diddi dance

diddi dance Plymouth & Surrounding Win Great British Franchise Award 2023

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We are absolutely delighted to announce that Liz & Rachael from diddi dance Plymouth & Surrounding have become a winner at the Great British Franchise Awards 2023 from Which Franchise. These awards are in recognition of outstanding franchisees who demonstrate the ability to perform exceptionally well in all areas of their business. 

“Dance school owners Liz Kelly and Rachel Martin have spent most of their seven years in business together laughing – and now they have something else to smile about after landing a major industry award. The women behind diddi dance in Plymouth have won a Great British Franchisee Award, the highest honour in the franchising world. But their path to success found itself blocked by Covid – and the pandemic certainly kept them on their toes”.

 

“We suffered a real setback in the growth of our business during the pandemic,” says Liz, “ but we were able to overcome the first lockdown by taking our classes online. All of our customers were delighted to be able to continue their Diddi dancing ,and it broke up their day and kept the little ones active when no-one was allowed to leave the house. We’re both extremely passionate about what we do, and we’ve spent most of the time laughing. How many people can say that when running a business?”

 

Anne-Marie Martin, founder of the diddi dance network, agrees, “Liz and Rachel have been with Diddi Dance since 2016 and work brilliantly as a partnership,” she says. “They have teachers who run classes for them and have extended their territory as well.” 

 

Congratulations Liz and Rachael on your fabulous award.

 

Children’s Mental Health Week 6-12 February 2023

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It’s Children’s Mental Health Week 2023 with Place2Be  💛

This year’s theme is ‘Let’s Connect’.

Let’s Connect is about making meaningful connections for all, during Children’s Mental Health Week, and beyond. People thrive in communities and this connection is vital for our wellbeing.

When we have healthy connections – from family, friends and others – this can support our mental health and our sense of wellbeing. diddi dance believes that keeping physically active and moving to music allows you to express yourself, and the endorphins it releases creates positive emotions and feelings which promote emotional emotional and mental health in all ages. Our classes give families the opportunity to do this together while socialising and making new friends too!

Find out more about Children’s Mental Health Week.

 

diddi dance a Sponsor of the What’s On 4 Kids UK Awards 2023

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We are once again a proud sponsor of the What’s on 4 Kids UK Awards 🏆

They are now in their 17th year and are the most prestigious and longest running awards for the sector. These awards recognise and reward the most loved children’s activities and businesses in the UK since 2006.

Nominations for 2023 are now OPEN!

If you would like to show your local diddi dance how amazing they are, you can find out more information about the awards and nominate them for a What’s On 4 Kids Award here.

We thank you for all your support.

 

diddi dance Turns 20 This Year

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We are excited to announce that diddi dance is 20 this year! 🎉

Founded in 2003 by Anne-Marie Martin, we are proud to be celebrating 20 years of pre school dance, exploring so many dance styles from around the world.

We love encouraging children and their families to enjoy a love of movement to music that will last a lifetime.

Have you and your little one (or not so little one now) danced with us over the last 20 years?

 

 

 

diddi dance Teams Up with RED January

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diddi dance are proud to be teaming up with RED January, a nationwide movement for mental wellbeing, led by the community, for the community.

Research shows that inactivity increases in the winter and this is linked to reports of lower mood and energy levels. Each year thousands of people across the UK sign up to challenge themselves to do some sort of movement every day in January to beat the winter blues. Participants are encouraged to choose activities that work best for them and their lifestyle.

Why not give it a go? Find out more here

 

 

Meet Our Newest Franchisees at diddi dance

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We are absolutely thrilled to have had a number of new franchisees join our network here at diddi dance in the past year. Three of them have opened up in completely new areas, and one has taken over an existing area.

Meet them here to see where they are running fun packed classes, maybe they are local to you? If you’d like to join one of their classes, please contact them below or complete an enquiry form to book a trial here

 

diddi dance Southampton

“Hello! I’m Andrea and you are all very welcome at diddi dance Southampton! Dance has always featured in my life, from the ballet and tap classes I attended from age 3, to having a good old boogie with the girls on a Saturday night aged…well that’s a secret! And although dance styles and music influences have changed, my love of moving to music has remained a constant.

diddi dance really is so much more than dancing to music. It offers the children physical and social development in a fun and friendly way. Children are free to express themselves, be creative and burn off their boundless energy! And for adults? Well, we get to be part of the fun too as our involvement nurtures and supports the growth of their confidence and abilities.

diddi dance’s unique tunes are just so catchy that they’ll get your toes a-tapping and your hips a-wiggling and I cannot wait to share this with you at a diddi dance class in Southampton.”

