Useful tips from the Goldrush

Recital Organization: Color My World

If you produce more than one recital, color-code your shows. Make everything that applies to a specific show the same color: tickets, programs, music labels, parent notices, fliers, etc. It helps keep the school, parents, and students organized.

Deborah Davenport, Performing Arts Centre, St. Charles, MO

Marketing: Get ’Em in the Door

Our school offers a free dance day. It gets kids into your building who might never come otherwise. Even if you get only one or two new students, it’s worth it. Plus, since it’s a free activity, you can get more coverage from your local paper.

Molly Mills, Innovative Dance, Wilsonville, OR

FOSTER BONDING: Summer Camp Getaway

Each summer we conduct a three-day dance camp for our company dancers at a lakeside camp about an hour away. We include water activities, crafts, skits, games, and dance classes. It is a bonding time for all the students, from youngest to oldest, and they look forward to it each year.

Tina Barnes, Tina’s Dance & Gymnastics, Killeen, TX

Encourage Practice: Put It in Writing

I find that students practice more if they track their progress in a notebook. At the end of each session I collect the notebooks and write in a few comments about things they need to work on. I always look to see how much they’ve been practicing, and they know I will ask them what they are working on.
Melanie Kirk-Stauffer, Dance Theatre Northwest, University Place, WA

Organization: Mark Your Calendar

At the beginning of the year we give each student a calendar that contains dates for everything: school closures, rehearsal dates, picture day, state holidays, festival dates, show times, and rehearsals. We adhere to it strictly and follow it up with monthly newsletters. That way, no one can complain that they didn’t know when something was scheduled.

Irene Booth, Tempo Dance Academy, Nanaimo, British Columbia

Simple Wisdom: Just Brilliant

Defy gravity—dare to be different.

Annette Loope, Miss Annette’s “The Place to Dance,” Centerville, OH

Smart Business: Create a Demand

We close our classes for enrollment on February 1 of each year and start a waiting list for new students. Then, on April 1, we open 10-week workshop classes for an upfront fee. This gets many new children in for a “taste” of dance and ready to register in September.

Chris Campbell, Orangecrest Dance Academy, Riverside, CA

TEACHERS UNITED: Strength in Numbers

I work with other studios to produce a fall workshop, and we have recently added a spring DanceFest, which has been a wonderful experience. We can learn so much from each other. United we stand; divided we fall.

Isabelle Cook, Isabelle’s Dance Time, Veradale, WA

DANCE IS ART: Get Out Your Crayons

We have an art contest to illustrate the front of our recital program each year. We send out a letter announcing the theme and let the students get creative. We have gotten some precious entries. Along with the honor of being the chosen artist, the winner gets a blue ribbon; other entrants get ribbons and participation awards.

Susan Meyer, Susan’s Studio of Dance & Fitness, Haughton, LA

 

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