Summing Up The Summit

Three days goes by really fast.

Spend three days at a conference for dance teachers (like I did in early August at the Dance Teacher Summit in NYC) and you just might feel as though a tornado spat you out on the doorstep upon your return home. In fact, I can sympathize with poor Dorothy. Having been whisked off to a colorful place filled with compelling characters, I woke up a little woozy, too… and you were there, and you were there, and you… And also like Dorothy, I found myself back at home with very little physical evidence that I had actually been there! I am afraid I am as neglectful at photography as Miss Gale is at landing houses. C’est la vie!

So, instead of actual snapshots I’m sharing some of the thoughts and impressions I picked up along the yellow brick road (I promise that’s the last Wizard of Oz reference). I hope you’ll use, think about, or act upon these little nuggets from the Dance Teacher Summit. I had a great time collecting them for you.

Please note that unless quotations are used, I am paraphrasing as nearly as I can the awesome info shared by these esteemed guest artists.

Break the mold

When competing students, consider the body of work which you are presenting. Prepare the students well and diversify. Not everyone will fit that “contemporary, acoustic” mold. You have students in the back row on those numbers waiting to soar with their strengths in other realms. Mandy Moore had a ton of great things like this to say in her open conversation with attendees about competition mistakes.

Preparing for partnering

When you are getting ready for partnering (or helping to prepare students for partnering) both the guys and girls need to have a strong core. Pilates is great for that. In addition, according to Keith Roberts (Come Fly With Me, ABT, Twyla Tharp Dance), what guys need more than a ton of push-ups, is to build leg strength. Girls need to get strong too and a great exercise for women, according to Laurie Kanyok (Come Fly With Me, Movin Out, Fosse): practice smoothly lifting yourself up and out of a swimming pool with your arms. Summer’s not yet over so give that one a try!

Top secret

There is a recipe for good pirouettes and an essential ingredient is an effective downward plié and push into the floor. Think of an old-fashioned top and where its power to spin comes from. The button spirals down into the mechanism, and when it rises it spins beautifully with ease on that little point. Thanks to Finis Jhung for that theft-worthy image!

Teacher rewards

The love and fire and soul you give away today as a teacher will return to you. Your students will give back to you and lift you up and heal your spirit, perhaps when you need it most. Frank Hatchett is an inspirational example and after a fun, classic, jazz class, his beautiful message sent us out the door.

Let it flow

Kathy Blake offered many quotable thoughts in her session on Studio Ethics. You don’t have to own a studio to be inspired by this: Being a positive problem solver, one with high levels of integrity and maturity, is not inherent or natural to most people. It is a choice you make every day to “be bigger than the problem you are solving.” As a leader you must help people adhere to your policies and procedures because what you put up with, you give permission to. Know that it is okay and the natural course of things to let people (including students) flow into your life, but also out of your life and studio.

Purposeful props

Just about anything is a prop when you are working with little ones and you should keep that in mind when you visit dollar stores and shops. In addition to sparking imaginations, they are great for helping young dancers work together and learn to do basic partner work and formations. Have children share and pass a prop to learn how to take turns and promenade (walk) around a partner. Or, use floor mats or other markers to aim and stop at a point in the space when crossing the floor. I loved the Ribbon Rings used by Beverly Spell in her Props & Across The Floor Session. Purchase these and other great materials at Leap ‘N Learn. And check out Maria Hanley’s homemade ribbon rings (with directions) at Maria’s Movers.

Counting and rhythm

To help your students develop understanding of rhythm and timing, address their developmental needs. When working with 3 to 5 year-olds, use pictures. Relate the step or movement to something that they can visually picture in their mind. Kids this age can’t associate number counts to beats of the music, associate numbers with the amount of times you do a step instead.  For ages 5 to 7, use pictures in conjunction with sounds relative to their movement (like zip, boom, tat).  Kids can come up with fun sounds too.  Start to associate numbers with the beat of the music and introduce some musical theory. For ages 8 and up, along with pictures and sounds, use counts.  By now students should be able to associate number counts with an 8-count of music and they are capable of learning where to start count 1 in a phrase of music. Tricia Gomez of HYPE Studios and Dance -- In a Box, packed a ton of great teaching tips into her Hip-Hop for All Ages seminar.

Give studio parents some face time

Your studio Facebook page (that’s the one with the big ‘Like’ button) provides a great platform for your school to become “the thread woven throughout your community.” Use it to share links and news from the broader arts and dance world and to connect with businesses, organizations, and events in your local community. Better still, says Suzanne Blake Gerety in her session on Social Media, spread goodwill (and probably get a little returned to you) by making it a point to connect with the local businesses and pages for dance parents at your studio.

Return to one’s roots

Dance is for everyone. We are deeply connected to movement as a means of expressing the human experience. Reconnecting to that basic need to dance is just joyous. It isn’t necessarily a lesson I had forgotten but I know few teachers who communicate our shared history in dance as well or as enthusiastically as Thom Cobb. It’s been years since I took his “Vintage Jazz” at Slippery Rock University as a student and dance major, and I was glad to be reminded how much I like “killin’ time” with TC. Waaw!

Avoid the scribble and scramble

Carry business cards. Okay, that one is just my own advice for any teacher that finds themselves at a conference or out in public for that matter. Hey, it doesn’t happen often; take advantage when it does! It was so fun seeing excited teachers meet and share resources and advice with someone new at the Summit. Inevitably I watched many do the scribble and scramble as they tried to quickly exchange information before the next session, while others easily exchanged cards.

