Sunday 1st January 2023 – Happy new year!

Another year gone! And what a year it was! Here’s a quick look back at some of our key achievements in 2022:

✨ Celebrated our 10th birthday! Watch the clip here

✨ Introduced our Falls Prevention Programme with ActivLives

✨ Presented at MOVE IT, Project Mayhem and London Sport

Seated SOSA Dance Fitness was used as a case study in the EmployAbility leisure industry guides

✨ Katy joined the panel at the Disability and Workforce session at the Elevate Thought Leaders Conference

✨ Received further funding for our SOSA&Starlets CIC to help us deliver Seated and Simply SOSA Dance Fitness classes – thank you Sport England and National Lottery Good Causes

✨ Katy hosted a ‘Dance and Sing Along Party’ to raise funds for National Tremor Foundation ‘Platinum Pledge’

✨ Katy did a podcast with Charlotte Brawn – Fitness Business Coaching

✨ Became proud sponsors of the We Are Undefeatable campaign

✨ Had lots more fabulous instructors qualify to teach SOSA, Seated or Simply SOSA Dance Fitness

✨ Several of our instructors have hosted their own SOSA events, won awards and gained further industry recognised qualifications

✨ We welcomed more new participants into our #SOSAFamily all thanks to our global network of instructors

WOW!! Here’s to another fun packed year of #DancingOurselvesHappy! HAPPY NEW YEAR! 💃🥳✨💗💜

Saturday 5th November 2022 – Happy 10th birthday to SOSA! 🥳

🎉 HAPPY 10TH BIRTHDAY SOSA!! 🎉
WOW sooooo much has happened in 10 years! 🤩💃
Here’s a short clip with some of our key highlights! 📽💃🏻✨
Thank you to each and every one of you who’s been part of our journey so far, we couldn’t have done it without you! 💗💜

Wednesday 21st September 2022 – National Fitness Day 2022! 💚

On this day, we celebrate the role that physical activity plays and raise awareness of its importance in assisting us all to lead healthier lifestyles through being physical active.
Fitness Unites Us! 🤝🏻
At SOSA, we believe physical activity has the ability to bring people together and to positively impact on all of our physical, mental and social wellbeing. 💗💜
Our all-inclusive dance fitness programmes do all of the above…and lots more besides!
👉Find out more about each programme here: sosafitness.co.uk/our-classes/sosafitness.co.uk

Wednesday 15th June 2022

Disability & Workforce

A blog by EMD UK: Katy Barrow, Founder of SOSA Dance Ltd and SOSA & Starlets Community Interest Company

‘Being completely honest with you… there are times that I’ve been completely terrified, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Rest assured, fear is OK. Because it just means that you REALLY CARE!’

Katy is a highly qualified and accomplished professional dancer, choreographer and fitness presenter, with a career spanning 28 years.  She has danced since the age of six years old – ‘It’s all I know, my life-long passion, and the one thing that’s always made me feel so happy, despite any stress or worries I may have had in my life’.  

Katy’s love and passion for dance knows no bounds – her dream is to inspire people all over the world, regardless of age or level of ability, to experience the positive physical, mental and social wellbeing benefits that dance brings, which are truly life-changing for many people. 

Katy created SOSA Dance Ltd in 2012 and has since trained over 650 dance/fitness instructors in 16 countries worldwide to deliver her programmes.  SOSA offers a unique, innovative and sustainable approach, incorporating authentic movements from 37 international dance styles, with an iconic soundtrack of music spanning the past century. 

Katy established SOSA & Starlets Community Interest Company during the COVID pandemic, and was awarded funding from Sport England’s ‘Tackling Inequalities Fund’.  Supported by EMD UK, Katy led a nationwide project in target LSEG areas, providing inclusive, accessible and affordable dance activities for older adults, those with long-term health conditions and disabilities: https://twitter.com/i/status/1493874556918026240

This led to the development and trial of Simply SOSA ‘Falls Prevention’ strength and balance programme, with additional considerations for GP Health Referral patients. 

Developing Accessible and Inclusive Instructor Training Courses

Katy has since received a substantial amount of funding from the National Lottery Good Causes Community Fund, and local councils nationwide, to continue her projects nationwide.  She tells us:

“Adapting my instructor training courses to be fully inclusive for disabled instructors, took me completely out of my comfort zone.  I have a lot of knowledge, but I do not have a personal ‘lived’ experience of any long-term health conditions. I just knew in my heart, that I was so incredibly passionate and determined to make SOSA accessible for everyone.

‘I am so proud to be working alongside EmployAbility/Aspire, providing fully accessible and inclusive training courses to encourage and support more fitness instructors with disabilities to gain a professional qualification and build a life-long career within the fitness industry. I am delighted that our Seated SOSA training course was chosen to contribute to the ‘EmployAbility Training Provider Guide’, as a case study example for others.’

I’ve learnt so much along my journey,  purely because I’ve never assumed anything, and I’ve been totally open to learning and adapting every step of the way.

Training and Empowering the Instructors

I have been SO inspired by the level of professionalism and passion of the disabled instructors I have trained. Every single person I’ve had the pleasure of training with a health condition or disability, know THEIR OWN ability and limits, and fully understand the struggles to be active and the everyday challenges they face.  I have found every one of them to be really motivated to help others, and I’ve helped to empower them to be in that position.  

A few prime examples: 

Oni Bhattacharya, is a wheelchair user who now works for YMCA and teaches Seated SOSA classes in older adult care facilities. He is the highlight of the residents’ week, they love it so much that they get a young vibrant man visit them to deliver some really fun activity!