 

 

diddi dance Reading & Wokingham

Bethany Bianga has taken over diddi dance Reading & Wokingham from the fabulous Andrea Bickford who ran diddi dance for a few years,. Bethany was a teacher here so some of you may already know her.

“Former UK Hip Hop champion, I have years of dance teaching experience and will ensure that the class is great fun for your little one!

dance Reading & Wokingham it’s always been a dream of mine to own my own dance business and I can’t wait to share my love and passion of dance with you all. I’ve been dancing for 20 years now, my love for dance grows and grows every day. I’m so excited to be taking over diddi”

 

 

 

diddi dance Sunderland

“Hi, I’m Dani & I’m super excited to be introducing diddi dance Sunderland to you! I have always had a love of dance from a young age having trained as a dancer from the age of 6 doing tap, ballet, jazz, modern, and then going on to study contemporary at college. I then continued onto university completing my BA (Hons) in Performing Arts specialising in dance.

I worked as a children’s entertainer and dancer in hotels all over the Canaries & Balearic Islands which was just the best and spent a number of years working in nurseries which I loved….watching the children grow and learn was such a beautiful experience.

After a few years out, and being a Mummy to my 2 gorgeous little boys I’ve decided now is the time to go back to my roots and get my dancing shoes back on and have some fun….life is for living after all!!

Can’t wait to share this journey with you all…..let’s get dancing!” 💃🏻🕺🏻

 

diddi dance Central & North Liverpool and South Knowsley

“My name is Kirsty and I’m the owner of diddi dance Central & North Liverpool & South Knowsley ready to launch in January 2022.

Dancing is my passion and I have always loved passing that on through my love of teaching. With a Master’s in Teaching & Learning, a PGCE in Performing Arts and a dance studies BA HONS degree along with over twelve years experience of secondary school teaching and many years of professional dance experience I have a broad expertise in dance. Since having my two boys I was always looking for places and activities to take them to and this is when I found diddi dance and started my own business.

At diddi dance we enhance children’s endless energy and enthusiasm through funky, full of fun sessions that build confidence, coordination and creativity. diddi dance will encourage a love of movement that will last a lifetime. Through exploring 16 different dance styles suitable for boys and girls, we want to be the first stepping-stone in a healthy & developed lifestyle for all toddlers.”

 

If you have a passion for getting children moving, and would like to find out more about a franchise, take a look at our franchise page or please feel free to contact Donna, our Franchise Manager, who will be happy to answer any questions you have.

 

diddi dance is celebrating winning two franchise awards

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We are ecstatic to celebrate TWO Franchise awards :star2::star2:

The Best Franchise Award for continuous improvement in 2020, means so much to us, we are proud to have supported our franchisees in this unprecedented year and our second award fills us with pride that for the 7th year running, based on anonymous feedback from our Franchisees, we have received the 5 Star Franchisee Satisfaction Award :star2::star2::star2::star2::star2:It means the world to us to know that they rate our franchise opportunity so highly and are satisfied with their decision to be part of our network :star-struck:

Thank you so much to our diddi dance crew for your time, we really appreciate your feedback :green_heart::heartpulse::blue_heart:

 

diddi dance welcomed four new franchisees in 2020

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We are absolutely thrilled to have welcomed four new franchisees to our network in the last year.

Laura, Constantina and Gemma all took over existing franchises that have been running for a number of years and Andrea opened up in a brand new area of Southampton.

Meet them here and feel free to contact them to find out more (face to face classes are currently paused but may be running an online option)

 

Laura Hughes – South East Hampshire & Chichester

“I absolute love teaching dance and sharing my passion with all of your lovely children. I was very diddi myself when I first started dancing at the age of 4 and am proud to have graduated from the University of Chichester with a BA Hons Degree in Dance in 2016. Being able to work in dance full time is a dream come true and I am very thankful for everyone’s ongoing support”.

 

 

 

 

 

Constantina Menezes – Enfield & Potters Bar

“Hey, I’m Constantina but everyone calls me Cos.

I have been dancing from a young age entering dance competitions, and I attended a dance academy from the age of 3. I continued my love for dancing and performing arts at Chickenshed Theatre and got the chance to perform at The Royal Albert Hall. I am qualified Level 3 and Level 5 Early Years Practitioner.

I can’t wait to meet all your diddi faces and be dancing and having fun with you.”