Be generous with who you are

At the Dance Teacher Summit I had the great fortune to meet a few of you, along with a number of brand new names and faces. In addition, I met in person some friends I first encountered via Twitter and only previously interacted with online.

With many of these friends I have shared tweets, emails, and phone calls over the last year or more. Among the group are Suzanne Blake Gerety of DanceStudioOwner.com, Maria Hanley of Maria’s Movers (see Maria’s Summit wrap-up here), Leslea Clark of Uptown Dance (see Leslea’s Summit reflections here), Chad Michael Lawson of Real Deal Dance Marketing, José Ramirez of Backdrops Beautiful (see Jose’s post on our little Tweetup here), and Marc Kirschner of TenduTV.

Following the summit Suzanne wrote something about her experience that I’d like to share with you.

“When you’re being generous with who you are, what you stand for, what you’re passionate about, and truly being social…the ripple effect of a tweet can’t be measured.”

Whether it is online or at a conference like the Dance Teacher Summit, I’ve found it immeasurably important for teachers, dancers, and artists to find opportunities to encounter new ideas and validate ‘old’ ones by spending time with others in their field. The Dance Teacher Summit was a success because so many wonderful professionals, both well-known and not, shared their generosity and passion for dance with peers and colleagues. I encourage you to be generous with who you are as often as you can manage it. It is really the only way to make great connections online and off.

I hope to see you next year at Dance Teacher Summit 2011!

Unite … Share … Inspire

Some clips from the DTS 2010 Gala, courtesy Leslea of Uptown Dance NJ

Special thanks to all the Dance Teacher Summit organizers and staff for a great time!

Social Smarts LIVE Chat

Chat Archive:

The archive to the chat can be found at Chatroll (you do have to be have to register for free with Chatroll to view the archive online)

Here is the archive from today’s chat, available for download: Social Smarts Live Chat

Check back for more links and useful info.

The purpose of of Social Smarts Chat

Marc, Suzanne and Nichelle all enjoy using social media and believe it can be a great tool for dancers, dance studios, dance companies, and dance teachers to grow their businesses and their online presence. We are not social media “experts.” There won’t be any surprise invitations to join a mailing list or buy an e-book. We are consumers of social media and like most consumers, we have our own ideas and experiences regarding what is effective and not in social networking. Though these ideas will come through in our chat, our purpose is to share our methods for making informed choices when it comes to social media, marketing ideas, and forming relationships online. Much of what we’ll be talking about is just good business sense but we will also give you some online tools and know-how that will hopefully help you see beyond any internet mumbo-jumbo and serve you as you navigate online encounters with would-be business partners, consultants, or affiliations.

How To Act (And React) Like A Professional

The following article has been compiled and revamped from a two-part series on professionalism which appeared on the blog in 2008.

What is a professional?

A consummate professional is constructive, positive, is motivated and has the ability to motivate others, displays generosity, and takes the high road. If you want to be seen as a professional in your career and in your life, you must develop strong leadership skills. And leaders are most often defined by their reactions to situations, rather than their actions.

When someone makes a mistake

Do you like to be publicly called out when you’ve made a mistake? Neither does anyone else. Professionals resist the urge to be negative, point out a person’s faults, or undermine the authority of another. When it comes to making improvements, true professionals (and true leaders) use their energy to solve problems, not just identify them. They will approach someone with possible solutions to the issue at hand privately or through appropriate channels first. Though it is appropriate to stand up when injustices are being done, a professional recognizes the difference between what is pressing and what is petty.

When there is a need

Professionals have a strong work ethic. They anticipate the needs of others or what needs to be done. They do it even before someone asks or, where appropriate, asks permission before going forward. Anticipating a need sometimes means that you must humble yourself and do what is best for the group or for someone else. Unless asked for input, instructed to do something which is against core beliefs, or truly wanting to clarify and understand the directions given, professionals adhere to the request and later find a private moment to question if necessary.

Anticipating need also applies to time. “To be early is to be on time, to be on time is to be late.” In other words, starting “on time” means that everyone is ready to go the very moment the gathering is supposed to start. Being early ensures this. Inevitably there is something that needs to be done just before beginning, and arriving at the start time will put oneself and everyone else behind. Professionals get there well ahead of time to do what they know they need to.

It is harder to maintain professionalism when the situation directly affects YOU.

When you have a complaint

Yes, that's me on the podium.

Early August, even in Pennsylvania where I grew up, is HOT. Members of the marching band faced consequences (usually running laps) for uttering the words “It’s hot” during our summer sessions. Why such a firm stance? Because everyone already knows it is hot. Voicing this complaint only reminds everyone in earshot how miserable they are feeling. As a result, collective energy is spent focusing on the complaint rather than productively pursuing the task(s) at hand. If you are doubting the impact just voicing a complaint has on a group, consider what happens in a dance class when a teacher declares, “Sally, thank you for pointing your toes!” Suddenly pointed feet spread like wildfire throughout the class. This is a positive example of the power of suggestion. Professionals use the power of suggestion to bring a group up rather than down.

When you are corrected

Professionals do not make excuses. As with other requests, if they are offered ways in which they could improve or are reprimanded for inappropriate behavior, a professional accepts the correction (whether they agree or not), tries to consider, apply the suggestion or do better next time, and then moves on. They do not blame unfortunate circumstances or other people for their mistakes. As a result, positive and professional leaders have good things happen to them because they are prepared to take the bad things that happen in stride. They cannot and will not play the victim. They recognize that a negative person creates a negative world around themselves and instead choose to motivate others to join them in their positive outlook.

