How Do You Define “Dolly Dinkle” Dance Instruction?

Most of you have an idea about what it means to be a “Dolly Dinkle” (or Dolly Dingle) dance teacher or dance school.

If you haven’t heard of the term, you are probably familiar with the negative sentiment it represents. I don’t know exactly how Dolly earned her reputation but essentially she is the poster child for less-than-stellar dance education.

The definition, though, of insufficient training, a substandard environment, or unqualified teaching of dance varies depending on who you talk to.

Last month a reader contacted me and suggested that she’d like to see the topic covered on Dance Advantage as she had been reading some derogatory remarks elsewhere online and thought some balance could be rendered at this site.

I think she’s right because readers here at Dance Advantage are super smart and thoughtful in their responses.

Share your definition of a “Dolly Dinkle” in the comments

Though I’ve not used the term “Dolly Dinkle” here before, it doesn’t take much digging to assess some of MY core values regarding dance training and education. So, I thought this would be a great opportunity to let YOU weigh in with your thoughts and opinions.

You don’t need to be a teacher to answer. Parents and students, your perspective is important too.

A few ground rules

The comments and conversation at DA has always been positive and supportive but I realize that potentially some nerves might be hit with this topic. Therefore, I just ask that you…

• Be thoughtful in your responses. No need to sugarcoat, but take a few extra moments to consider how you’ll express what you really mean.
• Get up, walk around, and come back to the computer a little later if something that is said really does ruffle your feathers.

Flaming comments have a way of attracting lots of traffic and discussion to an article but I’d rather be known as the insightful and balanced website with super smart readers.

Who Wants To Rock The Vote In These Online Dance Contests?

Viral video, dance contests, flash mobs; dance is everywhere online and there are plenty of places you can get in on the action. Below you’ll find three top spots to get your groove on and maybe win some prizes. These contests are already underway so hurry!

Keep reading for two big contests in their final round. These feature some spectacular videos for your digital viewing pleasure. Make sure you get your say in the outcome! Then, stay tuned because these videos have inspired a follow-up article sure to ignite your imagination and invigorate your classes!

Vie For Video Domination

My Mutation

The Basics: As part of their Spring Dance festival the Sydney Opera House, in collaboration with YouTube presents this online dance competition. Create your own 40 second dance solo. The first 20 seconds are your interpretation of the starter solo (performed by Josh Mu), choreographed by Kate Champion, Artistic Director of one of Australia’s leading dance companies, Force Majeure and choreographer for the international stage production of Dirty Dancing. The second 20 seconds is a continuation of the solo in your own style. You have until August 10 to upload your video. Finalists will be chosen and will participate in two more rounds of challenges. Once narrowed to only 5 finalists, voters will choose the winner.

What You Win: The winner will score the ultimate prize of rehearsing with Kate Champion to bring his/her unique performance to life at the screening of Footloose on September 26. In addition to the thrill of performing live at Sydney Opera House, the winner will receive $2,000, a SONY HD flash Handycam camcorder, as well as a SONY ‘Bloggie’ HD snap camera.

Who Can Enter: The contest is global and there are no age restrictions!

Find Out More: www.youtube.com/sydneyoperahouse or visit Spring Dance on the Sydney Opera House website.

Dr. Pepper Cherry YouTube Dance Studio Contest

(that’s a mouthful!)

The Basics: Show off your amazingly smooth mooves. Submit a video of yourself dancing to one of the three approved songs, using the provided choreography for the first part and your own freestyle for the rest. Choose between a Jazz Funk, Hip-Hop, or B-Boys and B-Girls routine. Learn the moves, download the song, make your video, and submit, but hurry! Submissions must be in by August 2. Four finalists will be chosen, then it is up to voters to decide on the winner (to be announced August 31).

What You Win: You could win a trip for two to Los Angeles, where you’ll spend a day with Jon M. Chu (director of StepUp 2 and upcoming StepUp 3) at a jam session with some of the best hip-hop dancers around, and the chance to be in an upcoming Ultra Records music video.

Who Can Enter: U.S. residents 18 years and up.

Find Out More: www.youtube.com/dancestudio

Dance Your Ph.D. 2010

The Basics: I cannot resist including this unique contest which invites entrants to turn their Ph.D. thesis into a dance! Any scientist in the fields of physics, chemistry, biology, or the social sciences with some friends, a great idea, and a cheap video camera can win. According to GonzoLabs (a virtual research institution where art, science, and culture intersect), the best dances not only insightfully reveal the scientific content of the PhD thesis, they not only show artistry to create a compelling spectacle, but they also creatively combine these two aspects in a successful execution. Submissions are due by September 1, 2010.

What You Win: A cash prize of $500 goes to a winner in each category, with an additional $500 to the Best Ph.D. Dance of All. Finalists from each category will have their videos screened at Imagine Science Film Festival in NYC.

Who Can Enter: You have to be 18 years or older, have a Ph.D. in a science-related field, or be working on one as a Ph.D. student and you must be part of the dance.

Find Out More: www.gonzolabs.org/dance

More, more, more

• If you are a fan of Cirque Du Soleil and in the Boston area, you may want to check out the Cirque Du Soleil Bug Dance Contest!
• If you fancy yourself a choreographer, submit a dance routine for Big Girls Don’t Cry by Mik Brown for the chance to win $500.

Vote For Video Favorites

Global Dance Contest

International dance venue, Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London offers a cash prize and a chance to perform live at Sadler’s Wells Sampled, a yearly showcase of the best in dance from around the world. Ten entries are being selected by a judges panel right now. Voting will commence August 9, so keep your eye on www.globaldancecontest.com.

