of writing my first Blog post by Sue at Popdance HO, I thought I would start by asking my Popdance Fit ladies if they would mind writing a couple of lines about why they have all chosen to sign up for Popdance Fit for the term as this was also the first time I have only offered a termly price rather than Pay as You Go and all of my regulars signed up, yay!

These are the comments I received:

“The only way I enjoy exercising because I have a smile on my face all lesson”

“It’s the only class I’ve been to where I don’t clock-watch and even if my muscles are on fire and I want to lie down; I have to keep going because I LOVE that song!”

“Much more fun than a gym. Love the music and dance moves and gets me out of the house!”

“I enjoy Popdance as I like the dance routines to cheesy pop music. I get to destress and escape my children (as lovely as they are!) Great fun class!”

“Connecting with people and music. Enjoying movement. Music, movement, mixing ……..Mandy!”

“It’s a good fun workout, I love the music and the care Mandy takes”

“Great music, great instructor, takes me out of my comfort zone!”

“Best class I’ve been to in years. Mandy is really great and I feel better for coming.”

“The Popdance Fit class is not just great fun, it’s a good workout to great music too. Mandy knows just how to push you to the limits in a fun way”

And one of my participants emailed me later in the week with some more thoughts she had about Popdance Fit and why she likes dance classes:

“Because it makes me feel good!”

In our hectic lifestyles that we lead these days, it’s an opportunity to have fun in a relaxed environment with some good tunes burning off calories and getting fit all rolled into one!

“I’m too old for nightclubbing so this is a means of keeping stress levels down and feeling good about myself and gives me a break from my lovely children”

“I don’t get out much and I think mums lose their identity a bit and it’s quite isolating to stay at home so it’s good to do something for me and get out and meet new people. I love dancing although I’m not very good at it and it’s good for boosting self-confidence and being able to laugh at oneself particularly when you do a turn and end up facing everybody else as I’ve gone the wrong way!”

I always try to make all my classes as much fun as I can and I think reading these comments shows that this is something I achieve and it encourages people to return and continue exercising but also makes them feel good about themselves and gives them a little bit of “me time”. I love my job and seeing people’s smiling faces, having a laugh and generally having fun plus reading comments like the above makes it so worthwhile.

Find out more about Amanda’s Popdance classes in Wokingham HERE

10 Things To Look For When Booking Childrens Birthday Parties

We all love a good birthday party and we want our kids to have the best time ever – so what should we be looking for when thinking about what to book for the big day?

Here’s our essential 10:

1. Ask your child what kind of party they want!

We know it’s an obvious one, but you’d be surprised at how many people don’t actually sit down with their child and look at various party ideas. 

Do they want the same birthday party that their friend had? 

Do they want their birthday party at home? 

Do they want to do something with a small groups of friends? 

Do they want to invite the whole class?

2. Look at budgets

Do you have a budget? 

Look at the costs of birthday parties if it’s just a small group of friends, or whether you will be inviting the whole class.

Don’t forget to ask if venue hire is included, party bags, food and cake as many companies ask you to provide that.

3. Search on the internet

A lot of the time, children do tend to know what they want and they’ve usually been to other birthday parties that they enjoyed and they want the same.

But if you don’t have a trusted recommendation, then it’s worth having a google to see what’s out there for you.  

Why not try NetMums too and also asking the question in parent or mums facebook groups – you usually get great recommendations that way too.

4. Check out their website

Again, very obvious, but do have a look around the websites of birthday party companies that you’ve found, or that have been recommended to you.

Do they look professional?

Do they tell you about their staff?

Are they qualified and experienced?

Are they all DBS checked?

Do they have public liability insurance?

Is it clear what their birthday party package is, what you will get and how much it costs?

Do they have testimonials on their website?

5. Get in touch with the company

Phone calls are always the best – it enables you to speak directly to the company, get a vibe for what they are like, you can ask lots of questions and find out if you think it’s right for your child’s birthday party.

6. Check them out on social media

Have a look at their facebook page, their twitter account, or instagram – are they active on there? 

Do you like their vibe? 

Personality?  

Are their customers talking about them on social media? 

Good feedback?

7. Check out their Terms and Conditions

What happens if your child is ill on the day of their birthday party?

What happens if your birthday party organisers are ill or stuck in traffic?

Read the small print and make sure you are happy with it and that the company has back up systems in place.

8. Book your birthday party

If you are happy with everything, book your birthday party and make sure you get sent a booking confirmation – detailing everything about the party, i.e. where it is, when, what it consists of, what you have been promised, and that your payment has been received.

9. Get in touch again nearer the date of your party

If the company do not get in touch with you again nearer the date of your party to confirm everything is ok, give them a call or an email just to double check everything – you don’t want to be left on the big day with no birthday party organiser due to miscommunication.

All good companies will get in touch with you to confirm everything again nearer your birthday party.

10. Give feedback

Most good companies will ask for feedback on birthday parties, to find out whether you, your child and their guests had a good time.

Good companies value honest feedback so it’s great to let them know what you enjoyed about it and also whether you have any concerns or tips on what could be improved upon to make it an even better birthday party.

11. Sit back and relax – you’ve partied! ;)

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