When you have been wronged

Inevitably someone will disappoint you, hurt you, or do something that is unfair or unjust. It happens. And, sometimes the results are catastrophic, the pain is tremendous, and the offender seems to hold a “Get Out of Jail Free” card. Trust me, everyone faces this at some point in their professional career and/or personal lives. A professional acts with dignity in response to these situations. They recognize that fears and insecurities can damage a person’s ability to think positively, act with generosity, and conduct themselves appropriately. When dealing with someone who is behaving unprofessionally, considering this will help you deal with him/her in a more compassionate manner. You can avoid behaving badly in reaction to their behavior without letting them take advantage of you or the situation.

It is tempting to want to lash out or get revenge, but a true professional does not reduce herself to bad behavior because she knows that this is sure to backfire. For example, if a coworker complains and whispers about a peer at every opportunity and spreads rumors and gossip, they will earn a reputation for being untrustworthy. It does not matter if the complaints and rumors are true, I guarantee that even those that go along or participate in this slander do not trust this coworker. A person who goes about tearing down others is only opening themselves up to the same kind of scrutiny and backstabbing they distributed. No matter what has been done to her, a professional will always be the better person. She will take action through appropriate channels instead of dealing out her own form of justice.

When you are the one who has wronged

As I said before, no one is perfect. Even professionals have bad days. They sometimes do, say, or act in a way that is not only unprofessional but unbecoming. Once in rehearsal for a musical, for which I was not only the choreographer but a leading character, I publicly blew my top at a director. Feeling a responsibility to the cast, essentially my professionalism went out the window for a moment as I outwardly expressed a collective frustration that was (for legitimate reasons) reaching boiling level within the room. Although it got results, as a professional I recognized that I did not handle the situation well and that an apology was in order. After giving the director a few moments, I approached him and calmly apologized for my behavior and that it would not happen again. If I had not performed this simple act, the relationship would have been damaged, resentment would have set in, and I would have lost the respect he held for me. Being mature enough to recognize when one is out of line, apologizing, and then taking responsibility for the outcome is essential for someone that wants to continue to be viewed as a professional even when mistakes are made.

Leaders and Professionals Embody Generosity

The ultimate professional is a collaborator and contributor who brings out the best in others because instead of focusing on “I” and “me”, he concentrates on “we” and “us.”

• He is generous with his gifts, generous with his time, and generous in spirit. He is easy to collaborate with because he communicates with kindness.
• A professional wants everyone around him to be their best and helps them to do so by being supportive and encouraging.
• When a colleague is struggling, he does not belittle or put this person down. He is aware enough to look for moments in which help might be offered that will not be embarrassing to the individual or interrupt the rest of the group.
• He recognizes that help does not always mean showing or telling another how to do something, but rather an encouraging smile or a word or two to lighten the person’s mood and frustration level is most helpful.
• He does not lie to make another person feel good. A professional offers straight-talk but avoids hurting other people in the process.
• He responds with humor, sensitivity, and tolerance even under difficult circumstances.

Self-Awarness

Image by kevindooley via Flickr

In addition to awareness of one’s surroundings and of other people, a professional must also be self-aware. Generosity can be extended to yourself by understanding your strengths, weaknesses, and limitations. No one is perfect, and a confident and self-aware person does not expect perfection of himself or of anyone else, rather he does his very best, recognizes where the strengths of others can fill in the gaps, and allows them to shine as they do their part. It is alright for a professional to ask and expect others to do their best, but he will offer encouragement and lead others through example, to fulfillment of their full potential.

Dr. Tim Lautzenheiser, a leadership coach I encountered during my high school years often expressed that “you are only worth what you give away, and you can only give away what you have.” To be generous in spirit, improve what you have to give by taking responsibility for what YOU know and who YOU are… and then give it away.

Are you too young to be viewed as a professional?

No. I have met both very unprofessional people who have spent years and years in their career and amazingly mature children who act professionally whether they get paid to do so or not.

It is not always easy to conduct oneself as a professional but it leads to more positive and fulfilling experiences overall.

The Ultimate Question:

Would YOU want to work with YOU?

If not, take responsibility for improving your actions and, perhaps more importantly, your reactions to the situations and people in your work. I guarantee your new outlook will influence the actions of the people around you and their reaction to you. You will be regarded as the professional you want to be.

Equation for Growth: Recalculating Problems With Parents At Your Studio

Studio Bizwax

What do you get when you add the parents at your dance studio plus the myriad of problems that can arise?

Some people would say headaches!

However, we owe much of our accomplishments and innovation at our dance studio to parent complaints and concerns.

In mathematical terms, parents are constants not variables. They aren’t going anywhere. They are a staple in the dance studio business. They want the best for their children. I’m a mom, I can relate on so many levels. But what a parent wants for their child is not always what works for dance studio owners and teachers. From disagreements on class placement, teaching style, audition results, solo choices, costume picks, music selection, and payment plans to planning rehearsal schedules, the moms and dads will often have an opinion about how it should go.

What I see happening more often than not is that dance studio owners and teachers want to make problems go away. Trust me, I don’t wake up in the morning hoping to get an email or phone call from an irate parent, but it’s in the way you view and handle problems that true growth and success can occur.

Here are three things that you can do that are likely to transform the way you think about problems with parents and make a positive difference at your dance studio:

#1. Regard Every Problem as an Opportunity to Grow

I’m not saying every parent is right!  But what I am saying is that when a parent brings up a problem or complaint, it is an opportunity for you to really take a step back and look at the situation and see if their suggestions may actually help you improve.