Step Up 3D Dance Dub Contest

Vote now at www.youtube.com/StepUpMovie and help one of four American dance studios win a $7500 Best Buy gift certificate to improve their space. Broadway Dance Center (New York, NY), Focal Point Dance Studio (Miami, FL), Dance 411 Studios (Atlanta, GA), IDA Hollywood (Los Angeles, CA) are battling it out with their own energetic, single-shot dub to Club Can’t Handle Me, a song I actually didn’t mind listening to four times in a row!

And Don’t Forget…!

Okay, this one isn’t a contest but National Dance Day (a grassroots movement, spearheaded by Nigel Lythgoe and Dizzy Feet Foundation) is coming up on July 31. The effort is being recognized with an official act of Congress when Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), a long-time proponent of healthy lifestyles, will introduce a National Dance Day resolution at a press conference on National Dance Day in Washington, D.C., to promote dance education and physical fitness across the U.S. If by chance you haven’t heard of National Dance Day, you can find more info at www.dizzyfeetfoundation.org.

Tabitha and Napolean have contributed a little choreography to help you get in the spirit and get up and move. It too is choregoraphed to Club Can’t Handle Me. Check it out below:

Leveraging Your Dance Studio’s Identity To Grow Your Business

What are some ways that you can grow your business that aligns with your unique vision and studio mission?

Leverage what you already do well and combine that with some effective low-cost marketing strategies, which I’ll tell you about below.

I know you’re up to big things at your dance studio.  Before we can go any further into low cost marketing, though, I’m assuming that you:

Provide quality dance instruction to your students and are aware of your ‘brand’ of dance instruction.

Have reliable business systems in place for potential and current students to register for classes and participate in everything your studio has to offer.

Have a solid commitment to customer service and student/parent relations.

Offer a syllabus that allows for ongoing growth and improvement.

You and your team are producing successful students at all ages and abilities. This could mean a happy three year old who separates from a parent and fully participates in a 30-minute movement class to a first time dancer moving from beginner ballet to intermediate.  Or it could be your star dancer getting accepted into a college program they set their sight on years ago.  Not every dancer aspires to be a professional.  Know what success means to you and your students at every age and ability.

The fundamentals and basics of any business, especially a dance studio, must be in recognizing where the focus is before you invest your precious time in low cost marketing strategies.

Low Cost Marketing Strategy #1: Logo Items

One of the best purchases you can make in terms of a walking billboard of your business is logo wear and logo items.  The options are vast, the best place to find out what would be effective is to ask your current students what they’d be proud to wear around town or at at school. The most popular logo wear items at our studio are zip up hoodies, flannel pants, dance shorts, tanks and tees.

If you cringe at the thought of matching track suits or sporting your logo all over your clothes how about waterbottles, insulated cups, decals, stickers, pens, pencils, reusable tote bags, or backpacks?

Another example, we just had custom coloring pages created with our logo and crayon boxes made for birthday parties and dance camps. Infuse your personality, your studio’s mission and vision, and just have some fun with your logo items.

Low Cost Marketing Strategy #2: Demo Days and Open Houses

Rarely does a new student make a decision on where to take dance lessons based on one point of contact such as a website or brochure alone.

Demo days or open houses at your dance studio are one of the most effective ways to keep new students coming through your door and current students talking about why they dance with you.

One way to take this strategy to the next level is to add a unique theme.  At our studio we’ve had everything from an African Zulu Drumming day to a Tap Jam to Hip Hop events and more.  You can host an open house on a day you already have classes running and let people observe or tour your facility.  What can you celebrate right now? Don’t wait! Now is the perfect time to get the word out about why people would want to take a dance class with you. Again, keep it fun and interesting.

Low Cost Marketing Strategy #3: Friends and Family Appreciation

It doesn’t cost anything to say thank you. Extending your appreciation to your friends and family of your dance studio community feels great.

So many business owners focus an incredible amount of time and money on constantly generating new business.  I think that is important, however don’t over look the good will that extending a genuine thank you or we appreciate you can provide.  Above and beyond a kind word of thanks you can also extend some special incentives.

At our studio any parent of a child currently taking class will receive 50% off tuition of a class of their choice.  This keeps our adult only classes full and gives the parents a tie back to our studio as well.  I can’t tell you how many moms say that they love being able to take a jazz class or ballet class again with other parents or adults.  This is a retention strategy as well. Not only are the students tied to our studio but the parents love us too!

Some dance studios do a marvelous job promoting the local small businesses of parents of their studio.  Where can you publicly thank or praise or acknowledge the work your volunteers provide?  This goes way beyond bring a friend to class day, get creative with showing your appreciation for family and friends of your dance studio.

Applications Offline AND Online

Evaluate your current venues for getting the word out about your studio, your students, and the joy of dance. A personal testimonial or recommendation is priceless. People speaking highly of you, your staff, and your programs has power no tangible method of advertising could ever produce.

There is power in letting others know how you positively impact your customer base. This applies to social media too! And it is definitely a tool and platform to add to the list of low cost marketing methods.

Social media done well is an invitation to join your community to work, to play and to celebrate dance education and performance. Demo days, open houses, and guest teacher events are fun to promote and easy to talk about on social media. Plus you can always get the conversation going by saying hello, thank you, and I appreciate you to your followers and fans.

Have video or slide shows to add to a YouTube channel? What about pictures for your Facebook fan page? They are a great way to keep your name out in the community.

