Love makes the world go round.   And I LOVE to dance!

I came across some tips called 10 simple steps to a healthier happier you - on Yahoo! today that really made this Broadway classic song title come alive for me.

In the Shape Magazine article, the author Jene' Luciani says, "It may sound cliche', but love truely does make the world go round."

The #8 Tip is -  Find ways to get more LOVE in your life.  Make time in your schedule to see the people you love.  Play with a child, hug your friends, tell someone you love them, and smile at someone you don't know.  These small gestures can make a big difference!

I love this advice.  We all need to bring more LOVE into our lives.  As dance teachers we get multiple chances to hug a child, play with a child, and smile at people!   What a great profession we are in.  

I think the basis of love is also rooted in confidence and that is one of the most important things we can instill in our dancers.   Personal confidence - the ability to love themselves, so they in turn can share love with others.  

At the end of every class I teach (and those that my staff teaches) we say our mantra:   I'm Smart. I'm Strong and I LOVE to Dance.   For the past 11 years we've been saying this after every class in our studio.  I'm proud of it.   This motivational statement is based in self-confidence and love.  And it works.   Even when I'm having a bad day I can say to myself "I'm Smart. I'm Strong and I LOVE to Dance!"  

A few years ago, Dance Studio Life let me publish an article on our use of this positive psychology in our dance studio.  It's linked on my website at Releve' dance posters if you wanto read it.  It's titled Winning from the Inside Out.

You should hear our backstage at the start and end of recials, when the halls and stage ring aloud with this chant from every dancer!  Gives me goosebumps every time!

Go ahead say it out loud right now....

I'm Smart.  I'm Strong and I LOVE to Dance!


It feels good doesn't it?   :)  (there's a smile from me to you)

Take some time for you today and read these tips! 

Dancingly yours,

Ms. DeAnne

Postcards from Paris...Is your recital memorable?

Next week is "Picture Night" at our studio.   My favorite night when the kids come to class and get their photos taken in their recital costumes.   We use it as a "costume and make up rehearsal" too.  Good chance to get all those last minute parents motivated to make final costume, tights and hair tweeks before our big events next month - the annual recital.

It's this time of the year when the business of being a dance teacher really sets in.  Promoting a show, selling tickets, finalizing payments for year end and trying to think about the next season of dance even though you are totally exhausted from the current year. 

Now is the time to think about marketing your dance school...your recital is your biggest marketing tool.  A successful show can mean new students, but most importantly it KEEPS students returning to you year after year.

I know, I know many people have told you this before, including me and Rhee Gold at Dance Studio Life, but your recital is  your moment to shine.  Make sure it's memorable, well run, and most importantly fun for your students and parents. Don't make it so long that it's even painful for dance enthusiasts to like it.  Do what you have to do to make it enjoyable and entertaining.

I have a good system that works for me, but I'm sure every dance teacher out there has their own "system".  For instance, my dress rehearsal is scheduled in chunks, so the entire dance academy doesn't have to be there all at the same time.  We do dress rehearsal the evening before the show.   And we do photos a month before that... like next week for instance.  I always contact the local paper and issue a press release about our event too.   This year we are using social media -Facebook page with invites to recital event.

I also try to create a show.  Not just a recital.  I do my best to stick with a theme and give our small town, rural customers a glimmer of what a real Broadway show might be kind of like... (insert "clear my throat" sound effect)

I've had parents tell me they love the recital "as much as Christmas".... which is a good thing I think. 

One of my surprises each year is the backdrop selection - for over ten years we've been using Backdrops Fantastic and I love them!!!   This is in no way a paid endorsement, just a real time word of mouth plug for a great company that is ready and detailed for busy studio owners like us.  The backdrop makes the stage stand out and it sets us apart from other studios in the area who don't use them.

This year our theme is "Postcards from Paris" - my spin on an international theme.  I tried something interesting... on LinkedIn I posted a call for postcards in one of the dance teacher groups... we've started getting postcards from around the world to display at the studio/recital.   I want to say Thank You to all those who are sending or have sent cards!  I can't read every one's handwriting or languages, but it sure is fun!  (if you want to send a card to us there is still time-  BHF Dance Academy, 804 23rd Street, Brodhead, WI, 53520)  Our show is May 19, 2012.

What do you do to make your recital memorable?   I'd like to hear from you... because quite frankly I'm having a hard time picking my theme for next year and I need some help.

