The studio owner

Try to find out where the studio owner is from and where his or her foundation is based. Did they just graduate college? Do they have their major in dance? Did they travel with a troupe? Were they part of a company?

Getting a good understanding of a studio owner’s background lets you know where they’re coming from and how much experience they have. Many parents choose someone who was with a well-known company. They feel that gives them the experience of being both a student and a performer.

The teachers

Look for a variety of teachers. When a dance school is diverse, I see it as more opportunity for a student to branch out and learn new styles and techniques. For example, a great studio may have a teacher who’s incredible at ballet, another who’s into hip hop, and yet another who’s a phenomenal modern dancer.

Diversity in the staff leads to diversity in the dancer.

Presence in the community

The best experience you can give a dance student is performance experience. That’s why I recommend looking for a dance school that’s active in the local community and performing locally.

A few recitals a year isn’t enough to build up that performance experience. But if a dance school is running performances at local events, it’s a great opportunity for students to really find their stage legs.

Inspiration factor

This one is all about personal preference, but look for a dance studio that’s going to inspire your children. If you go in and the ceiling’s leaking and half the flickering fluorescent lights are broken, they may not be inspired as an artist (and you won’t be inspired as a parent). So, always take a tour of the studio before you enroll your kids. Make sure it’s a welcoming environment that brings out the dancer in your child.

Photo: Bisgovuk

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Teaches Discipline

Our head dance designer began taking dance classes when she was three, and she’s one of the most disciplined and polite women I know. Actually, most dancers I’ve met in my dancewear career have been exceptionally polite and disciplined. I think that attitude and demeanor stems from the discipline and manners that are taught in the dance studio.

Let’s face it, manners and discipline are lacking in a lot of kids these days. But, put them in a room with some of the ballet teachers I’ve met, and they’ll have them saying please and thank you left, right and center.

Posture

Dancers don’t slouch. Why? Because dance school teaches you how to hold yourself — keep a flat back, stand tall and remember your legs. It may seem frivolous, but good posture is key to preventing future back problems.

Exercise

Dance school gets kids out of the house, away from the TV and actually moving. It’s an amazing workout that teaches them how to move their bodies, use their bodies and stay active.

Opens Kids to the Arts

For me, this is probably the biggest benefit of dance school for children. Dance is a great way to open kids up, at a young age, to the arts and the beauty of creative expression.

Unfortunately, our arts programs in schools are constantly being cut and I think it’s up to us, the parents, to make sure our children aren’t losing an important part of our culture. By exposing your child to the arts early, you’re setting them up for a lifetime of artistic appreciation. It’s hard to measure that, but I value it highly.

Photo: Tom@HK

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The experience is always fun, if not downright hilarious, particularly with the really little ones.

Dancers are starting younger and younger and with 3-year-olds entering into creative movement and beginner tot’s classes, it’s hard to imagine how these dance teachers keep those little ones under control. Between the bathroom breaks (or worse, the missed bathroom breaks), temper tantrums, funny dances and kids who say the wildest things, I see the dance teachers struggling to keep a straight face… sometimes the kids are just too funny!

If you’ve not been to a little tot’s dance class, imagine this: some kids are rolling around & falling down, a few are wiping their noses on their leotards, others are dancing with one shoe on and one or two might have even opted for a nap.

But, you know, it’s all part of the package. They’re kids, they’re having fun and, most importantly, they’re starting out on what will hopefully be a lifelong relationship with dance… and I love seeing it all!

As dance instructors, we have to expect these crazy kid moments and be ready to take them in stride. My only wish though was that we had video cameras to capture these darling, and sometimes hilarious snippets on film. They’d make perfect footage for America’s Funniest Dance Studio Videos (a show I’d love to see!).

Do you have any funny stories from your studio?
What about favorite YouTube videos of little dancers doing cute things?
If so, please share them in the comments section, I’d love to see them.

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And while I love seeing my friends’ little dancers grow and learn, I get sad when I hear the stories about how competitive dance has become (in some studios), particularly for younger children.

This is what I mean:

I have a friend whose daughter has, what some call, a “learned gymnast’s form”. Her back arches more than usual while dancing. It’s not a tragedy, but it changes the way she carries herself and while there’s no real problem with it, it can be an “issue” with stricter forms of dance like ballet.