Another of our instructors, Paul Fosu, has Essential Tremor and walks with a frame. He is from Nigerian descent, and having recently immigrated to the UK, was struggling to find his path. He now delivers Seated SOSA as part of a GP referral service in East London, as part of a charity funding initiative ‘Together Better’. He is a central part of his local community providing opportunities for older, vulnerable and disabled people to exercise and socialise.”

Top tips for setting up inclusive training programmes

Katy’s top tips for others considering following in her footsteps  is to listen and observe intently, open your heart, and never be afraid to embrace inclusivity – it will empower YOU, and everyone around you!  

We’re delighted that Katy’s top tips have worked so wonderfully well for her – ‘What I’ve achieved with SOSA, Seated SOSA, and now Simply SOSA, over the past 10 years has been way above and beyond even my wildest dreams.’

Follow the links for more information

You can visit the SOSA Instructor Training website for more info at https://sosafitness.co.uk/be-an-instructor/

You can also check out the SOSA & Starlets Community Interest Company website at https://sosafitness.co.uk/sosa-starlets-community-interest-company

Please don’t hesitate to contact Katy personally if you would like to discuss further at katy@sosadance.co.uk.

Monday 6th June 2022

📣 We’re THRILLED to announce that our inspirational founder, Katy, has recently been invited to join Charlotte Brawn’s Charlotte Brawn – Fitness Business Coaching PODCAST! 🎙

In this episode, Charlotte picks Katy’s brains about everything from overcoming fears, to how to fill classes, the benefits of hosting online classes, big fitness business goals and starting her very own dance fitness brand and first community classes! 📈

Plus Charlotte will share why she wanted Katy to be her first ever guest and what an inspiration she’s been in her own fitness journey! 💗💜

🔊 LISTEN TO THE PODCAST VIA:

Charlotte’s website: https://www.iheartmyfitbiz.com/blog

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3BtumIkTNZUWPFnBEbjXXi?si=0GSGM0jSQL27SzahyFRK0w

Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/56c60e9a-de50-40f4-bac3-f9e4f1dc9a83/the-i-heart-my-fitbiz-podcast?ref=dm_sh_PM86qviDpwt8Zvwp2RJQ7Gnmr

Thursday 31st March 2022

🌟 PROUD MOMENT ALERT!! 🌟

We’re absolutely thrilled that Seated SOSA Dance Fitness has been used as a case study in one of the InstructAbility #EmployAbilityLeisure Guides to help increase the number of disabled people training and working in the leisure industry.💗💜

👉 Have a read here, we feature on pages 68 – 71 of Guide B!
https://www.instructability.org.uk/employability-leisure-guides

Wednesday 15th June 2022

Disability & Workforce

A blog by EMD UK: Katy Barrow, Founder of SOSA Dance Ltd and SOSA & Starlets Community Interest Company

‘Being completely honest with you… there are times that I’ve been completely terrified, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Rest assured, fear is OK. Because it just means that you REALLY CARE!’

Katy is a highly qualified and accomplished professional dancer, choreographer and fitness presenter, with a career spanning 28 years.  She has danced since the age of six years old – ‘It’s all I know, my life-long passion, and the one thing that’s always made me feel so happy, despite any stress or worries I may have had in my life’.  

Katy’s love and passion for dance knows no bounds – her dream is to inspire people all over the world, regardless of age or level of ability, to experience the positive physical, mental and social wellbeing benefits that dance brings, which are truly life-changing for many people. 

Katy created SOSA Dance Ltd in 2012 and has since trained over 650 dance/fitness instructors in 16 countries worldwide to deliver her programmes.  SOSA offers a unique, innovative and sustainable approach, incorporating authentic movements from 37 international dance styles, with an iconic soundtrack of music spanning the past century. 

Katy established SOSA & Starlets Community Interest Company during the COVID pandemic, and was awarded funding from Sport England’s ‘Tackling Inequalities Fund’.  Supported by EMD UK, Katy led a nationwide project in target LSEG areas, providing inclusive, accessible and affordable dance activities for older adults, those with long-term health conditions and disabilities: https://twitter.com/i/status/1493874556918026240

This led to the development and trial of Simply SOSA ‘Falls Prevention’ strength and balance programme, with additional considerations for GP Health Referral patients. 

Developing Accessible and Inclusive Instructor Training Courses

Katy has since received a substantial amount of funding from the National Lottery Good Causes Community Fund, and local councils nationwide, to continue her projects nationwide.  She tells us:

“Adapting my instructor training courses to be fully inclusive for disabled instructors, took me completely out of my comfort zone.  I have a lot of knowledge, but I do not have a personal ‘lived’ experience of any long-term health conditions. I just knew in my heart, that I was so incredibly passionate and determined to make SOSA accessible for everyone.

‘I am so proud to be working alongside EmployAbility/Aspire, providing fully accessible and inclusive training courses to encourage and support more fitness instructors with disabilities to gain a professional qualification and build a life-long career within the fitness industry. I am delighted that our Seated SOSA training course was chosen to contribute to the ‘EmployAbility Training Provider Guide’, as a case study example for others.’

I’ve learnt so much along my journey,  purely because I’ve never assumed anything, and I’ve been totally open to learning and adapting every step of the way.

Training and Empowering the Instructors

I have been SO inspired by the level of professionalism and passion of the disabled instructors I have trained. Every single person I’ve had the pleasure of training with a health condition or disability, know THEIR OWN ability and limits, and fully understand the struggles to be active and the everyday challenges they face.  I have found every one of them to be really motivated to help others, and I’ve helped to empower them to be in that position.  

