Portsmouth and Gosport children’s after-school dance classes FunKidz aim to boost confidence and make dance accessible to all
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FunKidz dance classes, which currently run in Portsmouth and Gosport, offer primary school children an hour-long after-school session where they can dance along to music and have fun with their friends.
Owner Samantha Miles, 33, from Portchester, said there was nothing out there for children who want to dance without committing to a dance school, something which she said ‘doesn’t fit everyone’.
After working as a primary school teacher, she said many of the parents shared her view, and wanted their children who enjoyed dancing to go to something that wasn’t as serious and expensive as a dance school.
She said: ‘A lot of children like dancing but didn’t really fit in with the structure of a dance school. From my experience dance schools are quite disciplined places, you have to have all the right gear and do exactly what you’re supposed to be doing which is fine for the kids who want and are able to do that, but there are a lot who just want to dance around to music, and they don’t want to just do it at home they want to do it with their friends.’
Just over five years ago, Samantha combined her passions of teaching and dancing and set up FunKidz dance classes. She now offers classes every weekday at various different schools, and also runs a class on Thursday evenings from 16.45-17.30 at St. Cuthbert’s Community Centre in Baffins for any primary school children who can’t make the other sessions.
She said she loves giving the freedom to the children to dance as much or as little as they like, as long as they’re enjoying themselves.
She said: ‘I’ve got some children that do take it very seriously and they want to do exactly what I’m doing, but equally there are children who do the odd thing that I do but otherwise they just like to dance along to the music and have the best time which is what it’s about really.’
Wanting FunKidz to feel more relaxed than a dance school, the children can wear whatever they like and feel comfortable in. If there’s a specific song that the children want to dance to, Samantha has a routine prepared for the following week.
She said: ‘We use a lot of music from musicals and films, I go with the things that the kids are interested in and enjoy dancing around to.’
Also aiming to help the children’s performance skills she puts on performances every half term for the children’s parents to come and watch.
She said: ‘I wanted to give children a chance to perform who usually wouldn’t get the opportunity to. A lot of children can benefit from the confidence boost that you experience, but if you’re not in a dance or performance school and if your parents can’t afford to send you there you don’t always get those opportunities.’
‘We do seven weeks of learning different dances then we put them together and just before the end of the half term their parents come in and watch what we’ve been doing, and I always do it with them so they don’t have to worry too much about remembering it.’
She also said how rewarding it is to see the children’s confidence grow from taking part in the classes and performances.
‘I’ve worked with a lot of children who come and don’t really say much for the first six weeks, they don’t do the first two performances but half a year down the line they’re at the front and I’ve had parents crying because they’ve never seen their children do anything like that before.’
With high levels of interest and waiting lists at most of her schools, Samantha wants to expand the club to more schools which would be willing to find the space for her classes to take place.
She said: ‘I have quite a lot of parents who say “Can you do it in my daughter’s school?” but it’s not as easy as that, as schools are such busy places so it’s hard to get set up in the first place. I organise all of it so the parents liaise entirely through me, I just need to use the space in the school for the classes.’
Seeing first hand how much the children enjoy the sessions, Samantha wants as many children as possible to have the opportunity to take part, making dance classes accessible to all, no matter their background.
To get in touch with Samantha, call 07719 144004 email [email protected] or visit the FunKidz Facebook page.