Smile! Special moments for Mom

It's recital season - personally my favorite time of the year. Last week was picture week, so all the students and Mom's (and a few brave Dad's) arrived at the studio bursting with excitement, flashing their sequins and trying to make sense of the chaos.

The recital at our school is the icing on the cake. This year at picture night I was able to observe a little more than usual with my staff fully functioning and able to pose their own students and classes. I watched as Mom's and daughters cooperated, got frustrated, got happy and shared unique moments together. Recital time is like playing "Barbie" all over again for the Mom's. You get to tease hair, put on makeup and try your best to put clothes on "your doll". It's fun!

Since I had a few extra moments and cameras were out in force capturing the behind the scenes drama and groups of smiling friends, I took the opportunity to say..."Let me take a picture of you and your daughter" -- Mom's never get to be photographed, they are always the ones taking all the pictures-- they gladly handed over their camera or cell phones for a quick picture.

It was fun for me to connect with my customers by giving them a free gift - a photo of them together, happy and sharing a moment in Dance.

Enjoy your recital day Dance Mom's across the nation! Have fun playing Barbie with your little girls.

If you need a gift idea for your dance teacher or studio, consider giving them Releve' dance posters. They are a unique and useful gift that will help all the students and teachers alike.

Releve' Posters now at DanceStudioOwner.com

If you haven't had a chance to visit and join DanceStudioOwner.com you are missing out! This is a valuable site full of resources for dance teachers of all experience levels. I've had the pleasure of working with DSO creator Suzanne Blake Gerety and she is now retailing Releve' Dance Posters on the site. I'm a member of her site as the owner of my own school and use her resources weekly.

As you may recall, I created Releve' Dance Posters back in 2005 and have had a lot of success over the past 5 years. I think 2010 is going to be a great year with the addition of Dance Studio Owner.com as a distributor and key partner. If you need to change up your studio Releve' dance posters can give you an immediate face lift!

Suzanne has energy and passion for dance that rivals all! I'm pleased to know her and you will be too. Seriously, you need to add visiting this site to your "to do" list today. (I call it my "ta da" list but that's for another post). It will save you time and money down the road, help you deal with staff issues, and make your recials easier too.

So visit Dance Studio Owner.com today and check out the shop to find my Releve' posters!

School Referendums - Is it your business?

Today is Tuesday April 6. Voting day for many local school districts across the nation. My community in Brodhead, Wis. is voting for the second time on a school referendum. The first vote in Feb. failed by 200 votes; the school district quickly put a second referendum on the ballot for April. Now, here's why I'm writing about this on Dance Teacher Talk Spot...

I organized a political action committee to PASS the referendum, even when the community is divided 50/50 on the issue. I'm a parent of two kids directly impacted by this vote and a small business owner of a child-based business; I felt I needed step up and be a leader in my community for the kids.

From a business perspective, I need strong schools my business to thrive-- bad schools equal no clients for a dance school... but I was one of the only businesses in town brave enough to state my position and get involved. Even our Chamber of Commerce and Mayor didn't have a voice because they were afraid to offend and lose business from customers on the opposite side.

So, did I make a mistake? Time will tell, but even if the vote doesn't go our way today I will know that I did all I could to help the children in this community thrive. It's what I do - put kids first.

If parents in my program were "no voters" (and I know there were some) and decide not to support my business next year then I guess that is a price I am willing to pay.

Now, I was careful not to promote the vote inside my business or use my location as a propaganda area, but I was not afraid to let people know I was an organizing member of the PAC and did a lot of highly visible campaigning. It's a small town, so people know me and my business affiliation. I've often heard the term, "it's not personal, it's business" referred to when tough business decisions are made; for me it was the opposite, "it's personal, not business" - sort of.

I'm sad that other business owners were not willing to step up and fight for a stronger school and to protect our local community. After all, if the school fails so will the community ultimately. So, what would you do in this position? Hide in the wings or share your school pride?