Dancia International Showcase Raises £4000 For Charities

Online, August 3, 2010 (Newswire.com) - A one day dance spectacular organised by the award winning Dancia International dance shop franchise in Caversham has raised £4,000 for a consortium of local charities.

The Dancia International Reading Dance Showcase 2010 took place at the Rivermead Leisure Complex on 6th June and featured performances by dancers from 38 Reading-based dance groups covering every kind of dance - from ballet and tap to salsa and Scottish dancing.

The day's performances were kicked off by local dance teacher turned X-Factor star Danyl Johnson who was amongst friends, having been a regular teacher at some of the dance schools taking part in the event.

Dancia Caversham Franchisee and showcase organiser Jude Chapman said; "We decided to organise a second dance showcase event because everyone had such a great time last year.

"We have an incredibly vibrant dance scene here in Reading, and we wanted to show people the huge range of dance styles available for them to learn."

The Caversham based dance shop won a Business in Action award in 2009 for organising the first Reading Dance Showcase and operates as part of the successful Dancia International franchise chain, which is the only franchised dance shop business in the UK.

Mother of two, Jude said; "In 2006, we decided to sell our house and invest some of the proceeds into a business that would fund a retirement savings plan. For years I had talked about the fact that Reading needed a specialist dancewear shop and when I spotted that Dancia offer a franchising option for this retail sector, everything just fell into place.

"It is exciting to start your own dancewear business, but it would be pretty daunting to do it by yourself with no experience.

"The best thing about being a Dancia franchisee is that you are your own boss, but there is always a friendly voice at the end of the phone who can give you the benefit of their many years of experience."

Dancia Director Beverly Kirkup said that the Caversham Franchise's charity efforts reflect the company's core values in action; "Being a Dancia franchisee isn't just about running a dance shop - it's about taking an active role in dance in your area, supporting good causes and being a champion for all forms of dance in the local community.

"One of the many benefits of our franchise is that key aspects of starting up and running your business are taken care of.

"To start with you're buying into a proven business model with the backing of brand name that is already well established.

"Furthermore; stock control, supplier relationships, product development, national advertising and a host of other key business tasks are managed by our head office team. This frees up precious time that franchisees can use to promote their businesses locally and really engage with their community from the outset.

"We are extremely proud of our Caversham franchisees for raising this money for charity and continuing to fly the flag for all of the many dance styles that can be found in and around Reading."

Karen Morton, Chair of Reading area charities consortium RACT, said: "This money means so much to the small Reading-based charities that come under the RACT umbrella. We are delighted to be the beneficiary of this exciting event that also shows what amazing dance talent we have here in Reading. The Showcase is a spectacular family day out and we are all looking forward to next year's event!"

For more information, pictures and video of The Reading Dance Showcase 2010, go to www.dancia.co.uk/showcase.

For more information about becoming a Dancia franchisee call 01273 414455, email franchise@dancia.co.uk or visit www.dancia.co.uk to request a free franchise information pack.