Here’s the video from the fun we had last week with the Jason Sadler and Evan White the duo from IWearYourShirt.com wearing the DanceStudioOwner.com logo t-shirt.  Again, have fun with social media!

Social Media Can Enhance and Enliven Your Brand

While all the great tweets, interesting posts, thumbs up, friends and likers can enhance and enliven your public image, reputation, and the potential for attracting new students, they will not secure the foundation of your business.

In your approach to social media, I’d like you to take away this thought: Be great with the fundamentals in your business and you’ll find plenty of things to be social about on social media.

Low cost marketing strategies aren’t complicated, however customizing them to your studio’s vision and mission will make them most effective.  In general marketing strategies give the public a chance to see, touch, and experience the spirit, mission and results you produce at your studio without having to make a commitment to registration.

Becoming the talk of the town for all the right reasons will always have the ‘brand equity’ that is priceless.

What have you found to be the most effective way to leverage your dance studio’s identity with low cost marketing methods?

Don’t miss Suzanne at the Dance Teacher Summit in NYC this summer! As a presenter, she’ll be providing even more insight and valuable tips for growing your business.

When Is Too Much Not Enough? — The Truth About Well-Rounded Dancers

The Myth Of More, More, More — No Stone Unturned

There is a lot of pressure on parents to help their child get ahead, as if somewhere down the line a child’s failure to get that job, land that role, or succeed at each endeavor could somehow be traced back to that one stone left unturned in the child’s past. As a result, I see a lot of parents out there trying to turn over every stone along their child’s path. It’s exhausting to watch and even more exhausting to attempt.

In dance, this tendency translates into more money, more time, more classes, more performances, costumes, choreography, private lessons… more, more, more. Even studios feel the need to be everything to everyone, responding to demand and striving to supply. As a result, parents have some big questions on their lips…

How many hours spent at the studio is enough? How many competitions are too many? How much money should it take? How much experience should my dancer have in _____? How much is necessary to ensure that I’ve left no stone unturned?

Because the answers will be different for each family and individual, I’m going to help you answer the above questions for yourself. First, by dispelling some myths about dance training.

Myth:

If my child wants to advance or get ahead he/she needs lots of experiences with different dance styles.

Experience and exposure in a variety of dance styles is important for creating versatile dancers and may even be a necessity for aspiring professionals. Being well-rounded in dance is a good thing. Exposure to different dance forms, starting at a young age, is a great thing. So where’s the myth? It lies in the misplaced emphasis on experience and omission of training. Experience and training are two different things, and I’ll add a third level… exposure. To get ahead, your dancer needs a healthy balance of all three.

Exposure = Watching a variety of dancers, styles, and performances; Making contact with other students and professionals; Reading about dance or dance artists

Experience = Getting a taste of alternative ways of moving and patterning dance; Learning a dance; Participating in a performance; Working with master teachers or choreographers;

Training = Engaging in a course of study that prepares a dancer for the physical, cognitive, and mental requirements of codified dance forms/techniques; specialized practice and instruction over a period of time

When parents see a class that incorporates ballet, tap, and jazz in a single hour class, they may think that this is three times the experience for the price of one. Exposure, yes. Experience, maybe. Training, no.

The child in this situation has less time to develop in any one of these areas and in terms of training, often ends up shortchanged. “Combo” classes, or classes that combine two dance forms are not entirely a bad thing. Young recreational students may benefit from experiencing more than one dance style before deciding where to focus their efforts later. However if, later on, their in-class effort and focus on technique is still only 20 minutes because their hour is continually spent on learning choreography and preparing for performances, the value of their experience is diminished. They are no longer moving beyond the experiencing realm, and no amount of performing, competing, or exposure will make up for this.

Reality:

• One hour of solid, well-thought training in a single dance form is better than ten hours of experience.
• Training, whether focusing on ballet, contemporary, jazz, or tap techniques can always be built upon with the addition of other styles.
• An experience can rock your world but it can’t substitute for consistent effort and instruction.
• Good training roots exposure and experience, and allows versatility to flower.

What It Means To Be Well-Rounded

A well-rounded dancer has a balanced education with equal parts exposure, experience, and training.

4 Signs Your Exposure-Experience-Training Balance Is Off

1. Preparing a single dance routine requires months of preparation. (Well-trained dancers are prepared for what is given to them, dancers who only have experience under their belt have a steeper learning curve because they must digest and acquire skills as they go.)
2. Technique is the add-on in your regimen, while classes like ballet or jazz are spent learning choreography in that style.
3. You have lots of exposure but within only a small range of activities. For example, maybe you devour everything about ballet but skip the article on improvisation, or watch major network dance competitions but pass on PBS, or travel every week to competitions but have never seen a live professional performance.
4. You engage in tunnel-vision training (yes, a dancer’s balance can be overly focused on training, not allowing for diverse experiences or exposure).

Take some time to evaluate your child’s training. The time spent in additional classes should be relative to true desire and interest. It is important to build your repertoire of dance styles but look for a studio that sticks to the mission of providing an uninterrupted core of technique classes, while offering a chance to “taste” a variety of performance styles and choreography during workshops, via visiting teachers, conventions, and going to see dance performances.

When Is Too Much Not Enough?

As I’ve begun writing this series a theme has emerged. The query above may seem like a riddle but actually it’s not meant to confound and can be answered in many different ways. Through this series, I hope to continue to address this as an underlying question to your concerns about striking balance in your dancer’s study without turning over every stone.

What are other signs that a dance education is not well-rounded?