Her little girl has been left out of competitions, recitals and award opportunities at her studio. She’s only 10 and her mother is understandably heartbroken because, although she’s begged the teachers to help sort out her little girls posture or allow her to participate at the next level, this hard working little dancer is simply being left behind.

When a Dance Studio is Too Competitive

Dance moms, we need to be watchful and know when a studio is getting too competitive. From the awards ceremonies to the high-pressure auditions, it’s all designed to pile on the stress. Why do we allow this to happen? It doesn’t always translate to better dancers. Sometimes, that high-pressure atmosphere ends up discouraging dancers who become disheartened after falling behind even a little bit.

As a former instructor, I believe that dance is about expression and creativity first and foremost.

Competition comes second.

If you suspect your little dancer’s studio is too competitive or there’s a risk your child may be left behind, schedule a meeting with the studio director right away. Talk about your concerns, their thoughts on your child and how you and the studio can move forward.

If the studio is unwilling to talk with you or be proactive, take your business elsewhere.

photo:yogi

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Before you choose a dance studio, please do your research. Most studios out there have exceptionally qualified teachers and a strong passion for the Art of Dance, but that doesn’t mean they’re all created equally. In fact, based on my experience, there are five questions you should always ask before enrolling your child in a new dance studio.

These five hallmarks can make a huge difference in the overall quality of instruction, the facility itself and your child’s experience:

1. Their choice of dance, costumes and music
Kids are kids, so let’s keep them that way. Parading a group of 7-year-olds out on stage to ‘Fever,’ dressing them up in immodest leotards and getting them to run through a lewd or suggestive choreography is never appropriate. Unfortunately, it’s a growing trend.

If you have concerns about a studio’s family values, make sure you ask first. Inquire about their school policies and what, if any, complaints they’ve had from parents.

2. Class sizes
The smaller the class, the more personal attention each student receives, plain and simple. Some large classes will have multiple instructors and this, of course, works well too.

Smaller class sizes also mean a teacher has greater control and is better able to monitor a student’s progress. So, before you enroll your child in a new dance studio, ask:

• If we miss a class is there a make-up class available on a different day?
• Approximately how many participate in each class?
• Do the limits change for every age group?
• How often do classes fill up?
• Can you start and stop the class at any time? (like if you want to take the summer off for swim lessons)

3. Parental involvement
Some studios forbid parents from watching class, others encourage it. On one hand, it lets parents become more involved with the process, but on the other hand, it can be a distraction to students. If watching your child is important to you, make sure you clarify these rules before you enroll.

Also, get a firm understanding for what’s expected of you as a parent. Some studios require parents to sew, sell tickets or participate in fund raising events. Other schools are very hands-off.

Before you enroll, make sure you understand what’s expected of you. Check if that matches up with your own expectations. All studios are different and both strengths and weaknesses.

5. Performance opportunities
Enrolling in dance classes is about more than teaching your child new skills, it’s about helping them increase:

• self esteem
• hand-eye coordination
• rhythm
• physical activity

As long as the children get to “show off” what they have learned in the end, they look forward to that like a light and the end of the tunnel.  Whether it is on a big stage or in a classroom, they really look forward to those minutes in the “spotlight”.

Your job as the parent is to give them the praise and applause they worked so hard for no matter how the performance was.  In the end, it needs to be a totally positive experience.

photo:edenpictures

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Have you studied your market & competition?
In small towns, everyone either has to order online, make their own costumes or travel prohibitively long distances just to get shoes, leotards and basic supplies. Your market needs you and if you have a healthy studio, then you already have a healthy client base.

On the other hand, urban dance retailers find themselves up against bigger competition, whether it’s specialty stores selling a range of brands or even discount retailers like Target or Payless Shoes. Before you launch a retail dancewear store in your dance studio, make sure you understand who you’ll be up against.

Are you ready for the paperwork?
A retail component could mean setting up a whole separate bookkeeping system or even business. You’ll need to report sales tax, track sales and stay on top of inventory. It’s a lot of work and even more papers.

Truthfully, it’s not all that hard and is easily “outsourced” to a reasonably priced professional, nevertheless, you need to know: Are you ready for it?

Do you have the space?
Running a small retail dancewear store means you’ll not only need square footage for the store, but also for your inventory storage. Do you have that space? If not, can you easily expand? If not, with all the paid storage spaces popping up everywhere, an inexpensive “dancewear warehouse” should be too hard to set up.