 

 

 

 

Gemma Edmenson –Eastbourne, Tunbridge Wells & Hastings

“I’m Gemma, mum to a very lively little boy and ex professional dancer. In my pre-child life I trained in dance and musical theatre and danced in various productions both in the UK and internationally. I also taught various dance classes and choreographed for a variety of different projects.

I first came across diddi dance as a mum, when I took my then 18 month old son along to his first class 2 years ago. We both absolutely loved it from the start. It was so nice to see the children grow in confidence and being encouraged to develop at their own pace, whilst being introduced to so many different dance styles. I am very much looking forward to helping lots of children and parents enjoy dancing together, just as I did with my own little one!”

 

Andrea McCrea – Southampton

“Hello! I’m Andrea and you are all very welcome at diddi dance Southampton! Dance has always featured in my life, from the ballet and tap classes I attended from age 3, to having a good old boogie with the girls on a Saturday night aged…well that’s a secret! And although dance styles and music influences have changed, my love of moving to music has remained a constant.

diddi dance really is so much more than dancing to music. It offers the children physical and social development in a fun and friendly way. Children are free to express themselves, be creative and burn off their boundless energy! And for adults? Well, we get to be part of the fun too as our involvement nurtures and supports the growth of their confidence and abilities.

diddi dance’s unique tunes are just so catchy that they’ll get your toes a-tapping and your hips a-wiggling and I cannot wait to share this with you at a diddi dance class in Southampton.”

 

Have you thought about a diddi dance franchise?

Are you thinking about starting a new business in 2021? Would you like to find out more? See what some of our current franchisees have to say and take a look at our franchise page for more information or contact Recruitment Franchise Manager Donna, who’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have. 

diddi dance in the UK’s top 100 franchises 2021

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We are so proud to be on the Elite Franchise‘s list of UK’s TOP 100 Franchises 2021 🏆 🤩

This is our fourth year appearing in the top 100 and we are delighted to have maintained this in 2021 #EF100 💚💗💙⠀⠀

Thank you to all our franchisees for their continued hard work making our network such a success 🎉

If you would like to know more about joining our award-winning, family-friendly, supportive network, we would love to hear from you https://www.diddidance.com/franchise/ 💚💗💙

Meet our newest franchisees

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We are absolutely thrilled to have had a number of new franchisees join our network here at diddi dance over the last few months. Meet them here to see where they are running fun packed classes, maybe they are local to you? If you’d like to join one of their classes, please contact them below or complete an enquiry form to book a trial here

Josie Ward – Torbay, Central Exeter and Surrounding

“My name is Josie Ward and I am the owner of diddi dance Torbay, Central Exeter and surrounding areas. I started dancing at the age of 2 years and have never stopped! I have previously worked as a dancer/entertainer across the U.K, mainly at holiday parks- performing in shows and running daytime and evening children’s entertainment. I have recently completed my Level 3 Early Years Educator course at South Devon college whilst working as a Nursery Nurse within Torquay. Having gained all my experience, I really have found a gap in the market for diddi dance in Torbay/Exeter which really benefit children’s physical and social development, whilst in a fun, relaxed environment. I am so excited to meet and dance with you all.”

Charlotte Burgess – Shrewsbury & South Telford

“I started my diddi dance journey teaching classes in 2017 and am now excited to be bringing more classes to Shrewsbury and South Telford as a franchisee. I keep very busy in my spare time with my three children who love practicing different dance routines with me at home, especially all the cool moves from diddi dance Hip Hop!”

 

 

Kristina Jones – Wrexham, Owestry, Whitchurch & Malpas

“Having danced since a young age I always wanted to be a dance teacher, and luckily for me a local job opportunity lead me to diddi dance! I love our classes and cant wait to share my passion for dance with as many people as possible through diddi dance sessions! Whether you’re young or old, what can beat a boogie?!”

 

 

 

Natalie Battista – South Manchester, North of Cheshire East & Macclesfield

“Hi my name is Natalie and I run diddi dance South Manchester, after the opportunity came up to take over at the end of 2019 having been a diddi dance teacher in the area since 2014.
I have been dancing my whole life along with acting and singing and started my career early as one of Ken Dodd’s Diddymen touring theatres throughout the UK as a child. I spent part of my adult life working as a professional dancer in family shows abroad and entertaining children of all ages throughout the day. I then went onto dance and sing in tribute shows touring the UK. I also do modelling and have had small TV roles as well.
I now have 2 beautiful children, who have also been diddi dancers and I wanted to carry on with my love of dancing so this lead me to teaching for diddi dance which I thoroughly enjoy, so running it was the perfect next step.
I look forward to meeting and dancing with you all xxx”

 

 

 

 

 

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