A few prime examples: 

Oni Bhattacharya, is a wheelchair user who now works for YMCA and teaches Seated SOSA classes in older adult care facilities. He is the highlight of the residents’ week, they love it so much that they get a young vibrant man visit them to deliver some really fun activity!

Another of our instructors, Paul Fosu, has Essential Tremor and walks with a frame. He is from Nigerian descent, and having recently immigrated to the UK, was struggling to find his path. He now delivers Seated SOSA as part of a GP referral service in East London, as part of a charity funding initiative ‘Together Better’. He is a central part of his local community providing opportunities for older, vulnerable and disabled people to exercise and socialise.”

Top tips for setting up inclusive training programmes

Katy’s top tips for others considering following in her footsteps  is to listen and observe intently, open your heart, and never be afraid to embrace inclusivity – it will empower YOU, and everyone around you!  

We’re delighted that Katy’s top tips have worked so wonderfully well for her – ‘What I’ve achieved with SOSA, Seated SOSA, and now Simply SOSA, over the past 10 years has been way above and beyond even my wildest dreams.’

Follow the links for more information

You can visit the SOSA Instructor Training website for more info at https://sosafitness.co.uk/be-an-instructor/

You can also check out the SOSA & Starlets Community Interest Company website at https://sosafitness.co.uk/sosa-starlets-community-interest-company

Please don’t hesitate to contact Katy personally if you would like to discuss further at katy@sosadance.co.uk.

Monday 6th June 2022

📣 We’re THRILLED to announce that our inspirational founder, Katy, has recently been invited to join Charlotte Brawn’s Charlotte Brawn – Fitness Business Coaching PODCAST! 🎙

In this episode, Charlotte picks Katy’s brains about everything from overcoming fears, to how to fill classes, the benefits of hosting online classes, big fitness business goals and starting her very own dance fitness brand and first community classes! 📈

Plus Charlotte will share why she wanted Katy to be her first ever guest and what an inspiration she’s been in her own fitness journey! 💗💜

🔊 LISTEN TO THE PODCAST VIA:

Charlotte’s website: https://www.iheartmyfitbiz.com/blog

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3BtumIkTNZUWPFnBEbjXXi?si=0GSGM0jSQL27SzahyFRK0w

Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/56c60e9a-de50-40f4-bac3-f9e4f1dc9a83/the-i-heart-my-fitbiz-podcast?ref=dm_sh_PM86qviDpwt8Zvwp2RJQ7Gnmr

Thursday 31st March 2022

🌟 PROUD MOMENT ALERT!! 🌟

We’re absolutely thrilled that Seated SOSA Dance Fitness has been used as a case study in one of the InstructAbility #EmployAbilityLeisure Guides to help increase the number of disabled people training and working in the leisure industry.💗💜

👉 Have a read here, we feature on pages 68 – 71 of Guide B!
https://www.instructability.org.uk/employability-leisure-guides

Wednesday 15th June 2022

Disability & Workforce

A blog by EMD UK: Katy Barrow, Founder of SOSA Dance Ltd and SOSA & Starlets Community Interest Company

‘Being completely honest with you… there are times that I’ve been completely terrified, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. Rest assured, fear is OK. Because it just means that you REALLY CARE!’

Katy is a highly qualified and accomplished professional dancer, choreographer and fitness presenter, with a career spanning 28 years.  She has danced since the age of six years old – ‘It’s all I know, my life-long passion, and the one thing that’s always made me feel so happy, despite any stress or worries I may have had in my life’.  

Katy’s love and passion for dance knows no bounds – her dream is to inspire people all over the world, regardless of age or level of ability, to experience the positive physical, mental and social wellbeing benefits that dance brings, which are truly life-changing for many people. 

Katy created SOSA Dance Ltd in 2012 and has since trained over 650 dance/fitness instructors in 16 countries worldwide to deliver her programmes.  SOSA offers a unique, innovative and sustainable approach, incorporating authentic movements from 37 international dance styles, with an iconic soundtrack of music spanning the past century. 

Katy established SOSA & Starlets Community Interest Company during the COVID pandemic, and was awarded funding from Sport England’s ‘Tackling Inequalities Fund’.  Supported by EMD UK, Katy led a nationwide project in target LSEG areas, providing inclusive, accessible and affordable dance activities for older adults, those with long-term health conditions and disabilities: https://twitter.com/i/status/1493874556918026240

This led to the development and trial of Simply SOSA ‘Falls Prevention’ strength and balance programme, with additional considerations for GP Health Referral patients. 

Developing Accessible and Inclusive Instructor Training Courses

Katy has since received a substantial amount of funding from the National Lottery Good Causes Community Fund, and local councils nationwide, to continue her projects nationwide.  She tells us:

“Adapting my instructor training courses to be fully inclusive for disabled instructors, took me completely out of my comfort zone.  I have a lot of knowledge, but I do not have a personal ‘lived’ experience of any long-term health conditions. I just knew in my heart, that I was so incredibly passionate and determined to make SOSA accessible for everyone.

‘I am so proud to be working alongside EmployAbility/Aspire, providing fully accessible and inclusive training courses to encourage and support more fitness instructors with disabilities to gain a professional qualification and build a life-long career within the fitness industry. I am delighted that our Seated SOSA training course was chosen to contribute to the ‘EmployAbility Training Provider Guide’, as a case study example for others.’