Can you think of other myths or questions you might have as a parent?

It’s Easy Being Green

One year ago today, in honor of Earth Day, I published 12 Steps To A More Eco-Friendly Dance Studio. Below are four of these tips:

• Go Paperless — In this age of technology, going paperless isn’t as difficult as it seems. Studios are beginning to move newsletters and other communications online.
• Carpool — Start a carpool network. We live in a fast-paced world but students are very conscious of environmental issues. Consider tapping this resource and challenge your students to come up with a plan for organizing the car pool (or to brainstorm more green ideas for the studio). You might be surprised at their willingness to embrace your efforts in this area. However, if you want to go that extra mile, consider offering some incentive with a discount or coupons to those who participate in an organized carpool.
• Community Clean-Up — Adopt a highway or join other community clean-up efforts. This is great for your city and the environment. Additionally, showing an interest in your local region is good for business.
• Buy Organic, Recycled, and Eco-Friendly Products — From the snacks you offer, to the paper towels you use, to the cleaning products you put on your floors, there are plenty of options for going green. Check TheGreenOffice.com or Amazon Green for electronics, lighting, and cleaning supplies (not to mention digital music and now books).

Speaking of Amazon, you might be interested in knowing that they also offer a trade-in program for DVDs, video games, electronics, and for you college students, text books. I’ve not tried this myself as we have a local business that buys back media. If you don’t, or if you are upgrading to blu-ray, Amazon may be an option.

Anyway, there are six more, really excellent (and really easy), suggestions for going green in the original 12 Steps To A More Eco-Friendly Dance Studio post. Click here to jump to that article and read them all!

Earth Day Threads

If it is earth-friendly dancewear you are after, I would normally point you to a variety of yoga apparel companies. However there are a few dance clothing manufacturers offering organic options. Trienawear’s Entropy, Harmonie’s Delicate Balance knitwear (above left), and Just Marvy has expounded upon their Pink/Green motif with the cute little “earth is your stage” logo (above right) for their organic cotton/recycled polyester warm-ups. The pictured items above can be found at All About Dance, along with a few more items in their Eco-Friendly category.

More Organic…

A while back  I featured RelaxPack on the blog, a company producing organic and very useful packs for soothing aches, pains, and sore muscles with herbal and heat/cold therapy. I urge you to check these out if you missed the post – just click on the image to the right.

[Update! I like RelaxPack so much that I'm now an affiliate. If you click to their site from here and decide to purchase, you are helping to keep the free content flowing on Dance Advantage. How cool is that?]

Do you have some green tips to share?

Do you shop for organic clothing or other organic products?

How are you celebrating Earth Day?

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.

America’s Best Dance Studio Contest 2010

Everyone thinks his or her dance studio is the best.

Dancers, teachers, parents, here’s an opportunity to shout it from the rooftops.

America’s Best Dance Studio Contest 2010 wants to know what makes your dance studio unique – what makes it different from the other dance studios in your area, and from other dance studios across the country. Via the ABDSC social network, you will have the opportunity to submit testimonials, videos, and photos highlighting all of the wonderful things about your dance studio – your teachers, your students, the classes you offer, your involvement in charities, non-profit organizations, and even dance competitions! Here’s a chance to rally the community and make some noise in support of your dance studio.

Dance instructor staffing agency, Kiner Enterprises, Inc. are the architects of America’s Best Dance Studio Contest. President, Ashani Kiner has been busy shooting video at some of New York City’s biggest (and brightest) landmarks to let you know more about the contest.

Click here to view video on YouTube

So here’s the nitty gritty…

To enter, you need to head over to americasbestdancestudio.ning.com. Create a complete profile for your dance studio, and of course, invite all of your friends, family, and fans to join too.

A select number of dance studios will be featured in a special YouTube video series throughout the contest. If you’d like to be featured, enter the contest before Dec. 30th, and your studio may be chosen!

While voters and members of your dance studio community can independently sign up at the America’s Best Dance Studio Contest network, there are some rules and participation requirements for dance studios officially entering the contest:

• Entrants must be 18 yrs or older
• Entrants must be a U.S. Resident
• The Dance Studio must be in business for a minimum of 3 yrs.
• The Dance Studio must have a website

Enter before December 30th and pay the early-bird entry fee of $30 (may be paid by check or money order); after that entrants pay $50.

Further details regarding video submission and where to mail your entry info can be found at americasbestdancestudio.ning.com

10% of the contest proceeds will be donated to Child Cry, a non-profit organization that feeds hungry children around the globe.

Voting will begin on January 1, 2010 and the studio with the most votes will win!

What does the winning studio receive?

Click here to view video on YouTube

• A video feature on the DanceChannelTV.com website for an entire year
• A dance marketing video package and e-book with money-making strategies for your dance studio from Dance Marketing Queen, and CEO of DanceMassTV, Dawn Demendonca
• A stage backdrop from Grosh Backdrops and Drapery, for your end of the year recital performance
• A website banner or logo redesign from the web design and development experts at DanceSignUp.com
• An online press release and feature article on DanceAdvantage.net about your dance studio
• 6 Months of free Social Media Management for your studio’s Facebook fan page, Twitter, and Myspace accounts from Kiner Enterprises Inc.
• A banner to hang inside of your dance studio that reads, “The America’s Best Dance Studio Contest Winner 2010”

Yes, Dance Advantage has sponsored a prize for America’s Best Dance Studio Contest 2010! I will feature the winning studio here on Dance Advantage during National Dance Week (April 23-May 2). I look forward to showcasing the community that turns out in full force to support their dance studio.