Thanks for reading,
DeAnne
a Dance Teacher just like you!

Holidays are here - give yourself a break and your staff too!

Hopefully, you have set some time aside in your calendar for the holidays. Perhaps you just finished your holiday performances or are just gearing up for the spring show. Either way, as dance teachers it's really tempting to move your "to do list" into that small class break timeframe.

I want to encourage all dance teachers to take a break! Even it it's just a day or two. Take a real break. Don't do paperwork, don't choreograph routines, don't run errands, don't order costumes. Just stop.

Stop and listen to your heart. Stop and spend time with family. Stop and do something fun for yourself. Heck, just sit on the couch and watch the fireplace flames dance if you can. Relax and disolve your thoughts of work. It will be hard to sit still at first, as teachers we are used to going a million miles a minute in two different directions.

Taking a break, even a brief one, will help you be more efficient later. So schedule a break, set the day - time for it, write it on the calendar, program it in your phone. Tell people you have the day off.

Whatever it takes do it and protect it.

Consider it a gift to yourself. The gift of time. Enjoy!

P.S. This is easier than it sounds. I dare you to try it :)

Dance Mom has a new meaning

The term Dance Mom is often referred to as the Mom of a student, but what about when the dance teacher becomes a Mom for the first time? That term, Dance Mom, has a new meaning for our studio this year. I have one teacher who recently had her baby and has returned to teach. And another teacher with her first baby on the way who's on hiatis til next summer.

The role of Dance Teacher Mom is a tough gig. Often dance teachers are balancing a day job while teaching at night...throw a new baby in the mix and you have one tough assignment. Sleepless nights, nursing, lack of confidence, mom guilt --you name it and a new Mom has a lot on her plate.

As I watch them switch roles from teacher to mother it made me think about the advantages of being a Mom and a Teacher at the same time. Are young teachers without kids at a disadvanage with a lack of parental experience that is sometimes needed in the classroom? Or do dance teachers have some special skills they can bring to motherhood? Physical balance and flexibility will be an advantage during pregnancy, will patience and practice be an advantage in motherhood?

What do you think?

All I know for sure is that it is going to be fun to watch my teacher's grow in to their new roles as Dance Moms. And I certainly can't wait to get those new little feet dancing as soon as possible!

Do what you love! Connect the dots later.

With the passing of Steve Jobs I took some time to look back at his life via all the posts, tweets and stories now circulating. One of the most popular items I found was his commencement address at Stanford University. It was an amazing message to the young graduates. Bottomline: he tells them to do what they love and waste no time doing it because death comes to all. How prophetic that now is.

This week was our first week back in the studio for our Dance Academy. I'll admit every single year I ask myself, "Should I continue with this Academy or not?" Steve Jobs told a story that every day he looked in the mirror and asked himself if he was in the right place, doing the right things that made him feel good. He said that it's good to always question what we do and if it doesn't feel right to change it. Because afterall life is short and definate.

So, as I'm in the chaos of the first night, fitting shoes, getting children into the right studios and trying desparately to remember names of the new dancers it hits me...I love what I do! Passing along the art form of dance is a gift that I give and I'm actually quite good at it - despite the fact that I never danced professionally nor got a degree in it. I graduated from college with degrees in Journalism and Psychology - both of which I use on a daily basis in the studio and at my day job as a Public Relations person.

Jobs, in his Stanford address, also shared a story of how he dropped out of college but "dropped in" to the classes he found interesting like calligraphy. It is why the MAC has so many cool fonts. So, I can say that I've "dropped in" to dance since I was in college taking classes at school, going to seminars, getting motivated by Rhee Gold, getting advice from DanceStudioOwner.com and attending Dance Master events to keep up my training. Recently, I purchased a set of CDs for teachers by Mary Lynn - it was a great refresher too.

When you do what you love you never stop learning simply because it's fun. And life after all should be fun. (Now I just need to remember that when I'm battling with a student who deparately wants to go on pointe or wants to move into another class with her friends)

In the end, year after year for the past 10 years, I've answered my own question of "Should I continue?" with a "Yes". Many times I tell myself that I do it for the kids, but the truth is it must be for me or I wouldn't keep working so hard to make it all happen. Dance makes me feel alive. Dance makes me happy.

So, do you LOVE what you do? If you do then celebrate the fact that you are one of the lucky people who get to do what they love and are good at it. If you don't, it's time to find a new direction because as we learned from Steve Jobs - life is short, don't waste it.