I’ve learnt so much along my journey,  purely because I’ve never assumed anything, and I’ve been totally open to learning and adapting every step of the way.

Training and Empowering the Instructors

I have been SO inspired by the level of professionalism and passion of the disabled instructors I have trained. Every single person I’ve had the pleasure of training with a health condition or disability, know THEIR OWN ability and limits, and fully understand the struggles to be active and the everyday challenges they face.  I have found every one of them to be really motivated to help others, and I’ve helped to empower them to be in that position.  

A few prime examples: 

Oni Bhattacharya, is a wheelchair user who now works for YMCA and teaches Seated SOSA classes in older adult care facilities. He is the highlight of the residents’ week, they love it so much that they get a young vibrant man visit them to deliver some really fun activity!

Another of our instructors, Paul Fosu, has Essential Tremor and walks with a frame. He is from Nigerian descent, and having recently immigrated to the UK, was struggling to find his path. He now delivers Seated SOSA as part of a GP referral service in East London, as part of a charity funding initiative ‘Together Better’. He is a central part of his local community providing opportunities for older, vulnerable and disabled people to exercise and socialise.”

Top tips for setting up inclusive training programmes

Katy’s top tips for others considering following in her footsteps  is to listen and observe intently, open your heart, and never be afraid to embrace inclusivity – it will empower YOU, and everyone around you!  

We’re delighted that Katy’s top tips have worked so wonderfully well for her – ‘What I’ve achieved with SOSA, Seated SOSA, and now Simply SOSA, over the past 10 years has been way above and beyond even my wildest dreams.’

Follow the links for more information

You can visit the SOSA Instructor Training website for more info at https://sosafitness.co.uk/be-an-instructor/

You can also check out the SOSA & Starlets Community Interest Company website at https://sosafitness.co.uk/sosa-starlets-community-interest-company

Please don’t hesitate to contact Katy personally if you would like to discuss further at katy@sosadance.co.uk.

Monday 6th June 2022

📣 We’re THRILLED to announce that our inspirational founder, Katy, has recently been invited to join Charlotte Brawn’s Charlotte Brawn – Fitness Business Coaching PODCAST! 🎙

In this episode, Charlotte picks Katy’s brains about everything from overcoming fears, to how to fill classes, the benefits of hosting online classes, big fitness business goals and starting her very own dance fitness brand and first community classes! 📈

Plus Charlotte will share why she wanted Katy to be her first ever guest and what an inspiration she’s been in her own fitness journey! 💗💜

🔊 LISTEN TO THE PODCAST VIA:

Charlotte’s website: https://www.iheartmyfitbiz.com/blog

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3BtumIkTNZUWPFnBEbjXXi?si=0GSGM0jSQL27SzahyFRK0w

Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/56c60e9a-de50-40f4-bac3-f9e4f1dc9a83/the-i-heart-my-fitbiz-podcast?ref=dm_sh_PM86qviDpwt8Zvwp2RJQ7Gnmr

Thursday 31st March 2022

🌟 PROUD MOMENT ALERT!! 🌟

We’re absolutely thrilled that Seated SOSA Dance Fitness has been used as a case study in one of the InstructAbility #EmployAbilityLeisure Guides to help increase the number of disabled people training and working in the leisure industry.💗💜

👉 Have a read here, we feature on pages 68 – 71 of Guide B!
https://www.instructability.org.uk/employability-leisure-guides

Thursday 3rd March 2022

Last year, EMD UK, the national governing body for group exercise, was awarded funding from Sport England’s £20m Tackling Equalities Fund which was made possible by National Lottery funding.

The objectives of this funding were to:

⚡ Minimise the impact of COVID 19 on activity levels in under-represented groups, namely lower socio-economic groups, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities, disabled people and people with long-term health conditions, ensuring that the physical activity participation inequality gap doesn’t widen during this period in targeted communities

⚡ Enable community groups working with target audiences to continue to exist and retain the resources and capability to recover at the appropriate time

⚡ Provide funding for community groups working with Sport England target audiences to remain connected with their participants and keeping them active in the COVID 19 lockdown and early recovery stages

We were lucky enough to receive some of this funding to support the purpose of our SOSA and Starlets CIC. It’s enabled us to help people with long-term health conditions and disabilities to access SOSA Dance Fitness, Seated SOSA Dance Fitness and Simply SOSA Dance Fitness classes. 💗💜💙

We focussed on working with existing instructors and activity coordinators to take our classes into care homes and community organisations, including local charities who specialise in supporting groups with specific needs such as falls prevention or dementia. We then provided instructors and care home activity coordinators with training videos so they could deliver the classes until external instructors were allowed on site for face-to-face activity.

As well as being able to bring dance classes to care homes, other organisations such as community groups and day centres have also welcomed us with open arms! 🤗

After Active Essex had funded the pilot project, Active East Herts, Northamptonshire Sport, SASP (Swindon and Wiltshire) and Active Humber, all undertook to roll out the programme in their local communities. We’re also working with ActivLives to develop a ‘Falls Prevention Programme’.