Be positive, creative, and energetic!

Each and every dance studio is special and unique. I’m looking forward to witnessing the diverse ways you’ll show it. Good luck to all the competitors!

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Confessions of a Busy Dance Mom

Do you have one of ‘those’ moms at your studio?

You know, the one who doesn’t read the notices about payments due, rehearsal schedules, or performance times?

Or do you have one who drags their feet and doesn’t sign up until the last minute?

What about the mom who calls you all the time, emails constantly or has a million questions?

You might have more than one at your studio!

Communicating with parents is one of the most frequently reported challenges and problems that dance teachers and studio owners face when it comes to running a successful business.

Guess what? I am one of those moms!

I’m probably a great example of some of the moms at your studio. A mom who can barely find the time to get the lunches packed and get to school on time, let alone read the many papers and emails and notices that come home on a regular basis.

Here’s just a few reasons why:

• My 3 year old daughter recently refused to go to dance class in anything except her fleeced footed PJ’s and absolutely freaks out at the idea of me putting her hair in a ponytail.
• My minivan is what I call my ‘mobile office’. Some days it seems like I get in and out of my van to drop-off, pick-up, drop-off, run errands, pick-up about 20 times.
• I get invited to dozens of events by email: pampered chef parties, scrapbooking events, birthday parties, girls nights out, volunteer days at my kids school, parent committees, the list is endless. If I can RSVP to half, I’m doing well.
• My dining room table on most days serves as a place to fold laundry.
• I run from work to soccer practice then to music class. We have school and dance class and work again. Then it’s over to the studio, back to my home office, and school again. My google calendar looks like a puzzle of appointments!

It’s no wonder that communicating with parents is a top concern and complaint of dance teachers and studio owners!

Can you relate? There’s good news here…

Teachers and Studio Owners, increase your success in effectively communicating with parents by keeping them engaged and involved through a variety of modes of communication.

1. If there is an important date or deadline that I should know about please deliver that communication to me in a variety of ways, more than one time.
   • Post announcements in the studio, announce it after class, post it on the studio website, email me. I need more than one reminder and it’s not that I don’t care, it’s that sometimes I just cannot record that date into my calendar at that moment or the form could be lost among many others.
   • Thank you for going out of your way to let us know about important dates and deadlines.
2. Ask me what I can do to help. Seriously.
   • Believe it or not, even in the midst of the chaos with a couple of kids most moms want to be involved and help out.
   • Do you need a parent volunteer at the show?
   • Need someone to steam costumes or maybe email moms I know to let them know spots are still open in dance class on Tuesday mornings? If you don’t ask, I think you have it all handled, by all means ask. If I can’t help this time around, I’ll make sure next time.
3. I’m looking to the internet first, you should be too.
   • With my busy life, one thing has made my life easier: the internet. I like to register my kids for their activities at off hours, I check my email from my smart phone, I Google everything and I’m communicating with my friends and work colleagues on social media.
   • Thanks for keeping your website up to date, posting important news, and keeping in touch online. It really helps me know what is going on at the studio. Even better, I like to let my friends know and I’m happy to share it with them.

Lastly, and MOST importantly: Thank YOU

I am one of ‘those’ moms who may not say it often enough, or perhaps even at all.

Thank you. All I want for my child is to see them succeed and be happy. Thanks for making dance class fun for my kids. I appreciate the time and thoughtfulness you show with your enthusiasm and praise.

Dance class is a highlight of the week for my child. You create that moment each and every week.

From all those moms and parents out there that may not say it, thank you for all that you do to keep the joy and magic of dance alive in the world.

Streamlining Competition Registration with DanceSignUp.com

Twitter is a great way to discover emerging websites, services, and businesses within the dance world. It was on Twitter that I first encountered DanceSignUp, a web-based application designed to bring together dance competition organizations and dance studios to simplify many of the tasks that are cumbersome when it comes to competitive events, like registration, scheduling, payments, and communication. (Click here to visit DanceSignUp on Twitter) A lot of work goes into preparing for competition season. So, with a sneaking suspicion that you might be interested in something that could help streamline the process, and because I see a lot of potential in this this newly developed site, I chatted recently with Bret Robertson. His design company, Honu Studios, is responsible for bringing DanceSignUp to life.

Bret, you are a web designer and developer. Do you dance, too?

I’m proud to say I don’t dance, and if you ever saw me try you would be proud that I don’t dance either. My wife does hula and my business partner Brian and his wife took a dance class over the summer. Overall, we enjoy watching much more than we actually participate. We have a respect and appreciation for those who dance and dedicate themselves to the craft.

What has been like to find yourself in the “world of dance?”

It really amazes us how large the dance community is. Whenever we mention DanceSignUp to someone we’re surprised how often the response is “Hey, I used to compete” or “I’m a teacher”. We think it’s great that many are so enthusiastic and willing to share their passion for the art form. We’ve met some really great people, thanks to social networking sites like Twitter, who have been really encouraging and helpful with great advice and a wonderful spirit. We look forward to meeting more, as we feel like we’ve just started to scratch the surface.

Even I feel sometimes that I’m scratching the surface of a very large community, one which I’ve observed has grown tremendously online since I began Dance Advantage a year and a half ago. The culture that surrounds dance training and education, in particular, is broad and varied. Competitions are currently a big part of that culture, which brings me to your project and how it serves the dance community.

In a nutshell, how might the competition registration process improve for dance teachers and studio owners who register for competitions through DanceSignUp?