His advice in the closing quote of the address was to "Stay Hungry and Stay Foolish" -- now that's the best definition of a dance teacher I've ever heard.

Sports vs. Dance

Well, it's come full circle right back to my own kitchen. The discussion of sports vs. dance. Who would think that even the dance teacher's daughter would be so perplexed by this decision? My philosophy has always been to raise well-rounded kids. My own two girls play many sports and dance all the classes we can fit in - they are great athletes in the studio and on the playing field.

This year my youngest auditioned for the Madison Ballet Nutcracker and successfully earned a spot on the cast. It was a proud moment...for a while. Then, she said after studying the audition schedule for the part, "But Mom, I'll have to miss 8 basketball games and maybe even more." She contemplated for 2 days and ultimately decided not to accept the role. Basketball won this time.

I'm OK with her decision, in fact, I give the 11-year old credit for trying to figure out the audition schedule and matching up the game schedule - even I hadn't done the full evaluation yet. But it brings out a great point for all of us dance studio owners. Flexible scheduling is key. You must communicate to parents who are contemplating busy schedules just how to fit dance in with organized sporting activities.

It's tough to keep those high school dance/athletes in the studio, but it's so important to your overall program. I remember our first couple of years at our own dance recitals - with out a senior class- the show lacked a bit of the dazzle. I had to grow them from scratch. You need the older kids with the more advanced choreography to make a complete show.

This year I really looked at the school calendar at our local middle school to try to schedule class times for the older girls that would not conflict with basketball and volleyball games - it takes a bit of work, but we managed to keep all our 7 and 8 th grade students for one more year. Dance won this time.

SCORE a business plan for your school

Do you have a working business plan for your dance school or retail shop? If you are like most small business people the answer is yes and no. Yes- I have one (or should we say HAD one), when we started, but we haven't looked at it in a while. If it has dust on it you really can't say you have a business plan now can you?

The Small Business Administration has a very helpful website at www.sba.gov on it you can spend hours finding resources you may have never known you had available. One I'm excited about is SCORE. It's a group of retired, executives that will sit with you and build a business plan, or simply just talk through your most recent trials and tribulations. And I know as independent-minded dance teachers we often feel we are alone or maybe afraid to ask for help. Well, here's help and it's FREE. Recently, I visited our local SCORE office in Wisconsin to talk about my Releve' Dance Poster business and they were very helpful, so tomorrow I'm going back to talk about my dance academy.

You'd be shocked at how quick they can get to the root of your problem. Business is business and these people know the business of it all. I go tomorrow to review my "old" plan and make a new financial plan with a specialist in that area. Did I mention this service is FREE! If you are thinking of expanding, contracting or even selling your business I think they are worth a step on your to do list before the dance season goes back into full swing.

Another option is to certify your business as a women owned business, check for that on the SBA site too. Find your state's resources and use them, that's what your tax dollars have been funding you may as well get your money's worth.

Does your school have a Facebook page?

Everyone's on Facebook! This summer I'm watching my own two children keep in touch with friends and grow their fan base on Facebook at lightning speed. So, how do you maximize Facebook for your dance school? Well, you have two audiences, Moms and Kids. The Mom category is the fastest growing Facebook user category on line.

Consider these facts about Facebook from the Internet Strategies Group.
1. 7/8th of its members are older than 24 years old.
2. The fastest growing age bracket is 35 and older
3. The average person is spending 15 minutes per session and accessing Facebook 5-6 times per day!

Your Dance Mom's are on Facebook. Your dancers are on Facebook. They need to be FANS of your business.

Rhee' Gold this month in Dance Studio Life Magazine has a great list of ideas for marketing your business too, go read it! One of his ideas is that people like to belong to a "dance family" so make your business a "place to belong." Facebook can do that easily for you. He had other suggestions but I say Facebook is the way to go!

Create a page for your business. If you have Facebook account already you can add a business page. If not, get online and spend a couple of hours playing on Facebook. It only takes minutes to set up your page, but you'll get lost in the content (trust me on that one).

I'm considering letting my 12 yr. old manage our Facebook account for the Dance Studio... I know scary right? But she knows more than I do and she would learn a lot too. Who do you know that is a huge Facebook user? Call them ask them to help.

Once you are on, join groups, add to discussions, make comments and be social. The key to success on Facebook is acting like a human being, not just a stale business. Have fun. Get creative. You can even add video clips and photos of your recitals!