🎬 Watch one of our classes in action here! https://fb.watch/buXiL5WiW_/

👉 Read more about other projects EMD has supported here:
https://emduk.org/emd-uk-supports-even-more-tif-projects/

Wednesday 10th November 2021

Wednesday 8th September 2021

Thanks to funding from the Sport England “Tackling Inequalities Fund” granted to our SOSA and Starlets Community Interest Company, we are thrilled to be able to well and truly make a difference to reduce what has been a negative impact on activity levels as a result of the recent pandemic and the widening of the inequalities in sport and physical activity.
Our mission is to give EVERYONE the chance to dance, thanks to our free, specialised and inclusive Seated SOSA Dance Fitness and Simply SOSA Dance Fitness programmes, irrespective of age or ability, particularly those with long-term health conditions, disabilities, and older adults. ❤
Our project specifically targets care homes, creating new inclusive content to deliver in live sessions and on-demand, designed specifically for those with long-term health conditions and disabilities; as well as additional content for care home staff, carers or activity coordinators to develop understanding of the concept and building confidence on how to facilitate the sessions.
Seated SOSA Dance Fitness and Simply SOSA Dance Fitness offers a HUGE range of benefits to participants, including promoting happiness and overall wellbeing with dance! 💃

Wednesday 1st September 2021

Seated SOSA Dance Fitness and Simply SOSA Dance Fitness – both unique and innovative programmes within our SOSA & Starlets Community Interest Company, which allow EVERYONE the chance to dance, irrespective of age or ability, particularly those with long-term health conditions, disabilities, and older adults. ❤
Now with the huge support of the Sport England “Tackling Inequalities Fund” which we are thrilled to have been granted, we can well and truly make a difference to reduce what has been a negative impact on activity levels as a result of the recent pandemic and the widening of the inequalities in sport and physical activity.
Our project specifically targets care homes, creating new inclusive content to deliver in live sessions and on-demand, designed specifically for those with long-term health conditions and disabilities; as well as additional content for care home staff, carers or activity coordinators to develop understanding of the concept and building confidence on how to facilitate the sessions.
We believe our programmes stand above other dance/fitness programmes because our priority is to deliver and share the ‘happiness’ feelings that participating in the activities creates. Sharing the dance happiness creates the feeling of belonging and family to all who participate. 💚

Friday 6th August 2021

Read more about “WOW – Working Out Wellbeing” and “SOSA and Starlets CIC” – our “sister” Community Interest Company, Co-Founded by our very own Katy Harris and Sue Wilson! ❤

Thanks to Dance News Worldwide for the feature in the July 2021 edition of their monthly magazine! 💃

👉You can subscribe to receive your very own copy of their monthly magazine via their website:
https://dancenewsworldwide.com/get-dance-news-worldwide-magazine/

January 2021

We’re thrilled that Caring UK Magazine, the largest and most established care sector publication in the UK, published an article about our Seated SOSA Dance Fitness Community Interest Programme in their November 2020 edition, which was distributed to 11,000 care homes nationwide.

 

Read the full article here!

https://sosafitness.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Caring-UK-Weekly-Editorial-Dec20.jpg

Inclusive Seated SOSA Dance Fitness Online Instructor Training Course officially LAUNCHES!

Giving everyone the opportunity and the chance to dance!

As we all know, keeping fit is at the heart of maintaining our good health. If we experience an injury or illness, our ability to remain active plays an important role in our recovery, and is vital in keeping our bodies strong as we get older. For those living with a disability or long-term health condition, the physical, social and psychological benefits of regular exercise are absolutely critical to continued wellbeing.

Seated SOSA Dance Fitness offers a fantastic insight into the world of dance using authentic footwork, arms and body styling movements from 37 international dance styles… adapted to a CHAIR!

Each routine is broken down into easy-to-learn sections that can be fully adapted to different speeds, levels of ability and ranges of movement, set to a soundtrack of chart hits from different decades to get participants singing as well as dancing!

SOSA Dance Ltd is endorsed by CIMSPA (The Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport & Physical Activity) and we can award the maximum 10 CPD Developmental points for our NEW Seated SOSA Dance Fitness Online Instructor Training Course.

Our programme closely follows the IDTA (International Dance Teachers Association) Ballroom, Latin, Salsa and Freestyle syllabuses.

Led by Founder and Principal Katy Barrow, SOSA aims to make dance accessible and inclusive for EVERYONE to take part in.

“I’m really passionate about making SOSA a truly ‘inclusive’ community class,” Katy emphasises, “It’s so ironic that when we are unable to move freely on our feet, the activities that have been an integral part of our lives – such as dancing – can suddenly and be completely out of our reach. It’s only then that you realise how limited the choice of classes you can take part in is, not only in terms of suitability but also in style and content. Until now, there has been a real absence of anything truly dance-based, that is fun, and completely safe and effective for seated participants.”

“My passion for Seated SOSA has grown on a daily basis,” says Katy. “Every person I have consulted during the development process while creating this programme has helped to give me a unique and invaluable insight into their specific, and 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.”

We are delighted to be working alongside CIMSPA to achieve our goals, it is so important that our training meets the highest standards in the industry and we insist upon all of our instructors meeting the strict pre-requisites for our course.

Our vision for the future is to make dance accessible to EVERYONE, and this comes with providing the best quality training possible for only fully qualified and experienced fitness and dance professionals across the sector. We want instructors who are passionate about inspiring more people to get active who truly believe in the benefits of both the physical improvement and mental wellbeing that dance brings.

We have recently conducted a case study of our Seated SOSA programme with InstructAbility, a Sport England funded charity who are passionate about training disabled people to become instructors in the fitness industry. We have already trained a team of their graduates, and aim to train many more instructors with disabilities and long-term health conditions to go on to deliver this programme to groups in their local communities.

To find out more about our NEW Seated SOSA Online Instructor Training Course, please visit our dedicated website page at https://sosafitness.co.uk/seated-sosa-dance-fitness/.

To keep up with all the latest news, please follow our social media pages – @SeatedSOSA on Facebook, @SeatedSOSA on Twitter or @sosadancefit on Instagram.