The biggest improvement is centralized management, everything is in one place.

Studios maintain only one roster of students for all the competitions they want to sign up for. Age eligibility is automatically calculated as are routine prices, so there’s no math involved! All registrations, schedules, and payments for every dance competition are kept in one place. There’s no longer the need to copy or print off each registration form for each routine then try and remember where you put each one six months ago when you registered. We also make it easy to change a routine in case a dancer gets hurt or needs to be swapped out, there is no need to call or email the competition.

Finally, we make payments for studios, groups, individuals, and competitions really easy. We’re using Amazon’s Amazon Payments service. The great thing is that most people already have an Amazon account so there’s no need to open a new one. Plus, neither DanceSignUp or any competition sees your credit card information. Amazon is known and trusted and completely PCI compliant. If the issue of a refund does come up, they can be issued just as easily in full or in part by the competition back to the studio’s account.

Without actually exploring your application, it can all sound pretty complicated. Let’s see if I’ve got this right. Studio owners/teachers can add students to a single roster (complete with details on their age). Then when registering for whichever competitions are of interest, dancers can easily be pulled from the roster to routines which are then submitted for registration. And studios pay the competition’s fees through Amazon, all from DanceSignUp. You must be charging a service or convenience fee, right?

No, teachers/studios don’t pay anything to use DanceSignUp. They only pay competitions to register routines within the application.

We do charge the competitions a small fee for each transaction. A transaction can include one or more routines. We looked at two pricing models, subscription and pay-as-you-go. Ultimately since dance seasons don’t last the entire year the subscription model didn’t seem too practical being that there are months where registrations may not be submitted. With pay-as-you-go small or large competitions have a level playing field, neither pay anything until they have registrations coming in.

I have had the opportunity to explore the site, and one of my favorite features is the “Coming to Your Area” section which appears on a studio’s dashboard when they login. Can you tell me more about this?

Sure, the “Coming to Your Area” section shows a list of upcoming dance competitions that will be hosting events near you. This is a great way to learn about new competitions, maybe sign up a few small groups, and check them
out.

The cool thing about this feature is that it levels the playing field, so to speak. It gives the smaller competitions a chance to compete with the larger ones. Now, we understand that there might competition and politics in the dance world. Naturally, you have large competitions and small competitions, large studios and small studios. It can seem like an uphill battle for smaller competitions to get their events out in front of studios and for smaller studios to make their mark at larger competitions. With “Coming to Your Area” there are no large or small competitions, just competitions.

We’ve talked about the advantages for studios but what are the benefits for competition organizations that get involved?

The benefits for competition organizers are numerous. The biggest of these are the savings of time and money. We eliminate the need for paper since everything is online. We’ve even done away with the need for Copy and Paste. On the registration side, you will no longer have to deal with illegible faxes, or attached email PDF’s coming in from all over the place.

Payments are handled securely and immediately online and give studios or individuals the option to pay with any credit card. No merchant account is needed, competitions only need an Amazon Business account. All payment records are kept for reference along with current event and season totals. Routine scheduling is quick and easy, routines can be sorted and ordered by any criteria. So if you want to view Small Group routines only, you can. Once scheduled and posted the schedule is completely online and available to studios, teachers, and parents. We’ve even formatted the schedule for mobile devices like the iPhone® so that it can be followed in real time during the event.

Finally, we understand that event programs are a fun keepsake but often are a pain to produce; especially when last minute changes come in and a deadline is looming. To remedy this, we’ve created the ability to export an event’s schedule that can easily be imported into your page layout application like Adobe InDesign or given to your graphics person.

For brevity’s sake we’ll just stick to these, but there are numerous small benefits and advantages, and many more in the works.

Speaking of what’s up your sleeve, I’ve got some other stuff going on at the site too. I’m pretty sure I saw that you are offering desktop wallpapers on your blog. What other fun things are you planning to add to the site?

“Fun” can be subjective; we find code fun, so for us it’s all fun. We do offer desktop wallpaper which is hopefully more fun than code; it’s just our way of expressing our creativeness and giving back to the dance community. We’re planning on offering a new wallpaper each month and would love to hear from the dance community through picture submissions. Otherwise we’ll have to resort to pictures of us dancing. Details can be found on our blog about how the images will be used, how credit will be given, as well as where to send them.

We’re also thinking about doing some giveaways, maybe something like a discounted fee event. And also bringing in some guest blog posters to write about what’s happening in the dance community.

Above all, I’ve found DanceSignUp easy to use. Like other familiar “Web 2.0″ applications, there’s a drag and drop feature and cool little windows pop up. Studios can also subscribe to a competition’s season feed, which means they can sort of “follow” them to easily discover when new events are added. Plus studios and competitions have their own profiles. They can “see” each other in a way that perhaps isn’t possible when dealing with a paper trail or other online registrations. Do you envision this going further? Will studios and competitions be able to rate or talk about the different venues? Will there be opportunities for teachers to offer feedback regarding competitions? Interact profile to profile? Hmmm, am I getting ahead of myself here?

We absolutely envision DanceSignUp going further. It is a web application which means it’s web-based software so there’s no downloading or updating that needs to take place on the user’s end. Consequently, updates can happen frequently, at any time.

Without giving too much away about our future plans, I can say that venue comments or ratings has been discussed and has a good possibility of showing up in a future update. One upcoming feature that we’re excited about involves enhancements for the judging process itself (for example more immediate posting of scores, and the upload/download of judges notes, as opposed to the old cassette tape system). In an effort to keep the application focused and simple we don’t have any plans to integrate any “social” features. Mostly because there are sites that do that already.

