Tips for Launching and Maintaining an Adult Dance Program

• Market to the population you are trying to reach, then stick to your plan. “If you get a couple of students who aren’t ready, tell them that it isn’t the right class for them,” advises Christine Baltes, who teaches adults in Costa Mesa, California.

• Take your time developing your clientele, which may be very small in the beginning.

• If you decide to allow teens to take your adult classes, make it clear that the classes are intended for and geared toward adults.

• Offer a variety of levels even if you don’t have enough students to fill the upper levels. Word of mouth will attract more returning dancers to your intermediate and advanced classes, and beginning adults will have a concrete goal to strive for if upper-level classes are available.

• If you already have a large staff at your studio, start out by offering classes to your own teachers. Once these classes are established, other accomplished adult dancers may join.

• Don’t be discouraged if your turnover rate with adults is higher than with children. John Durbin, director of Michigan’s Dance Theatre Studio, points out that adults have many priorities and sometimes have trouble committing to being in the same place at the same time every week. He offers a generous makeup policy and enjoys high enrollment despite the rotation of dancers he sees in a particular class.