Rinka’s Sarah Gillespie
A Donegal entrepreneur’s innovative fusion of dance, drama and children’s fitness is to feature on RTE’s hit TV show Dragon’s Den.
Rinka is a new craze for kids which is inspired by the need to promote health, fitness and confidence in children.
Former competitive Irish dancing champion and drama teacher Sarah Gillespie has developed the new style of non-competitive fitness activity as “an alternative to mainstream sport” which embraces kids of all abilities.
The enterprising 30 years-old Donegal Town woman has firmly established the Rinka brand in the county and is now franchising her business model across Ireland.
Sarah will pitch her Rinka business plan to RTE’s Dragons in an effort to gain their support for her franchise as she seeks out new instructors throughout the island.
“I’m really excited about the show as it’s a great opportunity to showcase Rinka’s huge health and developmental benefits for children of all ages,” she said.
“I was delighted that Rinka was selected for Dragon’s Den as it is a product with so much potential to make a big difference in the lives of so many children. I must admit to being a little daunted at how the Dragons will react but it will surely be another fantastic experience in the wonderful story of Rinka,” she added.
Rinka offers three fun-filled fitness and child development programmes – Dance Fit, Drama Fit and Bounce. Dance Fit introduces children to the fundamentals of fitness through the medium of dance but without the pressure to compete; Drama Fit has all the creative elements of a drama class combined with the high-energy dynamics of a workout; and Bounce is a high energy, multi-activity class for children aged from 18 months to teens.
Sarah explained: “Rinka is an opportunity for children, regardless of skill or background, to burn some energy, have some fun, learn new skills and make new friends. Most importantly it is designed to help boost children’s confidence and encourage them to believe that they can take part in whatever activity they choose.
“Not every child wants to play football or become an athlete. There are many artistic children out there who need help to find their little niche in order to burn energy. With Rinka, kids gain fitness through drama and through dance – they’re working out without even knowing it and it’s always inclusive so no one ever feels left out.”
New instructors are currently being sought to help bring the Rinka experience of Donegal to children all over Ireland.
“We’re looking for new instructors everywhere from Belfast to Cork and Dublin to Galway. No experience is required to become a Rinka franchisee as all of the essential skills are provided in our training programmes.
“All that’s required for Drama Fit and Bounce is a love of going crazy with kids every day. Rinka instructors can set up with Drama Fit and Bounce only – they don’t even need premises as we can help with venue sourcing and rental in any area.
“We look after all the boring bits so the franchisee’s only job is to turn up and enjoy hours of fun with kids,” Sarah added.
In developing Rinka, Sarah has drawn on all of her previous experience in drama, dance, fitness and business. She is a three-time Irish Dancing World Championship competitor who has performed in a Broadway production of Brian Friel’s Dancing at Lughnasa, trained as sports therapist; ran her own successful children’s drama academy and achieved a first class degree in Business Management from NUI Maynooth.
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