What is it like to wake up each morning with a total sense of satisfaction, a feeling of excitement and a warm glow in your heart…

It’s called being a Seated SOSA Dance Fitness instructor!!

My name is Mel Wittmaack and I am a Seated SOSA and SOSA Dance Fitness Instructor. I have been teaching classes within my local community for 18 months and believe I am finally in the right place at the right time of my life.

It is an absolute honour to be able to teach Seated SOSA Dance Fitness and I have the pleasure of teaching many of my classes within village hall settings where I can bring the joy of dance to residents within their own community, making dance accessible to as many people as I can. Although not everyone has the independence or ability to be able to bring themselves to a venue, it hasn’t stopped me trying! I do provide a community bus service in one village for residents so that they can book a ride, just like a taxi service. And I have also been known to run around a village in my car picking everyone up, as I know just how important these classes are to them. They are just like road trips! We have a giggle on the way!

Everyone should have the chance to dance and I feel very passionate about Seated SOSA Dance Fitness, as to me it delivers something more than just exercise in a chair. It brings passion, energy, excitement, laughter, happiness and nostalgia and all my fabulous class members will tell you how truly wonderful it makes them feel. We have an amazing amount of fun and loads of laughter, so not only are the classes beneficial to their health, they are equally important for their well-being. It’s so great to see new friendships form and each week the bonding becomes stronger; it really does feel like a big family.

The comments each week fill my heart with pride, as each one of my members starts to see their own individual improvements. It’s humbling to hear their enthusiasm and watch their expressions as they tell me they no longer use their walking stick first thing in the morning, or that they can now stand up out of a seated position without an aid. They have usually walked through the door on their first visit not expecting to achieve a great deal and are truly amazed, not only how you can Waltz, Jive, Charleston or even Cha Cha Cha in a chair! but how much you can do sat down and how they are improving with each week.

I have members who have progressed from a Seated SOSA class to one of my regular SOSA Dance Fitness classes as they start to become stronger, more agile and therefore more confident to try dancing standing up! It is probably the best feeling in the world for me to hear all these comments and see all these improvements. Seated SOSA is making a difference – I am making a difference! It doesn’t get any better than that!

I also have members in my Seated SOSA classes that do like to stand for a song or two, so there are considerations for all abilities. It’s all about feeling confident with their own ability, so they can decide to do as little or as much as they like. Some of them even just come along to have a good old sing song! Which is what we all love to do! And if I can also help them keep moving, stay as independent as possible for as long as possible and, most importantly, make them smile, laugh and dance themselves happy, then my job is done! Seated SOSA is a very special fitness programme!

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, Founder of SOSA Dance Fitness, please email katy.barrow@sosafitness.co.uk or call 07715 252524.

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Glowing report from CIMSPA EQA Quality Assurance Visit to Seated SOSA Dance Fitness Instructor Training day

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.

We are going to dance ourselves HAPPY!

There’s no need to live out your Strictly Come Dancing fantasies on the sofa in front of the telly anymore when you can strut your stuff to SOSA Dance classes at Stratford Leisure Centre, as Gill Sutherland, editor of Stratford Herald Focus Magazine found out…

SOSA in the City Inspires Londoners to s-t-a-r-t dancing!

“Wow… SOSA in the City was on ANOTHER LEVEL, we absolutely loved dancing in the city with you! It was incredible to see my dream of a truly inclusive class for EVERYBODY becoming such a fabulous reality – and I am delighted to leave a lasting legacy that enables Londoners to be more active through dance.” Katy Barrow

It started with simple idea, but one that I soon realised would need a BIG plan… to bring people of all ages, abilities, shapes, sizes, faiths & cultures together from across London (and around the UK) to dance together – for FREE – in one fully inclusive class, in one amazing venue!

So, I applied for special funding from no less than the Mayor of London Fund, which was accepted almost immediately – as you can imagine, I was just so excited. And so SOSA In The City was born!

Then, with the empowering support from EMD UK (the governing body for group exercise), I knew that I could start to think even BIGGER…

Right from the start, I wanted to feel that SOSA In The City would achieve something significant and enduring, as well as creating the most amazing one-off, FREE community dance event.

And what better legacy to leave than enabling TEN fabulous London instructors to train for FREE too?

Then they could launch their own classes and enable everyone looking for an authentic, international dance fitness class to join us! And the rest, as they say, is history!!!

Last Sunday we staged this very special session, and it was phenomenal! And it’s really clear to me that SOSA In The City : London will be remembered for years to come by everyone who danced with us… not only in person but those who joined in as we went LIVE on Facebook!

You can see from our many wonderful photos and videos precisely what it looks and feels like to ‘Dance Yourself Happy’ – so thank you, Lucy Baker, Don Barrow and Carol Ramsey for these amazing memories!

But of course, what are memories unless we can share them? So, I’ve personally put together all the ‘best bits’ into a special SOSA In The City video review so we can all do just that. I love watching it, again and again… and hope you will too.

And if all this inspires you to start dancing, we would love to SOSA with you! To find a class near you, just pop your postcode into our Class Locator

If you’d like to train and teach SOSA, we’d love to welcome you into the SOSA Family too… so why not check out our Instructor Training Courses

Wishing you all a fabulous 2018… and let’s all k-e-e-p dancing!

Katy x

Published 20th January 2018

bonesfordance

Shall We Dance?

Think your dancing days (or nights) are over? Maybe they haven’t even begun yet? Whatever your age and ability, the good news for our health and happiness for 2018 is a resounding “Yes, you should be dancing!”