The site is fully functional right now but just went live in September. I’m sure you are looking for feedback from studios as well as competitions. Sign up is free so it’s easy to go in and look around. Can folks contact you with feedback or get support?

Absolutely, we’re completely open to feedback and looking for companies to collaborate with on existing and potential features. We’re constantly tweaking and adding features which is why we look forward to hearing from our users. We want to talk with competitions and studios. We want to find out what they want and need and build off of that.

Support is offered in several ways. Once you have an account we have a support ticket system that allows users to submit requests directly. We also have a growing library of help articles and screencasts that will walk a user through step-by-step how to do something. Finally, we have a special Twitter account to announce software updates and system status.

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As I mentioned, DanceSignUp is brand new. There are advantages for both competitions and dance studios to use the service but organizations from both sides have to come to the party. Currently, Bret and the folks at DanceSignUp are making connections and spreading the word. You can be a part of that by sharing the site with colleagues and competitions. I encourage you to visit DanceSignUp.com and have a look around. If you have thoughts or suggestions, you can contact Bret via the site or simply leave comments below.

Help! My Child Doesn’t Listen to the Dance Teacher! (Part Two)

If your child is having trouble maintaining their attention in class or has difficulty responding to instructions from his/her dance teacher, there are things you can do to encourage and help them to listen in class. These are discussed in a previous post and are an important prologue to the article below. I encourage you to read Part One, if you have not already.

Appropriate class material is essential for engaging young dancers.

Remember that ballet is a discipline that cannot and should not truly be undertaken until a child is around 7 years old. The maturity, physically and mentally, of a child under 7 is not developed enough for the dedicated study of barre work and technique required for ballet.

Most dance studios teach a mix of creative dance, movement games, and some fundamental ballet postures and ideas in their preschool classes. There are some studios that pay little attention to child development and getting that “mix” right for their youngest students. Perhaps the children spend a lot of time in lines or standing in one spot, perhaps the teacher isn’t as enthusiastic as he/she needs to be or doesn’t set clear limits/expectations for the children, perhaps the children are asked to spend too much time on one thing. Some children do have a disposition that allows them to “hang in there” for some time, even when they are bored or under-stimulated, other children do not. In fact, a rare preschool child enjoys or tolerates the methods of repetition often used for students only a few years older.

Overall, young children do best when things move quickly, there is a lot of variety, when their imaginations and creativity are fully engaged, and when dance is packed with learning that feels like play. Dance at four-years-old should have a strong emphasis on creativity and interpersonal and classroom skills. Its focus should be the development of problem solving, movement (direction, body awareness) and motor (jumping, galloping, kicking) skills. Greater emphasis on technique and choreography becomes appropriate as children begin to advance and increase their dedication to the discipline of dance study.

Consider the teacher’s experience and style.

Not every qualified teacher works well or has experience with young children.

• Experience – Way too often, classes for a dance school’s youngest children are given to the school’s most inexperienced teachers. Not all dance schools consider child development and the benefit of an experienced teacher when they provide classes for children. Reasons abound but none of these change that this occurs in dance schools throughout the U.S. (and perhaps elsewhere).
• Style – Experience is not everything. Therefore, consider the way your child’s teacher interacts with students, how he/she develops a rapport and relationship with your child, how your child feels about the class, and what you’ve seen of the teacher’s methods. Watch carefully with your child’s interests and feelings at the forefront.

If you feel your daughter is losing interest or having trouble listening because of the class structure or teacher, you might try out classes with another teacher or studio. This will allow you to observe how your child reacts in an alternative setting. Remember that a child may simply respond more positively to a different style, and an improved result does not necessarily mean that the previous teacher or school used poor or inappropriate methods.

Is ballet or dance right for my child?

Whether or not your child will have a desire to continue in ballet (or any other dance discipline) when the focus IS more on technique and choreography is hard to predict. However, laying a solid foundation for future study begins with discovering a joy and passion for movement. This is what carries a student through the difficult periods of training which inevitably a student will face as he/she advances.

Even if your child says the social aspects of the class are fun, I doubt that a class is truly enjoyable or beneficial if he/she is being corrected or disciplined frequently, or doesn’t care for the activities. I wouldn’t give up on dance until you’ve considered the possible reasons he/she is not listening or maintaining attention from every angle. I’ll repeat a statement I made in Part One of this article: I’ve rarely encountered a child that does not enjoy moving (and learning about the principles of movement) when it is presented in a developmentally friendly way. This, in my humble opinion, should be the focus of early dance education.

Help! My Child Doesn’t Listen to the Dance Teacher!

Concerned parents sometimes send questions regarding their child’s dance education. Keeping in mind that email questions often paint a limited picture, I do my best to offer sound advice based upon my experiences as a teacher. Recently a reader approached me with a series of questions. Based on her daughter’s difficulties with listening to the ballet teacher, this particular mother was wondering if perhaps ballet was just “not right” for her four-year-old daughter and was considering discontinuing her involvement, but wanted a second opinion.

Without observing the class or the child, it is obviously impossible to offer more than guidelines or things to consider when a child is not responding or responding negatively to instruction. Knowing that other parents may be asking themselves similar questions, I am offering an expanded version of the advice I gave to the parent mentioned above.

My child is not listening to the teacher. Is this a developmental phase?

Children do test limits and this is not limited to preschoolers – How does one know where a boundary is and feel secure that it will always be there if one does not occasionally walk to the edge of it?