If for some reason opening a retail store in your dance studio means you’ll have to sacrifice dance space, carefully evaluate which service will potentially bring in more profit before you make the switch.

Do you have a strong brand?
Does your dance studio have a strong brand? Are you already selling t-shirts or competitive leotards with your logo? If so, you could be in the perfect position to set up a small retail store selling other branded items such as stainless steel water bottles or customized practice leotards. Here at MotionWear, we can help you design, develop and sell your own custom, branded dancewear.

Dance Studio Owners – Tell Us
What do you think – What makes a dance studio ready for retail dancewear? Is adding a retail component always a good thing or can it overwhelm a studio with unnecessary responsibilities?

I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments section, so please feel free to share.

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1. Amp Up the Music
Unlike ballet or jazz, tap has two musical components – the music itself and the sounds of each and every tap. A good routine understands the synergy that must exist between the two. To spice up and “amp up” your tap routine, try amping up your music choices.

Opt for musical selections that are fast and percussive. For an added touch of originality, try different non-traditional musical selections from around the world that you wouldn’t necessarily expect to see combined with tap. For example, Latin, Afro-beat, and Bollywood are all great examples of percussive music that’s original and poised for the added element of tap.

2. Change is Good
When choosing your music, pick a song or piece that has lots of rhythm changes. With tap, you want to keep the audience and the dancers on their toes, so avoid boring repetitiveness. Remember, you want to surprise the audience and give your dancers a chance to show off their skills, a repetitive beat isn’t going to do that.

In addition to varying rhythms, try varying formations. That means no dancing in one spot or lumping dancers into a single group that never changes. Instead use circles, diagonals, switch spots and constantly changing group formations to keep your routine visually interesting. Switch up the location of groups and the number of dancers in each formation – it will make your choreography a lot more interesting.

3. Keep it Pure
When you ask a lot of choreographers how they might spice up a tap routine, they’ll often suggest mixing in elements of jazz, ballet, hip hop or lyrical to add something new. But sometimes the most dramatic decision you can make is to keep the choreography as pure as possible – that means all tap and strong, forceful tap at that. With everyone else diluting the form, you’re sure to stand out.

This same idea of purity can be applied to costumes as well. For tap, I prefer costumes that never hide the feet or distract from them. It’s important to remember that in tap it’s all about the sound and the movement, so opt for costumes that are eye-catching, but still focused on the dance.

By the way… we have a large variety of leotards for women and dance apparel for men that would work perfectly in your next tap dance recital.

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With the financial downturn not expected to end until early next year, here are a few things you can do to strengthen your business now:

1. Make Your Dancers Happier
A big part of customer attainment is customer retention. This concept is two-pronged because on one prong you have the old adage that it’s easier to sell to the customer you already have than the one you don’t and on the other prong you have the incredible referral sales potential that satisfied customers can provide.

What does that mean? Well, for every satisfied and happy student you have, you have a better chance of selling them more classes or encouraging them to refer a friend.

To keep your dancers (and parents) happy, show them that you care and appreciate their business. Put more effort into encouraging them, say thank you more often, create more teaching and showcasing opportunities, provide free services (like occasional free classes or complimentary audition preparation) and make an effort to know each and every student and parent personally.

To encourage referrals, offer an incentive program that’s based on either monetary discounts or free classes.

2. Amp Up Your Advertising
In the midst of an economic downturn, most of your competitors will start to hunker down and pull back their advertising. That means yours will stand out. And with the economy in a slump, so are ad sales, meaning you’re in the driver’s seat when it comes to ad prices and negotiations.

That’s right, you can negotiate on advertising costs. If you’re prepared to pay in advance and are strong enough to be firm on your negotiations, these hard times could translate to 50-70% off “card rates” on print advertising.

If you’re not ready to spend, try low-cost or free methods like bulletin board postings, presentations at parents’ groups, ads in the lessons & tutoring section of your local Craigslist.com or connecting via online social media like a dance group on Facebook.

3. Target a Niche Market
There a number of economic and community sectors that aren’t affected by the economic slump, like health care for example. By creating a special promotion for health care workers, you’re tapping into a niche market and one that still has money to burn.

You should also consider target niches that aren’t based on jobs and are perfect for dance studios, like young couples, single women, children with behavior problems, Mommy & Baby classes, pregnant dance classes or aerobic-dance combo classes.

Bottom line, do something smart but also new and different and you’ll get more people into your dance studio.

photo:clearly ambiguous

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