Whether you’ve always danced, or always wanted to, it’s easy to see how fantastic it makes us feel…

Just look at the celebrities on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing! From ‘absolute beginners’ to those who could do way more than ‘give us a twirl’, everyone became really passionate about learning the authentic steps and styling to become a ‘real dancer’.

The great thing about dancing is how it keeps us fit and active, without ever feeling like ‘exercise’.

In fact, dance is a fantastic total body workout, contributing to our heart and lung health, toning and strengthening our bones as well as our muscles. Dancing also helps to boost energy levels, improving balance, flexibility and co-ordination, plus our core strength and posture.

We exercise our memory at the same time, and the learning process actually creates new neural paths in the brain, increasing the body’s ‘feel-good’ serotonin levels with every new step.

Having fun in a friendly group definitely makes us feel happier too.

So, if you fancy the idea of dancing yourself fitter for 2018, why not take the first step by taking part in ‘SOSA In The City’?

Funded by the Mayor of London, this first-ever, one-hour SOSA Community Dance class in London takes place at 11.00am on Sunday, 14th January at York Hall, Bethnal Green, E2 9PJ, and it’s FREE!

Led by our fabulous founder, Katy Barrow and designed for all ages and abilities, you’ll dance yourself happy along with up to 150 other people – Salsa, Cha-Cha-Cha, a legendary Disco routine, a Cuban-style ‘Rueda de Casino’ dance and much more – to a playlist of iconic songs that it you cannot fail to sing along to!

Book your place and register NOW or get in touch so we can email our short registration form to you.

Published 27th December 2017

We’re so excited to have the Mayor of London’s support for our amazing FREE community class with up to 150 people dancing at SOSA In The City!

With empowering funding from Mayor of London and EMD UK,we’re aiming to inspire Londoners to become more active through our shared love of dance…

Founder Katy Barrow’s aim for SOSA Dance Fitness has always been to encourage everybody to get up and dance, and have fun in a friendly, local group. She has also brought that same sense of belonging to the growing number of qualified SOSA instructors around the UK, affectionately known as the ‘SOSA family’.

It is Katy’s real passion for genuine ‘inclusivity’ at every level that led her to seek funding for the creation of a FREE-FOR-ALL London-based community dance event, timed coincide with our New Year resolve to become more active. And so SOSA In The City was born!

Katy’s vision, adding specially funded instructor training into the project, is to ensure that this amazing, one-off Community Dance Class will have a lasting legacy. By training new instructors to launch their own SOSA classes all over the capital, there will be many more accessible and affordable chances to dance into 2018 – increasing the likelihood of participants remaining active.

“We could not have even dreamed of staging SOSA In The City without funding from the national governing body for group exercise,  EMD UK and Mayor for London,” confirms Katy. “I have just had the privilege of training some fabulous new SOSA instructors as part of this project, and I’m delighted that they will be dancing with us on the day!”

This first-ever SOSA In The City takes place on the second Sunday of 2018, January 14, at the iconic YORK HALL Bethnal Green, E2 9PJ. The class will start at 11:00am, with access for participants from 10:30am.

It is going to be a real SOSA spectacular and Katy has choreographed a very special, crowd-pleasing, fun SOSA Playlist! Dance routines include Salsa, Cha-Cha-Cha, Paso Doblé and Reggaeton – plus a legendary Disco track (the clue’s in the video!) and a real ‘first’ with a Cuban-style Rueda de Casino!

We would love to SOSA In The City with you! You do need to book your place in advance and fill in a standard PAR-Q ‘readiness to exercise’ form online (a downloadable version is available if preferred) – then all you need to do on the day is wake up, turn up and workout!

Just click on this link to Book Your FREE Place NOW! 

How about getting some friends together to SOSA with you? Just share Katy’s ‘take part video’ and the secure Booking/PARQ form

You can still apply for funded free SOSA Online Instructor Training too (must be completed by December 31, 2017 latest) so don’t delay – apply TODAY!

Even if you can make it along this time, please keep up to date with new SOSA Dance Fitness classes launching soon on our SOSA In The City Facebook page.

Published 30th November 2017

SOSA’s Online Training launch is perfectly in step with new STRICTLY! season

As the BBC rolls out its latest celebrity line-up for the 15th series of this top-rating dance extravaganza, Katy Barrow announces the creation of her new SOSA Dance Fitness Online Instructor Training Course – so you can be ready to launch your own classes when Strictly! fever grips the nation next month

Inclusive NEW Seated SOSA class gives everybody the chance to dance!

If injury, illness, age or disability has become the barrier that’s stopped you from being physically active, this exciting new ‘chair dance’ class will change all that – for good!

Not only is the timing right but the launch package too, priced at a very special all-inclusive £99! Unsurprisingly, this hugely discounted offer is time-limited and will run only until Monday, 28th August, which coincides with the show’s high profile red carpet premiere.

Even before it launches, this new SOSA Online Course has achieved Active IQ Recognition, demonstrating SOSA founder Katy’s dedication to delivering the highest standard of professional instructor training. Also good to know for those looking to boost their CPD is that all of SOSA’s courses have been awarded with a maximum 10 CiMPSA Points, as well as 4 REPS Points.

Course content is of course key to instructors’ decision making, which is precisely why she undertook the creation of the whole online training programme herself. Everything from the course manuals and videos, including a fabulous 45-minute Masterclass with Katy, gives a very thorough but fun training package that takes approximately 12 hours to complete.