Dance studio ownership is a very personal business, it’s hard not to get defensive or take complaints and concerns to heart. Trust me, I have shed my fair share of tears over events that have left me asking ‘why bother?’  Here’s where you have to dig down into your commitment to success.

If you are running a business, you will ALWAYS be problem-solving. Trying to make problems go away is an exhausting battle never to be won.  Instead, when faced with a problem consider it a wonderful opportunity to improve, add something, try new methods, or entertain a different approach. Be open and grow.

#2. Have a System for Communicating Concerns

When a parent doesn’t have a clear path to direct a concern, they will go and find just about anyone that will listen to them. From the first moment a student registers at our dance studio we let them know that we are more than open to receiving their feedback and we show them where we keep a parent-student concern form that they can fill out and return at anytime. Upon receiving these forms we set up a meeting to discuss the concern.

The ‘no gossip’ rule nips problems right in the bud. Train your faculty and staff to be aware when walking through waiting rooms or around the studio. When they hear gossip or when a concern is mentioned, have them invite the parent to set up a meeting with you or your director to personally address a problem. Encourage everyone to take their concerns to the people that can do something about it at the studio.

Complaints and expressed concerns might also be considered contributions. When you are open to receiving, rather than avoiding, shutting down, or making it wrong to voice a concern, you create the opportunity to be the talk of the town for all the right reasons.

Your students and parents will gladly refer you to others if they know that any complaint or concern large or small will be heard. Again, this does not mean you are changing policies for parents just because they have a concern. People want to be heard, receive their communication, then decide how to proceed.

#3. Give Big Problems and Issues the 24-hour rule

One day you can be dealing with a huge issue and feel like the world is crashing in and everything seems to be going wrong… and then you sleep on it.  Have you noticed that more often than not, the next day everything seems in perspective and less daunting?

We made a rule at our dance studio with our faculty and staff that whenever we are about to consider an exception to a rule, a policy change, or send communication to a parent as a result of a meeting or concern that we give it the 24-hour rule. This helps immensely when it comes to taking the emotion out of a situation. In fact, Nichelle mad a similar recommendation in her article for parents on How To Talk To Your Studio Director And Be Heard. It’s easy to get a voice-mail or e-mail and want to reply back with a quick judgment. Instead, at our studio we set up a meeting, hear all sides of the issue with the parent and student, and then after 24 hours make a decision.

However you structure it, adding that time makes a big difference in your ability to see the big picture and make choices and decisions that are best for everyone involved

“I don’t know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody.” ~ Bill Cosby

The truth is, you can’t make everyone happy.  Nor can you retain 100% of your students from year to year.  That’s just not how it works. What you can do is learn and practice being great with people.

When you learn how to handle the angry, irate, mad, frustrated, and completely irrational parent in a way that sets your dance studio up for success you will be positioned for growth. For those parents that you just cannot make happy or arrive at a solution for – graciously suggest a dance studio that might be able to accommodate their needs.  Sometimes your studio’s vision and values are just not the right fit for their dancer!

Surround yourself with a supportive team of faculty, staff, family, friends, and colleagues that believe in your dance studio vision and mission. Give big problems and issues the 24-hour rule before making a decisions. Have a system for communicating concerns at your dance studio and most importantly see each problem as an opportunity to grow!

How have your studio parents helped you grow this year?

What are some ways you’ve kept things positive when it comes to parent concerns?

You Just Might Find, You Get What You Need

In education, in leadership, and in business the words “want” and “need” come up a lot.

Education: I give you what I think you need.

Business: I give you what you want.

A successful blog and, if I might go further, a successful dance studio, must live in the place where these circles intersect – a junction I’ll call

Leadership: I give you what you need.

Today I am celebrating Dance Advantage’s second birthday. Yes, April Fools’ Day. I’m aware there may exist some irony there. Anyway, initially my goals for this site probably leaned most heavily toward education. Much of the content, though a percentage fills a need, has been what I think you require… what I feel you should know.

If my only goal was marketing to you, I would give you only what you want. You would like it, in fact you would probably eat it up. But that model is more benefit to me than to you and, while it might better support my needs of increasing traffic or revenue for sustaining this website, Dance Advantage was founded with a mission to support you, not sell you.

As I begin my third year of blogging, I recognize that what I really want is to give you what you need. It’s a funny thing about leadership, that it demands the willingness of both “followers” and leaders to be led by the other. But I don’t really like the word followers. I’m not looking for disciples, devotees, or minions, but compatriots. Fellows not followers.

So how does a fellow figure out what you need?

(S)he asks. Duh!

So, I need you to answer one question for me:

Is there anything you want me to write about?

• An easy and anonymous way to do this is to click on the SUGGESTIONS tab on the right side of the webpage. Or, go directly to Skribit and let me know.
• If you are an email subscriber, feel free to simply reply to the emails you receive – they come to my address. I’d love to be on a first-name basis if you’ll allow me to be. It serves to help me in this mission of addressing needs.
• If you are a Facebook Fan, I’ve set up a discussion area just for this purpose. You can find it here on the message board.
• If you are on Twitter, tweet or DM me anytime — as long as you can say it in 140 characters

You may choose to stay quiet. Just be warned, I do not have telepathic powers.

If you aren’t getting what you want from Dance Advantage, there’s only one way to fix that. Choose participation and most likely, you’ll get more of what you need.

What If You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know?

This is where education comes in. Were I to only ever give you what you know you want, then you’d never know what you are missing.

