Established in 1998, Encore Dance Center (“EDC”) in Virginia Beach, Virginia, prides itself on being the best studio in the Hampton Roads area. The studio offers professional, dedicated, and qualified instructors in a State of the Art Facility.
From a child’s first dance class to their graduation year and beyond, Encore has something for everyone.
In the opinion of Jaime Popard, Studio Director, Encore consistently remains a step ahead of other dance studios in an ever-changing dance world. The studio offers both competitive, pre-professional and recreational opportunities for ages 2 through Adult in all levels. Offering the best student/teacher ratio around allows the students to have individual attention and growth.
Jaime’s proudest moments coaching occur when she watches a beginner class work extremely hard, earning them several competition awards throughout the year. The consistent progress is what makes her a proud instructor.
The biggest mistakes Jaime sees dancers make would have to be not applying corrections over time. When a correction is given, it is because the instructor knows that it is fixable and wants to see the effort made by the dancer so that the correction does not have to continue to be given each week. 
Encore Dance Team (“EDT”) is their elite dance team that desires to take their dancing to the next level and who expresses a strong commitment to both dancing and performing. They believe that each dancer on their team has something unique and special to give, and that in encouraging each member’s individuality, they become better and stronger as a group. Instructors evaluate all students in class and invite them to join EDT if, and when, the instructor believes they are ready.
EDT participates in four to six regional competitions a year, both out of town and local. Additionally, the team participates in an out of state Nationals competition. They endeavor to provide their dancers many opportunities to succeed while at the same time keeping costs down and easy to manage. In an effort to accomplish this, they have a fundraising program in place that assists in covering travel and competition. They believe every dancer should have the chance to follow their dream. ECD’s goals this year are to continue providing a safe, professional, and fun environment for local students. They look forward to the continued growth of the studio.
In 1998, Diane Holland, Studio Owner and Competition Team Director, founded Encore Dance Center. Diane attended Point Park College in Pittsburgh on a dance scholarship. Before Diane relocated to Virginia, she taught dance in association with the London Ballet in Houston. Currently she is a member of Dance Masters of America and Dance Educators of 
America. She was a performer at Busch Gardens, has danced for the Rodriguez Dance Company in Houston, and a lead dancer for dinner theater productions. She firmly believes in the notion that anyone and everyone can profit from dance. Consequently, she would like to invite everyone to investigate how this fantastic creative outlet can benefit them.
According to Jaime, Encore Dance Center remains successful for nearly two decades for several reasons: Competitive and Affordable tuition; convenient drop-in class options in addition to tuition based classes; their State of the Art Facility; over ten dedicated and experienced instructors; offering classes for all levels and ages including adult, toddler, and all boys dance classes with classes in Ballet, Pointe, Tap, Jazz, Modern Dance, Lyrical, Acro, Zumba, Hip Hop, Musical Theatre, Contemporary, Technique and more!
If you would like more information about Encore Dance Center, visit their website at encoredancecenter.com, call them at 757-460-4008 or email them at Dance@EncoreDanceCenter.com. You can also “Like” them on Facebook, follow them on Twitter and connect with them on Instagram.
Please post a comment if you have had any experience with Jaime Popard of Encore Dance Center.
Mrs. Jaime has choreographed many dances for me, my favorite ones being the solos and duos she’s done for me. Every year she challenges me and gives me just the right amount of tough love and encouragement, and in return the pieces she choreographs for me score high, win many awards, and most importantly look amazing!