“It was a big decision to take our training online, and it was very important to me that I was able to re-create the personal attention that we give when training in person,” she explains. “I’m really thrilled with what we have achieved online, which feels as though each instructor is training with me through every stage in the process.”

The online training covers all six key dance styles that feature in SOSA Dance Fitness classes – Salsa, Cha-Cha-Cha, Kizomba, Rumba, Samba and Brazilian Zouk. The online materials give a fantastic insight into using authentic dance footwork, arms and body styling but making routines totally accessible for everyone to love dancing, regardless of any dance experience.

“I’m really passionate about making SOSA a truly ‘inclusive’ community class,” Katy emphasises, “which means being genuinely suitable 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 elected to keep the rolling monthly licence at just £10, to enable instructors to make their classes affordable for all. For this, instructors get four new routines every month, full access to an extensive choreography hub, plus unrivalled business support. All this gives instructors a fantastic incentive to get classes up and running right away, to take fullest advantage of the Strictly! ‘call to action’ to k-e-e-p dancing!

To find out more and to book your place on the new SOSA Online Instructor Training Course now, head to sosadancefitness.co.uk and click onto the ‘Be an Instructor’ menu or go straight to the SOSA Shop. Use the code ‘onlinestrictly99’ to secure the special £99 package by midnight on 28th August 2017.

Published 18th August 2017

Cool Down Routines

Active IQ has granted Professional Recognition to SOSA Dance Fitness’ Seated Fitness programme

A course to train instructors who are capable of planning and delivering seated dance classes to allow people of all abilities to take part in exercise and physical activity. We spoke to Katy Barrow – Founder and Director of SOSA Dance Fitness to find out more about her course which aims to create a fully inclusive fusion of dance and fitness for all.

What inspired you to create your programme?

“As a dance teacher for over 20 years, it felt a natural progression for me to combine the beauty and authenticity of dance with the sense of fantastic wellbeing that comes with keeping fit and being active. Basically, I wanted to inspire the nation to get active and learn to dance, and so SOSA Dance Fitness was born! My vision has always been to create a truly inclusive dance programme and I believed there is a genuine opportunity for, and excitement about, creating a seated SOSA Dance Fitness class. I’m really proud that we’re at the forefront of a dance movement to bring everybody into one fully inclusive class that is suitable for standing, supported and seated participants.”

What is the objective of your programme?

“We wanted to bring together the many fabulous international dance styles with memorable songs and soundtracks, and create a fitness formula that is totally accessible for everybody. With Seated SOSA Dance Fitness, we deliver all of that in a dynamic, safe and effective class with routines that are adaptable for all degrees of abilities and health conditions, as well as being suitable for exercise referrals and seniors. We provide learners with the knowledge and skills to adapt the basic dance steps and styling movements, using effective calorie-burning exercise movements for seated participants or those with additional health considerations. Importantly, we demonstrate how much fun the class can be when all of this is expertly in place.”

What subject areas does your programme cover?

“Our One-Day Instructor Training course is a fun-packed, intensive but hugely rewarding day where we will teach you everything you need to know to set up and run your own Seated SOSA Dance Fitness classes. You will learn how to create a seated workout using our core dance styles; Salsa, Samba, Paso Doble and Soca/Calypso. You will be taught warm up and cool down routines, together with choreography and styling tips that are fun, expressive and unique to Seated SOSA Dance Fitness. We will spend time with you enhancing your skills in building and running great classes that provide a motivating, exciting and challenging experience for your class participants. As part of our training and assessment course, instructors are also required to read our Instructor Training Manual, complete a pre-course online theory assessment and learn our Seated SOSA Dance Fitness Instructor Assessment routine, which forms their final practical assessment on the day.”

How does your programme benefit those taking part?

“We know that both our minds and bodies benefits when we move to music, and the sense of achievement and happiness that participants feel in learning authentic dance moves, techniques and body styling is self-evident. Promoting a sense of wellbeing is so important too, and our participants never need any encouragement to sing along and express themselves in a happy, relaxing way!

Physical activity is of course incredibly beneficial for older adults too, and can help to reduce the impact of illness and chronic disease, prevent memory loss and cognitive decline, and enhance mobility, flexibility and balance. There is also a rise in the need for various low impact classes for exercise referral participants, and this is the perfect class for those recovering from a serious / life-threatening condition. Exercise has been seen to assist both of these special populations in helping to improve their conditions and help them lead a more independent life, plus provide much needed social interaction and help improve confidence.”

What materials have you created to support delivery of your programme?

We pride ourselves on delivering a highly professional, personal and pro-active level of support for our instructors. Each person receives our in-depth Seated SOSA Dance Fitness training resource manual along with FULL and unlimited access to our Instructor Academy. This access gives them exclusive content, social media / marketing support and access to two new choreographed routines every month, PLUS a huge back-catalogue of adapted routines, all of which are broken down into easy-to-learn sections and can be delivered at different speeds and levels of difficulty, providing a safe and effective workout for everyone to enjoy.

I’m absolutely passionate about this, and 100% committed to supporting every Seated SOSA Dance Fitness instructor in making that happen.”

How did you find your experience with Active IQ’s Professional Recognition service?

I have found it nothing short of excellent. The application process was really simple, and even more so this time now it has moved to an online application instead of paper. Having Professional Recognition with Active IQ has really helped to promote our brand and add credibility to our instructor training programme in the fitness industry.

Published by ActiveIQ, 21st July 2017 – https://activeiq.co.uk/news/active-iq-grants-professional-recognition-to-sosa-dance-fitness-course/