Many of you reading are teachers. Would this fly in your classroom? What you don’t know sometimes CAN hurt you. So, I feel I’d be remiss if I did not sometimes give you what I think you need.

Part of being a good teacher though is determining true need rather than presumed need and this is where goals come in. Knowing a student’s goals or aspirations helps me efficiently guide them to the path and then get out of the way so they may travel on it.

In the name of education, and if you are still with me…

What are your goals? For your dancing, for your teaching, for your studio, for your career?

I’d love to help you find your path. You can let me know your goals in pretty much the same ways mentioned above. For anonymous submissions, try this.

I will do my best to answer as many questions in actual blog posts as I can. I may not be able to get to all of them, but I’ll try.

Why?

Because it is good education, good business, and good leadership. And because it is part of my renewed commitment to myself and to readers that Dance Advantage stay true to its purpose and be of service to the dance education community.

“We cannot hold a torch to light another’s path without brightening our own.”

~ Ben Sweetland

You have brightened my path, and to anyone who has read even one sentence of what I have written in the past two years, I thank you. My supreme gratitude for those who support and encourage me each day. I hope to hear from you all soon!

Song Lyrics

I’d love to know how you blend good education, business, and leadership?

S.T.E.P. Your Way To Social Media Success

Dance Advantage is very happy to announce Suzanne Blake Gerety’s new column Studio Bizwax! To wax lyrical means “to talk about in an enthusiastic and effusive way.” I can’t think of a better description for the way Suzanne fulfills her role in the dance community. Not only is she the Vice President of her her mom’s very successful dance studio but she is the co-founder of DanceStudioOwner.com, a wonderful site for those who are exploring, starting, or growing their dance studio business. I am an affiliate for DSO because I have witnessed first-hand the care Suzanne has taken to make the site a a truly useful support for studio owners. I’ve found her to be a wonderful resource and she’s been a great friend as well so I am thrilled that she’ll be sharing her knowledge with Dance Advantage readers bimonthly.

-Nichelle

Here’s how you can S.T.E.P. your way to social media success!

#1. Share

Retweet other people’s posts, quote and link to great blog posts by others, share what you are reading, let people know information that could benefit from.

Be a connector.

Social media is about making connections.  One of the things we do with our dance studio fan page is to post about local theatre productions and community events.  Why?  Because we know that the hours of dance lessons that our young dancers have has a potential impact on local theater. We want to spread goodwill to our sister arts organizations.  See yourself as part of the thread woven between your arts community.

#2. Teach

Post favorite quotes, share your expertise, add value, be generous with your knowledge it does make a difference.

A crossroads for dance studios. Many dance studios today are still very protective, not only their class schedules, but tuition fees, competition schedules, studio policies and more. It’s the fear that the studio across town will take or steal information that would cause that studio to lose students. I completely understand the worry.

Here’s the reality. I also represent a demographic I like to call ‘busy mom’. I’m the target market for many dance studios, I have two young kids. First thing in the morning, I don’t read the local paper. But I do read the newsfeed on Facebook and I certainly check trending topics and updates on Twitter. Text messaging is the best way to reach me.

How will you serve this demographic by decreasing your presence, hiding a class schedule, or making registering for classes a challenge? Dance studios want more students; they want their current students to be loyal raving fans. Social media is a great way to achieve this if done well.

#3. Engage

Talk to people! Reply to them, help them, connect people, be social, have fun. Be yourself, let your personality shine through.

Take it one step at a time. Social media is not a race with a winner crowned at the end. You’re missing the point if your approach to social media for your business is all about getting more followers as fast as you can. Soon enough it will become commonplace for every business and brand to have some sort of social media outlet to connect with their clients, customers, and students. We all started with one fan or one follower.

If you are a studio owner (or are going to be), I highly recommend Dance Studio Owner. It’s membership includes studio owners from 44 of the United States and countries all over the world including the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, People’s Republic of China, and Norway.

Are You Following Me? — Getting Twitter to Work for You

Surely, you must know by now that I am a tweeter, a twitterist, a twit…

ahem, a Twitter user.

Twitter has a fast-growing population of users. I don’t know about you but more of my “real-life” friends and associates are joining up. I expect the ratio of personal contacts versus internet contacts to continue to narrow. For those not using Twitter, or not really positive what it is you are doing there, even if you currently have an account. Don’t worry. You are not alone. Many people join the site, inject one lonely tweet into the twittersphere, and say to themselves, “Now what?” and leave (never to return).

Thinking about trying Twitter? Or… trying again?

Some thoughts on how Twitter can work for you (and why you may want it to)

What is your purpose?

This isn’t exactly a philosophical question. You just need to decide if your role on Twitter will be to add to the conversation or follow it. I may catch some flak from the Twitterati for stating this but, having something to advocate, promote, share, or bring awareness to, often puts one in the “followed” camp. Meanwhile “followers” are looking to learn from, keep tabs on, or network with the “followed.” Of course, one can be both a follower and followed (in fact that would be ideal, for the more people providing information of value, the better), but I think at first it may help to identify yourself with one group or the other in order to recognize how Twitter might best serve you.

If you aren’t sure yet which you are, read on…

Come to terms with it – Twitter ≠ Facebook

What often confounds casual Twitter users (i.e. those every-day folks who are pretty sure they have nothing or no one to promote) is the thinking that it will be like Facebook, a place where they can keep up with personal, “real-life” contacts. These users join, find only a fraction of their friends are also users, and perhaps see just a lot of folks, well… promoting. They wonder, what’s the point? If this is you, I’m going to call you a follower (for now).