Teachers and parents help children by making boundaries and expectations clear (often before the child has a chance to test them). When a child continually resists or pushes, even when limits are clear and consistent,  I suspect that something is interfering with the child’s ability to respond accordingly. A wide variety of things could be the source of this interference. Taking steps to discover what is going on with an individual child and what does work for him or her is a big step toward improvement of the child’s behavior in class.

I suggest you make an appointment with the child’s teacher to discuss what he/she is seeing in class, as well as set up a time to observe the class if possible. It is important for teachers and parent(s) to work together on possible solutions.

Is a preschooler (under 5-years old) too young to be expected to listen?

Absolutely not – in fact, the benefit of an early start in dance has more to do with the practice of following instructions in a class format than it does with preparing for later success as a dancer (some of the greatest professionals have had “late” starts). I’ve rarely encountered a child that does not enjoy moving (and learning about the principles of movement) when it is presented in a developmentally friendly way. This, in my humble opinion, should be the focus of early dance education.

What can I do if my child isn’t following directions in class?

1. 

   Image by Oude School via Flickr

   Keep your routine at home as predictable and peaceful as possible. Make sure your child is getting enough sleep, eating well, and try to relieve any stress or anxiety he/she may have at home or in class (is this a new teacher from last year, is there conflict between your child and another, has the class environment intensified in some way?) Sometimes even small or unexpected things can affect a child’s attention and behavior.

2. Be clear and consistent with expectations at home and compare these to the class expectations. Of course, your style at home and the way your child’s teacher runs his/her class will not be identical. However, communicating and receiving (with an open mind) ideas about what works (or doesn’t) for a particular child can enlighten a plan for how to help a child cooperate, both at home and in the studio. If the rules/guidelines at home or within the studio are not in line with each other (for example the child is expected to not interrupt the teacher while talking but this behavior is pardoned at home, or at home a “countdown” warning is given before leaving or moving on to another activity and in class activities change without warning), the child may become confused about what is expected of him/her. Consistency is key.
3. Help your child establish a good relationship with his/her teacher. On her website, Dr. Laura Markham offers some tips on how to include your child’s teacher in daily conversation in a way that will help your child form an emotional and familiar attachment with him/her. Click here to read the article, which also includes other ways you can help your preschooler learn to listen to a teacher.

I have a bit more to add on this subject. Tomorrow, look for the continuation of this post in which I discuss class structure for young dance students and how certain experiences may discourage your child’s attentiveness in class.

A Window into Dance Teacher Wages

Kiner Enterprises, a dance teacher staffing agency, has produced a report on industry salaries and trends in the New York City Metropolitan area. The report is simple and to the point, covering average hourly wages for teachers with less than 5 years experience and more than 5 years experience, as well as the average number of classes taught and the percentage of studios covering transportation costs for their teachers.

“We wanted to offer the dance community a neutral source of information regarding what is really happening in the dance teaching industry in the New York City Metropolitan area. We are able to offer a unique perspective based on our extensive work in the dance teaching industry, while providing dance studios with qualified dance instructors” ~ Ashani C. Kiner, CEO/President of Kiner Enterprises Inc.

I spoke with Ms. Kiner to dig a little deeper into who was involved in the survey and how information was collected. She shared with me that participants were interviewed via phone and e-mail and are clients and teachers working with the agency. The information in the report has been gathered over the last two years. One hundred dance teachers, twenty-five entities categorized as public/private schools or non-profit arts organizations, and one hundred dance studios are represented in the report. One-third of the dance studios are within New York City, while two-thirds operate in the NY Metropolitan/Tri-State area.

The full 2009 report can be viewed online on the KinerEnterprises Inc.’s Dancer’s Blog. Ms. Kiner stated that they’ll be publishing this report annually and are looking to expand it’s reach into other parts of the United States.

Even if you are not from the New York area, you may find these results interesting. If you haven’t clicked the link above yet, you may want to do so now. Be sure to come back though because I’m curious to know how you feel this compares to your own locale…

• Are the wages in your area similar or even close?
• Are you compensated for things like transportation to classes?
• Are you offered benefits outside your hourly wage/salary?
• Are some of you salaried teachers?
  
• Why do you think hourly wages are higher within the metro area as opposed to within the city itself?
• How many classes a day do you teach?
• Do most dance teachers live (pay rent, food, bills) on their income?
• How does location, experience, studio size, etc. affect dance teacher wages where you live and work?

I encourage you to leave your comments, thoughts, or even your own questions here and/or on the Kiner Enterprises blog. I’d like to broaden the discussion and facilitate positive dialog on compensation for teachers, as well as provide a realistic picture for those considering or entering the work force as a dance instructor.

Want to know more about Kiner Enterprises?

Kiner Enterprises Inc., the first dance teacher staffing agency in the U.S., provides dance studios and schools with talented dance teachers for last-minute subs, dance workshops, choreography, and temporary and permanent teaching positions. Dance studios throughout the New York Metropolitan area have already taken advantage of this revolutionary service since 2007. In Jan. 2009, Kiner Enterprises Inc. expanded nationally and launched a nationwide campaign for dance teachers. They have the largest dance teacher staffing roster in the U.S., and are industry leaders in the dance community.

In addition to the website www.kinerenterprises.com, and blog, Kiner Enterprises also operates two networks for U.S. teachers and studio owners:

For Dance Teachers:
http://danceteachersusa.ning.com
For Dance Studio Owners:
http://dancestudioownersusa.ning.com

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