CPD highlight - SOSA Dance Ltd
Are you sitting down? You’ll need to be!
SOSA Dance Ltd offer three CIMSPA recognised Instructor Training programmes which all carry a maximum 10 CPD points; SOSA Dance Fitness which is offered in two formats, as both live and online courses, and their new Seated SOSA Dance Fitness programme.
SOSA has currently trained over 400 specialist instructors across the UK and in ten countries around the world.
Led by Founder and Principal Katy Barrow, SOSA Dance aims to, within the next two years have trained over 1,500 SOSA and Seated SOSA Dance Fitness instructors reaching 50,000 people every week. Both SOSA and Seated SOSA have proven to be very successful in community settings, leisure centres, dance schools and care homes.
SOSA offers a fantastic insight into the world of dance using authentic footwork, arms and body styling for 36 international dance styles. With simple routines that are low impact and high energy, SOSA is accessible for everyone who loves to dance and anyone who’s ever wanted to learn.
A Seated SOSA class features a variety of authentic international dance styles with each routine broken down into easy-to-learn sections that can be adapted to different speeds and ranges of movement set to a soundtrack of chart hits from different decades.
“I’m really passionate about making SOSA a truly ‘inclusive’ community class,” Katy emphasises, “which means being genuinely suitable and adaptable for all ages and abilities, shapes and sizes, faiths and cultures. All of our qualified instructors have found this to have a really strong appeal among their groups, and as demand is growing fast, we need more fantastic, inspiring instructors to fulfil the potential out there.”
Katy has spent the last four years working tirelessly behind the scenes creating a class that is genuinely fully accessible at every level.
“My passion for Seated SOSA has grown and grown on a daily basis,” says Katy. “Every person that I have consulted during the development process has helped to give me a unique and invaluable insight into their specific, often diverse needs. I have always been clear that those needs must be very carefully integrated into a mixed group class. I’ve been inspired by so many people along the way, and their excitement about a ‘chair dance’ class so I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved for them.”
Following the recent launch of this new training programme, Katy welcomed a CIMSPA external quality assurance (EQA) review of the training and assessment procedures.
Following the visit, CIMSPA’s Quality Assurance Manager Jane Mellors said “At our recent visit, we congratulated SOSA Dance on their delivery of the Seated SOSA Dance Fitness Instructor programme. The addition of music and dance moves to a basic chair-based exercise class transforms the atmosphere and makes it fun, enjoyable and sociable for participants. SOSA offer a high quality delivery of fully inclusive training as well as ongoing support to instructors. Well done Katy Barrow!”
Katy said “I am so proud and delighted with the glowing review from our recent CIMSPA EQA visit, it is so important to me that our training meets the highest standards in the industry. My vision for the future is to make dance accessible to EVERYONE, and this comes with providing the best quality training possible for all qualified fitness and dance professionals across the sector. We want instructors who are passionate about inspiring more people to get active and the benefits of both the physical improvement and mental wellbeing that dance brings.
“SOSA is very proud to be working alongside CIMSPA to achieve this goal and believes that all S&PA professionals should be CIMSPA members. The EQA visit was incredibly professional and time was spent talking to individual trainees to gain feedback on the programme during the course of the day. Following the visit and the review of our materials and resources, it was suggested that we update our Appeals document and we were given excellent guidance on reviewing and amending this procedure. Next time you visit us CIMSPA, please be prepared to have a set of maracas in your hands and to sing louder!”
To find out more about SOSA and Seated SOSA Dance Fitness, please visit our website at https://sosafitness.co.uk
To keep up with all the latest news and class launches, follow @SOSAFitness on Facebook, @SOSAFit on Twitter or @sosadancefit on Instagram.
To contact Katy Barrow, please email katy.barrow@sosafitness.co.uk or call 07715 252524.