Though Facebook and Twitter share a core function – updating a “status” statement which is shared publicly – the uses for Twitter and Facebook are (I’ve found) different. This is mainly due to the very public broadcasting of tweets vs. the more private, friends-only Facebook environment.

Having stated this, Facebook continues to make changes and options regarding its service. Many of these are Twitter-like, allowing users who wish to have a more public presence the option of broadcasting to a wider audience. However, Facebook’s roots are in connecting offline buddies in the online world. Many, many, many users will continue to use Facebook for this purpose alone. Twitter is identified as a micro-blogging tool and not necessarily a social network. At this stage in its development (and perhaps until more casual users begin using it), Twitter is better for broadening a nexus of people, ideas, and information.

For more on how, keep reading…

What’s a follower to do?

The ever-expanding group of followed Twitter users are “saying” a lot – stories, announcements, tips, links, video, photos, ideas. The scope of what is being shared changes daily but, for example… If you are a dancer, art enthusiast, or music lover, you may want to keep up with the artists and companies you love. More and more are appearing on twitter, keeping fans updated on touring schedules, new works, the creative process, and more.  This may also be an opportunity to stay up-to-date, and ask questions, within your field or career of interest. If you are a parent, there is a wealth of tips and links coming from the Twitter mommy community. If you want to keep up with local, international, or even entertainment news there are opportunities to follow TV networks, magazines, newspapers, or (straight to the source) celebrities themselves. Twitter users are also breaking news… as it happens. I read of Michael Jackson’s hospitalization/death via Twitter first and then turned on CNN. Like the Hudson River plane landing, it was one of many instances in which Twitter broke the news. And Twitter users are using the medium in ways never imagined (read about Twitter’s role during the Iran election aftermath).  The list goes on… many of your local news reporters are on Twitter!

There are those on Twitter who only ever beat their own drum (the over-promoters), there are opportunistic spammers, there are those who contribute only the most mundane aspects of their life. Fortunately, unfollowing these pitiful Twitterers is as easy as following them… click! You are free to opt-in or opt-out at any time. Should you want to limit or have more control over who sees your tweets, it is possible to keep them private while still following others.

So, what’s a follower to do? How does one find good folks to follow? A good start is to go beyond your e-mail contact list when looking but the Twitter website doesn’t exactly explain how to do this. So, I’m going to…

• Try a search for key words or phrases via Twitter Search (also available on your Twitter homepage)  or the Google-powered Twitterment, and see who is talking about the topics in which you are interested.
• Search the bios and descriptions of Twitter users with Twellow. Like the yellow pages, this is a good way to find local groups and organizations to follow as well. Certain cities are also tracked via CityTweets.
• Check out who your friends are following. You can sift through them manually of course but there is also Mr. Tweet, a service that connects the dots for you. It also allows you to recommend (or be recommended by) other Twitter users.

Okay, maybe you aren’t content to be a wallflower. Read on…

Birds of a feather

You may not feel as though you have anything in particular to advocate but there is plenty you have to share. Links to your favorite charities, interesting videos on YouTube, photos and tips from your travels. You may find like-minded individuals via Twitter that you would not have interacted with otherwise.

Or, maybe you really do have something to publicize. If you are job-hunting, you are advocating yourself. If you own a business (even a small, local one), that business could benefit from a presence on Twitter. And in fact, this a chance for say, dance studios to go beyond just schedule changes…

• Share links and resources with your students.
• Interact with other local tweeters and businesses. There may be “followers” in your community that are looking for what you have to offer. You may make connections that will lead to new opportunities.
• Participate and be a valuable member of the online dance community. My network has expanded internationally and it has been amazing (not to mention validating) to connect via Twitter with people all over the world who share the same passion for dance as I.

Should you wish to be follow-worthy, I would say, share material that relays something about who you are. Let your followers in on what you are up to but also highlight the work of others, or something that amuses you, or yes, even those daily bits of life (sometimes these are what ignite a conversation). I tweet more with the people that do these things, though most relationships stay professional in nature. These personal connections which grow before or along-side the strictly-business ones foster good will. This is a method for increasing awareness of your business/expertise that is also fun!

Just remember, Twitter is not a substitute for face-to-face interaction. It is a valuable tool that you can use – don’t let it use you. As with any online network, users should be smart, safe, and savvy.

Giving it a try?

There is a learning curve with Twitter. There is a culture and a shorthand to get to know. There are services which make its use more user friendly. To help you with this, mashable.com has created a useful guide. Should you decide to join Twitter, It is surprising how much you can discover, glean, and communicate in 140 characters or less! Good luck!

Let me know if you have any questions. And come follow me! Ask me questions! Comment on what you’ve read here. I’d be happy to help get you started with some great dance Tweeters to follow!

Role Reversal: So What Does It All Mean?

I am still in the midst of my performance. Saturday will be the final show. So, in the meantime, I thought I’d open the floor for another Role Reversal discussion topic. The following video has had a few incarnations (this one was newly revised a few months ago) and perhaps you’ve seen it circulated on facebook and elsewhere online. If you haven’t, take a look:

Obviously, if you’re reading this blog, you use a computer, so maybe I’m reaching out to an already converted audience. However, I know that the technology we use in daily life does not always translate to use in our work or business (or visa versa), and perhaps the rate of change is more rapid than we thought or than we are prepared for. After viewing the video, I’d like to pose the same question the video asks: What does it all mean for dancers, dance teachers, studio owners, movement educators? Does this change the way you look at your job, the way you run or advertise your business, the way you reach out to or interact with students? Are dance educators and studios staying on top of ever-changing technology? Do they need to be? What steps have you taken to change with the times, if any? There is no right or wrong way to answer the question. You don’t even have to stick to the ones I’ve posed. In fact, maybe the video raised some questions of your own you’d like to ask. I’m simply curious to hear your thoughts.

DanceStudioOwner.com Offers Real-Life Experience, Support, and a Personal Touch

Dance studio owners have a unique job.

They wear many hats, requiring skills as an instructor, mentor, administrator, production manager, choreographer, entrepreneur, business manager, “boss” and more. I have never owned a studio but have taught at many throughout the years, and have observed this juggling act which owners perform every season. It can be a lonely job in that you are constantly between two worlds – the business and the artistic, the worker bee and the queen bee, the motivator and the disciplinarian.

Relationships with others who share these experiences can reduce the everyday stress of a being a studio owner. Not only can owners learn from one another, they can be a sounding board or a listening ear when these are most needed.

Photo by Bob Jagendorf

A Beacon for Dance Studio Owners

Throughout my journey in the online dance community, I’ve been fortunate to meet some wonderful and giving people. I have been freely offered support, encouragement, answers, and information from those who have a passion for dance and seek to share this passion with others. From my very first interaction with Suzanne Blake Gerety, I found her to be a sincere and generous person. This first impression has lasted as I’ve continued to chat with her through Twitter and emails. Therefore, I feel confident in sharing her website, DanceStudioOwner.com, with my readers. I truly feel that this website provides a unique service for those who are or are seeking to become studio owners.

While there are other places online in which dance studio owners can gather, Suzanne, her mom, Kathy, and other site contributors are offering something special with DanceStudioOwner. Its resources alone make the site valuable to any studio administrator. However, in addition to the information and networking opportunities available, this website is facilitated by actual studio owners who cherish the joys and challenges of running a studio after 35 years in the business.

Kathy Blake began her studio with a dream not unlike that of many studio owners. She has weathered ups and downs and currently operates a performing arts studio with over 1,000 students. Now, with the help of her daughter, Suzanne, she is supporting other studio owners with the goal of sharing her success with others. I have witnessed first-hand the generosity and sincerity with which this mother-daughter team make themselves available to the members of their site.

I recently spoke with Suzanne about DanceStudioOwner, its content, and what’s next for the site. Her words illustrate the spirit of collaboration that is behind the mission of this ever-expanding resource.

Your mother’s success as a dance studio owner inspired you to pass on her legacy, knowledge, and passion through DanceStudioOwner.com. If possible, sum up the keys to her success in just a few words.

Kathy and Suzanne

Dedication, Determination, and Enthusiasm.  My mom’s success has been guided by those words during the times when situations have been challenging or when it seemed impossible to grow.  She’s always been in love with the art of dance and she loves her business, it’s a beautiful combination and I believe it is what makes her a success and also just a great person to be with.  My mom is a lot of fun and she loves to help people find their greatness.

Your website is an online community and resource for studio owners. Why do you think it is important for studio owners to interact with other studio owners, and how does technology facilitate this interaction?

I am a firm believer that studio owners can collaborate together to help encourage each other to build their unique brand – whether they are across town or on another continent – you can be in a conversation of abundance. Studio owners often stretch themselves very thin with the thousands of details it takes to run a studio, our website functions as a collaborative space for them to reduce their time spent on certain tasks, get answers from other owners who are dealing with many of the same challenges, and to get the coaching or support they need to stay focused on keeping their passion for dance alive as they run and grow their studio.

The site explores topics from classroom management to business management and includes a forum where members can post questions and share ideas. What have you seen as the primary concerns of today’s studio owners?

Today’s studio owners are concerned with keeping up with the latest technology available to them to help keep their studio running smoothly.  They are also concerned about the economic situation we are in and what impact it may have on their school.  Lastly, with the popularity of the many dance shows on TV, many worry that the foundations of proper dance technique are being forgotten because young dancers see these shows yet they don’t see the many years of training it takes to lead up to that level of dance.  Studio owners are working to find the balance of offering the popular classes while staying dedicated to the art of dance to maintain a steady foundation of dancers at their schools – student retention.

You have an active group of members. Are these members from all over the U.S.?

Yes, the wonderful thing about being on the web is that our members already represent from over 24 states in the U.S. and also Australia and Scotland. (DA Notes: These figures continue to increase. As of Feb 2010, the site’s membership represents 44 out of the 50 United States. And over 15% of the active membership includes studio
owners from the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Greece, France, Kuait, French Guiana, Mexico, Hong Kong, Antigua & Barbados, Montserrat, South Africa, People’s Republic of China, and Norway)

Our members are our number one priority and what I know from the many conversations I’ve had no matter where they are located; studio owners face many of the same challenges.  Having launched our site in the spring of 2008, we are thrilled at the positive response, and that studio owners know that our site is a resource for them no matter where they are located.  The information is available to them 24/7/365.

The site offers articles, downloads, monthly teleconferencing, and more to its members. What’s next for the site? What other features can members look forward to?

We are so excited about the content we are working on for DanceStudioOwner.com.  You’ll see more video clips and video coaching added. Plus, look for podcasts in the future! I am going to keep bringing the latest trends in social networking and technology to studio owners.  I do believe that many of these trends are going to change the way that business has been run in the past.  My number one goal is to always listen to what our members need and want – they’ve loved our custom coloring sheets and we will add more resources for teachers as well.  Plus our network of contributors continues to grow: experts who can make a difference for how studio owners start and grow their business.

For more information about DanceStudioOwner.com, the subscription page lists member benefits. Or, try their free tip of the week mailing.

My Contribution

I have contributed two articles to the DanceStudioOwner technology department about, (what else), blogging. As always, I write what I know and am increasingly certain that a studio blog is a valuable tool for dance studios. In these posts I explain a little bit about why. Suzanne has kindly made these articles available to my readers via the following links:

Why Consider a Studio Blog?

Blogs Have the Potential to Boost Your Business

Update: My Relationship With DanceStudioOwner.com

Since the original posting of this article, I have received compensation from DanceStudioOwner.com as both a ghost writer of articles for the site and as a result of an affiliate relationship. If you are referred to Dance Studio Owner via a Dance Advantage link and decide to make a purchase there, I am compensated for this referral. I’m a huge fan of Suzanne, Kathy, and their website and would rave about them anyway. That they’ve been generous enough to offer something for my efforts is icing on the cake.

If you own a dance studio, are thinking about owning one, or if you are a teacher that operates your own dance program, I hope you’ll check out what the site has to offer. Learn more about subscribing here.

Costume Crisis

I recently read a post at Citystreams about a color guard uniform order gone wrong. It was an all-too-familiar account that I know many dance studios face year after year as recitals approach. Costume companies are a hot topic on dance message boards each spring.

Humans all make mistakes. However, if a costume company has made a mistake and customer service has failed to recognize or meet your needs when time is of the essence, it is hard to know what to do. Interestingly enough, a reader at Citystreams (who also happens to be a Customer Relations Manager) posted some great advice for dealing with problems of this kind.

Please read her entire response here. Below is my paraphrasing of her advice.

1. Call the company and demand to speak with the manager (or higher). Do not hang up until your request is granted or, if you must end the call, be persistent and continue to call back.
2. Write a letter that clearly states your problem and overnight it to the attention of the company president (be sure to keep a copy). Add photos of your students wearing the costumes if they don’t fit. You could probably also include photos of poorly constructed or damaged costumes if this suits your case.
3. Keep all documentation of the order, shipping details, and keep a record of each interaction with company representatives (don’t forget to get names).
4. Suggest that the company take care of your problem by the performance date or you will take legal action. Make sure you follow through on any threats, however.
5. Do what you have to make sure your dancers are costumed for their performance. If you need to have the costumes altered or if you’ve had to find replacements in a hurry, keep all receipts.
6. Spread the word that you’ve had problems with this company, particularly if your issue is not resolved. Report them to the Better Business Bureau.

I think some key points here are that studio owners must stay organized when dealing with costume companies. Most studios order from multiple companies. It is easy to make mistakes or misread catalogs and information can get lost in the shuffle. It can be very confusing when you’re also preparing other aspects of a performance so keep excellent records for each costume ordered. Don’t wait until something goes wrong to make sure you have all the documentation needed to support your case.

Do any of you have suggestions to add that may help others when facing a costume crisis?

Censorship in Salt Lake?

I just came across this article from the Salt Lake Tribune in Utah. I found it interesting and was wondering if any of you had opinions. Do you think the school was correct in pulling the number, citing that it was not appropriate for a family show? It would probably be important to see the dance in question to truly judge the appropriateness of this dance, but I’m also curious about your own experiences with dancing about touchy subjects like politics. When does pulling a dance cross the line into censorship? Read more

Dance Instructors and the Internet Community

I just discovered this post about how dance instructors might use the internet and thought it was a timely topic for one who is just recently discovering the possibilities of blogging. I am a dancer and teacher who has just become a full-time mom. Finding a way to use my skills in a new environment that doesn’t take me too far from home is now a goal for me and I am slowly learning the ins and outs of the weblog culture that I never had time for while I was out making a living as a teacher.

In the post (if you haven’t read it already), Doug Fox at Great Dance suggests some marketing strategies for teachers that are relatively easy to implement. He asks, however, for some pros and cons about his ideas. As a teacher I see the logistics of regularly videotaping classes as a con. Generally, videotaping is tedious and distracting for the instructor and the students, particularly without an assistant or partner to help out. Participating in a class that is regularly videotaped would be annoying at best and may actually cost the teacher students. After all, students are there to improve themselves and should not have to be concerned with how they appear on camera at the same time. Plus, it is important to consider the safety of any students who are minors if images are truly going out to a wider audience. Something to remember is that most dance instructors are not solely independent or freelancing, they have regular dance students who are their priority. Creating a video of a class for distribution should probably be (as most videos of this type are) a developed product, so as not to intrude on the work being done in class. From there, it can be marketed online as suggested in this article.

I believe that time constraints have a lot to do with why many teachers don’t utilize online technology. Teaching dance as a means of supporting oneself requires many in-class hours, not to mention preparation outside of class. Also, many dance teachers and artists that I know are quite behind in their knowledge of the internet, perhaps because of their tireless work ethic in the studio, or because many dancers are not interested in spending much time in a static state in front of the computer, or because the techie stuff is a little too right-brained, or all of the above.

It is worth mentioning that students are generally from the same locale in which the teacher resides. Therefore, physically getting out into the community and teaching or performing is not only what will generate the most traffic for their business, but more importantly, enrich the lives of people within that community. Teachers can benefit from an online presence because, like it or not, that’s where their students and customers are hanging out! There are meaningful ways of enhancing the dance experience of both students and teachers through information and inspiration via the internet. That’s what I hope to bring to those that access this site.